IPL 2018 SWOT + KP + P

Here, we give you the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of each team, carefully dissected, analysed and framed. Along with that, we present to you the Key Player of each team who we believe will have a great impact on his respective team. The Key Player is the one on whom the team will depend a lot. And lastly, based on the analysis we did through the SWOT, we reached a prediction of sorts, for each team. The prediction involves the probable eventual position of the team on the table. Sometimes, you might notice “gut feeling” prevailing analysis but, the lord knows that one can’t help ignore “gut feelings”.

Even before the retention event took place, most people knew that CSK would retain M S Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja and then would go for Dwayne Bravo and Faf/McCullum in the auction. The prediction was duly honoured by the folks at CSK. We thank them for that. However, a surprise turned up in the auction when CSK chose Faf over McCullum via RTM, especially given McCullum’s recent explosive form in the BBL. The “Whistle Podu” will be back after 2 years as each and everyone will excitedly see Mahendra Singh Dhoni back in yellow as captain. It’s only an added bonus that MS will be fresh for the IPL having taken a break from the Nidahas Trophy.

Much of CSK’s strength lies in the fact that they have retained their core – players who will play 14 matches for them and contribute to the team’s fate heavily. Their spin bowlers (all 3 of them are expected to play) are very much specialist T20 bowlers and MS is a spin-friendly captain. I haven’t seen a captain so comfortable with spin as him. CSK have in their armoury 3 strong all – rounders who are not only capable of pure batting but are also capable of delivering 12 overs within them each time.’ In Raina and Kedar Jadhav, MS has the option of extracting 4 more overs out of them which gives CSK the absolute liberty of going with a very deep batting lineup.

A team with an average age of 28.64. Don’t get me wrong – this is a very strong team 3 to 4 years ago but now, the question is do the players possess the physical fitness to handle such a format? As many as 11 players are above or equal to 30 years. Apart from that, I fail to find an obvious weakness within this team.

If teams with a lot of youngsters not pegged as winners by any are called “Underdogs”, I’d call this team “Overdogs”. CSK fans at large are not happy with the team this time around ,calling them a team of “oldies”. This only means CSK as a team has a point to prove. Many questioned their tactics at their auction but frankly, if you look at their roster again and again, you start realising that CSK’s team is as strong a team as any.

The worst nightmares of fans could come true. Maybe all the stars will not be able to cope up with the demands of the format and fold either physically or mentally. While CSK really do not have a problem of seniority or guidance for youngsters, they do have a problem of too many yesteryear players playing for them. This policy has seldom worked for teams in the past.

One might think Dwayne Bravo or Ravindra Jadeja as the key player of this team. Or even Suresh Raina for this matter. Let me take another name as the key player of this side. Mahendra Singh Dhoni. As a captain, he will be captaining a side after a gap of 2 years. As a player, he is still out there winning and finishing matches for India in limited overs. As a wicket-keeper, I don’t think there’s anyone better than him in the world right now. As a captain, MS, especially for CSK, has that luxury of playing around with the combination of his team. Having seen MS over the years, I think it is safe to say that this will be a team MS will be very happy with. He will get the best out of this team. It’s only a matter of the fans having patience with their hero.

You might be inclined to trust MS and his instincts but how much can he do with this roster? The answer to the question is not a straightforward one. I feel CSK will finish in the bottom 2 this time around with an outside chance to qualify for the playoffs.

If you were to leave out the retention of Sarfaraz Khan by the RCB, you’ll find that the retentions made by Delhi Daredevils were the most unexpected ones. Many expected them to retain Chris Morris only. However, on 4th January 2018, they surprised everyone by naming 3 retentions – Rishabh Pant, Chris Morris and Shreyas Iyer. It was surprising and unexpected in terms of number of players retained as well as the players who were retained. By retaining these 3, Delhi retained the core of their team and showed faith in these youngsters. Come the auction and their strategy was very simple – build a team around these 3 players. and they did just that. Even if their auction was laced, at times, with intense bidding and at times with impulsive buying, they managed to put together a team strong enough to make a mark. Let’s look at a SWOT analysis of DD.

