3 min read
Am I the only one or does it feel like this year’s IPL is lacking a certain level of enthusiasm that we have become accustomed to over the years? If you think so too, much of the blame can be accredited to the fact that this is the first time in its 12-year history that the IPL, the ICC Cricket World Cup and India’s General Elections are occurring in the same year. Therefore, a set of daunting challenges have presented themselves to the BCCI – to try and conduct the whole of IPL in India, as opposed to shifting it abroad like in 2009 and 2014; and to attempt, if not guarantee, to deliver an IPL-esque atmosphere that has always gripped the country in the last 11 years.
Owing to these challenges, several announcements by the BCCI were ad-hoc in nature. The auction was announced only when it was nearer to its date of conduct. By this time of the year, we get to see IPL advertisements in all its glory – on TV channels, on advertisement hoardings, on digital media. And that’s with an April start-date. This time around, with uncertainty still looming over the dates of the General Elections of India, nothing is set in stone, not even the schedule of the first two weeks released by BCCI.
Having the IPL immediately before the World Cup means that it’s almost certain that players won’t give their 100% for the franchisee. Consequently, having the IPL immediately after the World Cup means that players arrive into the IPL fatigued – mentally and physically. In both the cases, “immediately” is the key word. Yet, it doesn’t mean that there is an automatic solution; it is very difficult and I repeat, very very difficult for BCCI to obtain a window other than the April-June window which would attract the same kind of international-player participation. However, that’s not to say that BCCI should looking for solutions all together and hope for the best in a World-Cup year or an Election year.
As we approach of point of no return, certain elements start becoming inevitable, the roster of each team, for example. That is why we, at Cricket in Progress! took the liberty of manufacturing some consumable content for you. We haven’t done anything different; we have just done the same things differently. We have done a team-wise division of the content, we have a better SWOT and most importantly though, the playing XI for each team is suggestive rather than predictive. Here goes.
You will definitely want to give these a try
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Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - IPL 2019CSK not only enter this edition of the IPL as the defending champions but they also come with 24 players from the last edition. No prizes in guessing that such a roster is led by the one and only Mahendra Singh Dhoni. With their only addition at this year’s auction being uncapped batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad, we shouldn’t expect much changes to the playing XI from last year. The playing XI will only be strengthened with the availability of Mitchell Santner…
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Delhi Capitals (DC) - IPL 2019For the first time in many years, the Delhi franchisee had a sensible auction, making only necessary bids and buying only necessary players. If I was from the Delhi management, I’d be a happy bloke. That being said, Delhi Capitals enter the tournament boasting of a great roster and it falls on the captain Shreyas Iyer and the coach Ricky Ponting to leverage this beautiful opportunity that presents itself to them.
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Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) - IPL 2019Surprisingly, at least for me, R Ashwin turned out to be a great captain for KXIP last season. But, unlike his former franchisee CSK, KXIP will enter this edition with 14 new signings and only 9 players from the previous edition. That being said, KXIP made some good buys, some debatable transfers and some other eye-raising buys.
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Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) - IPL 2019I don’t know about others but I feel that Carlos Brathwaite for