Delhi managed to maintain the core of the team with as many as 7 players returning to represent Delhi again after last year. Another strength in Delhi’s squad is their return of Gautam Gambhir. With Gambhir publicly acknowledging the fact that he wanted to be back at Delhi Daredevils, it could only mean good news to the Delhi fans. Much of Delhi’s strengths relies on their hard-hitting and high-impact foreign imports. In Colin Munro, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris and Kagiso Rabada, they have match-winners in each one of them. Their all round balance this time around is impeccable – with the bat, they have attack and defence. When it comes to spinners, they have efficient wrist spinners as well finger spinners. In the pace department, too, they have raw pace on one side and swing on the other.

There were only 3 weaknesses in the Delhi squad that I could identify. The first and foremost is that they don’t posses an automatic captain choice. While Gambhir’s name comes to mind for the role, one could easily speculate Rishabh Pant as a potential captain owing to the fact that he was retained for 15 crores. The 2nd weakness is that while DD posses some brilliant Under-19 stars, they don’t find an obvious place in the XI. With Gambhir, Pan and Iyer most likely to play in the top-order, Prithwi Shaw and Manjot Kalra find themselves either warming the bench or playing at positions out of their comfort zone. Another weakness, a minuscule one, is that DD bid on a lot of players in the auction. Most of them they didn’t end up getting. Makes one think whether they got majority of the players they wanted or they did not!

When Australia were trailing 3-0 in the ODI series at home against England, Glenn Maxwell was the first to come out and comment that Australia should play with an attacking mindset. Since then, he has come into Australia’s T20 team and scored 213 runs to go with 3 wickets and a century. He also finished the BBL on a high. He is in a good mental space and if he’s able to capitalise on that, DD can expect a season like KXIP had in 2014. For the first time in many years, DD have, c at their disposal a good all-round team. They have efficient backups in place and have a nice balance between experience and youth. 1 thing that is worth noticing is their bowling lineup – with their bowling lineup, they boast of a varied attack which comprises of swing, pace, medium pace, raw pace, left arm and accuracy. This not only gives them an opportunity to perform well in all conditions but also gives them a major opportunity to provide cushions to their strong batting lineup.

The threat that Delhi Daredevils have always had is implosion. Just when you think they are doing well and look like favourites to win matches, they turn up on the field to prove you wrong. Faltering is one thing but to falter at crucial times is Delhi’s thing. The high expectations revolving around them are only going to get higher since they have managed to stitch together a strong squad. I don’t think finding them their perfect XI would take much time but making wrong choices could be a very big threat on their campaign.

Christopher Morris, the tall South African is the key player. While many thought he would be the first and only player to be retained by Delhi, he was the 2nd of 3 players retained. Nevertheless, he brings to the table what no T20 team can decline – the ability to turn the game on its head with batting/bowling/fielding. If he is able to fire on all cylinders, he will really be a force to be reckoned with.

Judging the team on all these parameters, it is most likely that Delhi will make it to the qualifiers this year.

If you had to point out at 2 “serial-bidders” of this auction, you are most likely to point at Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab. Preity Zinta probably raised the auction paddle more than Chennai and Kolkata combined. On an average, KXIP spent 3.8 crores per player which tells us that they bought some very costly players. They managed to put together a strong squad which possess the firepower to chase any target down. Before the auction, KXIP chose to retain only 1 player – Axar Patel. Now, most expected this to happen while others did not. Fans wanted Glenn Maxwell to be retained but I had and still have a feeling that KXIP are better off without him.

Much of KXIP’s strength relies on the strong middle order that they have been able to gather. With K L Rahul, Karun Nair, David Miller, Yuvraj Singh, Marcus Stoinis and Axar Patel, here is a lineup that will give the best bowlers a run for their money. Kings XI Punjab also have the luxury, this time around, to play with an extra batsman or an extra bowler since they can easily play 3 proper all-rounders in the team – Stoinis, Yuvraj and Patel. While it is widely considered that a good opening combination is the key to a team’s success in T20, a well-structured and balanced middle order is almost as important. Kings XI Punjab have a varied batting order with each player already having a well-defined role. That, I feel will go a long way in propelling Kings XI Punjab to huge scores.

If you take a glance at Kings XI Punjab’s complete roster, you’d easily notice that they lack the same firepower in the bowling department that they possess in the batting department. What was surprising for me to try to understand the reason why Punjab let a good bowler like Sandeep Sharma go away! Given the fact that they play their home matches in Mohali and Indore, they could have easily done away with a bowler like Sandeep. Sans Sandy, KXIP’s bowling looks like it has a weak link.

This team has a huge opportunity that resides with them – their opening combination. If somehow, they manage to open with Aaron Finch and Chris Gayle, they can form the most lethal opening combination. At their cricketing-best, they can tear down any opposition. However, as it stands, it is highly unlikely that Finch and Gayle open together. Gayle looks more like a backup for Finch.

Since there is no obvious or automatic choice for a captain and wicket-keeper, there arises some major threats. One of them is an injury or lack of form to KL Rahul; first, their strategy of investing 11 crores will be rendered moot; second, they will need an immediate wicket-keeper (they lack a backup keeper in their complete roster). Another major threat is their potential choice of a captain. The prospects are KL Rahul and Aaron Finch. If they make Finch the captain, it will be the single-most biggest mistake they will have made. We have seen that when Finch captains Australia, his personal form takes a back seat. Another big threat is in the form of Ravichandran Ashwin. The threat presents itself in 2 aspects – one is that he has publicly accepted that it can never be like CSK in any other team for him; the second is that he is touted to try out proper leg-spin for the first time on a professional platform. This could backfire very badly.

Aaron Finch, currently the number 2 T20 batsman in the world. Following the debut of D’Arcy Short, Finch has been moved down to the middle-order, and he has not disappointed. He remained not out in all the 3 innings he batted in and scored 74 runs at a Strike Rate of 231. Basically, Finch is fit and raring to go, which only means good news to Kings XI Punjab. It’s not news that he has the ability to single-handedly turn matches with the bat. What Kings XI Punjab would be hoping is a simple template – an explosive start from Finch, a stabilising innings from KL and Karun and a strong finish by Miller and Stoinis.

With all being said and analysed, these are my thoughts. While Kings XI Punjab have good individual components, they, as of now, don’t have the potential to integrate those components together. They will most probably finish 5th or 6th.

I have an added advantage to write the SWOT analysis for KKR now, the reason being I am writing this after Dinesh Karthik was appointed the captain of the team. I’ll refrain from commenting on that decision because any comment I make right now will be highly premature. At the 2018 Auction, KKR made some eyebrow-raising buys. When we thought it would end with Chris Lynn, KKR went on to buy Dinesh Karthik – their eventual captain – for 7.4 crore. At the end of the Auction, KKR had 19 players in their roster as they ended up spending 4.21 crore per player on an average – the highest among the 8 teams. If one looks at KKR’s stars, they form much of the playing XI and it looks like a team to beat, a team to reckon force with. But, when one tries to look beyond these players, one is found in a lost land. The void Gautam Gambhir left by deciding not to continue with KKR wasn’t the only void apparent in KKR. More about it later.

I wouldn’t lie. In a scenario where KKR play all games with all their star players fit and in form, KKR will end up winning the IPL. But, much lies in the semantics associated with the remaining 8 players. Again, the individual strengths the remaining 8 players possess is of paramount quality. This is a team with U-19 starts touted for success. So, from a futuristic point of view, this is a strong team with scope of a lot of improvement, unlike CSK. Spin is their strength as they bring to the crease 3 high-quality spinners of different abilities.

This section or any reviews in this section will be of highly volatile nature. Either I could be proved completely wrong or I could be proved completely wrong. The first weakness that’s pretty evident is the lack of bench strength. Another weakness that stems from the previous weakness is the lack of their foreign bench strength. If you consider Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Mitchell Starc as their first-choice foreign players, Mitchell Johnson, Javon Searless and Cameron Delport don’t really come into the team unless absolutely necessary. The flip side of this, which some KKR fan might argue is that KKR have almost no selection dilemma. Not something DK would particularly be excited about. Over the years, KKR have boasted of a strong fast-bowling lineup, which always seemed to complement its spin lineup. This time around, barring Mitchell Starc, no other seamer really poses that much of a challenge, at least not right now.

With a tag of “underdogs”, and really nothing to lose(some might argue), KKR have an excellent opportunity to throw their hat in the ring and make a statement or two. With a young team available to them and assuming they stick with the young members, through this year’s IPL, KKR can build a formidable team for the coming years. They have an opportunity to identify their core members and start afresh with DK at the helm.

One of the major threats that I came across while forming a suitable playing XI for KKR is the batting position of Sunil Narine. Until Narine’s batting prowess was unknown, things were easier. Since his explosive batting has surfaced up in BBL, IPL and PSL, teams having him in their roster contemplate playing him as an opener as well. But, with Sunil Narine at the opening slot, the team needs to have a specialised All – Rounder at number 8. Russell for number 8 is too low and playing Mavi or Nagarkoti at 8 could backfire for them. The biggest threat for KKR is the injury clouds looming over Chris Lynn and now Andre Russell. Should these clouds rain, it would not only be curtains for the 2 players but also curtains for KKR before the season would even start.

Andre Russell. Simply because he is an indispensable All Rounder with the ability to single-handedly turn matches on its head. Andre Russell is a true All Rounder. He can bat anywhere between 3 and 8, he can bowl at any stage of the innings. Not to forget that he is one of the best fielders around. The only reservations I have with respect to him is that he will be returning to a big stage like IPL after a gap of more than a year. Only time will tell what kind of a toll that has taken on him personally as well as cricket-wise.

What KKR have managed to do is invest heavily in some players and in the process lost the opportunity to build an all-round squad. Going by that observation, KKR are most likely to finish in the bottom of the pile.

Disregarding the fact that the Mumbai camp was the most unprofessional camp in the auction with respect to the conduct of those at the table, it could be easily said that MI had a great auction and left the auction room as a happy franchisee. Having retained Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah before the auction, they managed to lay their hands on Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya yet again, through the means of RTM cards. This means that the very core of the unit for the past 2 seasons has been retained. Effectively, MI has to look for other 6 players to fit around these 5 players.

Though not the kind of names that get your motor running, MI can boast of a very good array of all rounders. The have seaming as well as spinning all rounders from India (capped and uncapped) as well as foreign nations. A bowling lineup that consists of Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins and Fizz is no doubt a potent bowling lineup, especially in the death. A settled unit with much of the core retained, I have a feeling that MI won’t be slow starters in this edition; they would be off the blocks quickly as it would be much easier for them to find the right combination for them.

Their batting sans the all rounders looks a tad bit weak. It’s not a surprise that most of their batting will revolve around Rohit Sharma and his form. This brings to the fore a very important question – “Where should Rohit Sharma bat?” History is witness that whenever Rohit Sharma has opened the batting, the middle order has been exposed like a naked wound. And if Rohit is to bat in the middle order, MI don’t have much opening choices. This sounds like a weakness to me.

Plenty of opportunities present themselves to MI this year. A certain player in the roster stands out for me. The name is Akila Dananjaya. If you ask 10 people to suggest their playing XI for MI, 5-6 people won’t consider Akila Dananjaya. Akila is a mystery spinner, although that phrase is being overused these days. Regardless, he is a brilliant off-spinner with an even brilliant doosra. And what MI lack in the spin department as such, he could more than make up for it. He’s more than last-minute buy. A glance at their roster and you’ll realise that no player except Ishan Kisan went for a ridiculously high price. That reduces a lot of performance pressure for the players themselves.

One of the major threats that I see for MI if the fact that they are the Defending Champions. This always plays on the back of the minds of franchisees. Except for CSK, no franchisee has been able to defend their crown. In the auction, MI went all out for Ishan Kisan and he is all but their first-choice wicket-keeper and also a prospective opener. This introduces a lot of pressure on the youngster who can fail to thrive under the pressure. Should the worst happen, MI will need to make a drastic change in their plans which wouldn’t be an ideal scenario. One can only hope it doesn’t come to that.

Key Player? Well who other than the one and only Hardik Pandya. I take his name despite his mediocre performance in the recent tour of South Africa because he is simply an indispensable all rounder in Indian conditions. Having him in the team gives the captain a liberty to play an extra bowler or batsman. He made his name in the IPL and he comes back to the same stage with a point to prove. Coming back after a long break would be ideal for him to give his 100%.

MI have most of their core with them yet again. Rohit Sharma has been an inspirational captain, say what you will. Keeping that in mind and seeing that MI has a very strong team, MI will go into the qualifiers once again this year.

What can be said about their auction this year what we all don’t already know and feel! This was the first time that we saw a shift in Rajasthan Royals’ auction policy. Over the years, fans and viewers got used to the “buy cheap players and turn them into superstars” template. But, this time around, RR bought players like Ben Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer and Jos Butler. In fact, the costliest player and 2nd costliest player of this auction were bought by RR. RR’s top 5 buys are priced (in crores) 12.5, 11, 8, 7.2 and 6.2. It is funny to realise that the same team bought Steve Smith in 2014 for exactly 4 crores. Coming to the quality of the buys, Rajasthan were able to stitch together a strong team where most of the playing XI forms itself. And despite their shopping spree, they bought for themselves some youngsters like K Gowtham, Aryaman Birla, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Tripathi. Which reminds me….This Rajasthan roster contains 5 players who played for Rising Pune Supergiant last year.

Well, where do I start! For the first time ever, on paper, it seems that Rajasthan Royals have managed to cover all bases. They managed to buy the services of good batsmen, good wicket-keepers, good all-rounders, good spinners and good seam bowlers. If you were to micro-analyse each of these departments and their sub-departments, you’d see that they managed to address every one of them. Let’s, for a moment, dive into that.

The above table pretty much sums up the fact that when you look at Rajasthan’s team on paper, it is one of the 2 strongest teams in the tournament.

One of the apparent weakness of this squad is the lack of a frontline spinner. While there is variety in the skills of the spinners, RR lack what you’d call a “lead spinner”. This wouldn’t be much of a weakness given that RR return to their home ground in SMS which is a haven for fast bowlers. Also, if you scrutinise the fast bowling department, RR do not possess an array of Indian fast bowlers. With Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, D’Arcy Short and Jos Butler as the first choice foreigners, it looks very difficult to get in Ben Laughlin and/or Dushmantha Chameera. This means that the task of leading the bowling attack falls on one Jaydev Unadkat. Upon reflection, you’d notice that this wouldn’t make much of a difference as Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer are 2 bowlers who have the ability to give the captain 4 overs each and at any stage of the innings.

There are plenty of opportunities for RR this year. Firstly, they return to SMS – their favourite ground. Although there is a change in the management structure of the team, it’s primary objective still remains the same. Having put together a strong team, RR do have an opportunity to make a case for the title. With most of its players in top form, RR can sense an opportunity. It might be harsh to say it but it has to be said – “The current team is not a long term team. It is a team based on form of certain players.”

The only threat, albeit a fatal one, is that if the team fails to group together, all the superstars would mean nothing. The core of the team is the same core of RPS last year. Since RR are no longer the underdogs (a title they have cherished and thrived under over the years), they CAN lack the intensity and the ability to make a statement.

No marks for guessing. Benjamin Stokes is a lethal man (pun intended). He is, in the real sense, an all rounder. He has the ability to anchor an innings and at the same time do the finishing job. His presence in the team could mean the difference between wins and losses for many of the matches. After what has been happening in his life, he has a point to prove to the world, which makes him an even more dangerous man. A left-handed batsman who bowls 140+ right-handed is always a great asset.

Some might disagree with what I say next. Rajasthan Royals, I feel, will finish at 5th or 6th this year. No more words.

After the auction, RCB looks like a unit which was attempted to be made well knit but missed a stitch or two. Virat Kohli and A B de Villiers were the obvious retentions but they turned everyone’s head by retaining a certain Sarfaraz Khan. Through the auction, they managed to buy the whole of KKR’s bowling lineup from last year. Like most teams, RCB used their RTMs wisely.

RCB have made sure that like all seasons, this season too they have a batting-heavy lineup. A lineup that consists of Virat Kohli, Manan Vohra, Brendon McCullum, Parthiv Patel, Quinton de Kock, A B de Villiers, Sarfaraz Khan is bound to give other bowlers a run for their money. RCB, on the face of it looks like a settled unit and it won’t be much long before they find the right combination for them. A not so obvious strength with this RCB side is the fact that much of the team is a young team full of players who bring to the table an aggressive brand of cricket. This will bode very well with the Captain who likes to have a team aggressive enough.

If you consider Colin de Grandhomme, Moeen Ali, Pavan Deshpande and Anirudha Joshi as the all rounders of RCB, you will be very right in saying that they lack that impact all rounder which is very necessary in this tournament.

Their opportunity has always been the same – win the IPL. And they always seem to have the squad with the potential to deliver on their opportunity. But implosion is something that always keeps them away from the reach of the trophy. This year too they have an excellent opportunity to lay their hands on the cup for the first time and break the shackles after 10 years. “Better late than never”, eh! RCB also have the cushion of 3 wicket-keeping options and 3 captaincy options. Should Virat be rested for a game or 2, de Villiers or McCullum are more than capable enough to captain the team.

When it comes to foreigners, RCB will have a problem of plenty. To find the right 4 foreigners around which the rest of the team will be formed will be very vital for the RCB to do and to do it quickly. Considering Yuzvendra Chahal as their lead spinner, there’s not much backup really. And if the Chinnaswamy is anything like last year, RCB would require a second frontline spinner. On slow pitches as well, a lack of 2nd frontline spinner could leave RCB wanting.

I am not really going to give you any marks for guessing. Virat Kohli is the key player. For RCB to even think of laying their hands on the trophy, this man has to fire on all cylinders. It wouldn’t be only about his batting. Equal focus would be on his captaincy and the way he guides the troops. In the 2016 season the only difference between him and David Warner was that Warner was, and is still an inspirational leader. If Virat is able to cover the distance between personal form and leading the team, he is definitely going to become the 7th captain to win the IPL.

The trophy always seems to elude this team or this team always seems to elude the trophy. They manage to build squads of great potential but fail to integrate. Nevertheless, I believe this team will go into the qualifiers this year.

Somehow, Sunrisers Hyderabad managed to retain core of their last year’s team while managing to make some beautiful additions. A glance at their roster and you know this is one heck of a team. One thing that franchisees from Hyderabad have managed to do in all IPLs is forming a formidable bowling lineup. On the menu this year is Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Basil Thampy, Sandeep Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, Chris Jordan and Billy Stanlake. In the auction, they managed to RTM Shikhar Dhawan and maintain their successful opening combination. They managed to buy the services of Manish Pandey for a hefty price of 11 crore. Barring Manish Pandey, no single player has the burden of a heft price tag on their shoulders. So, I expect the players to deliver the goods asked of them.

I’d like to repeat myself. SRH’s biggest strength is the fact that they have maintained majority of their core team – a team that was successful in delivering the title to them in 2016 and taking them to playoffs in 2017. Another of their strengths is that the first choice playing XI pretty much forms itself with all the bases covered. There’s stability and variety in the batting, just like there’s variety in the All-Rounder’s department. When it comes to bowling, they posses an armoury which when unleashed, will be a potent firepower.

If one were to disregard the fact that Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is not a paradise for spinners, one can make a valid argument saying that SRH doesn’t have a 2nd full time spinner to go along with Rashid Khan. I might sound scrutinising but, without Kane Williamson in the playing XI, the batting lineup would look very weak, putting a lot of pressure on the opening pair. Apart from that, I fail to find any other distinct weakness in the roster of 25.

Yet again an opportunity of finishing in the top 4 presents itself to SRH. One of the few consistent teams in past few years, SRH has shown to the world that T20 cricket is not about batting. It is as much about great bowling and inspiring captaincy. A successful campaign is a manifestation of how a team performed as an integrated unit throughout the season. SRH has this opportunity of regrouping well enough to have yet another successful campaign.

Rashid Khan was recently appointed as the youngest ever International captain in the history of cricket when he was asked to captain Afghanistan in the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. One might be easily afraid that after a tournament where Afghanistan could end up playing as many as 8 matches, Rashid Khan could turn up in the IPL a bit fatigued. As a 19-year old, it’s unlikely to happen but one can’t ignore the possibility of it happening.

Manish Pandey. Pandey attracted some very big bucks at the auction, surprisingly. What apparently seems more surprising is the question “why didn’t KKR retain him before the auction?” Nevertheless, Manish Pandey will be the core of the middle-order and SRH will depend on him to deliver the goods more often than not. Manish is a dependable middle-order batsmen given that he gets his opportunities. He has a proven T20 track record and delivery man a memorable performances.

My Prediction for SRH is that they will finish in the qualifiers with a good chance of reaching the finals as well.

Consider looking at some other content related to IPL 2018.
IPL 2018 : Everything you need to Know
Mihir Vohra’s Playing XI
Samrat Darda’s Playing XI
Yash Mehta’s Playing XI
Rosters
Schedule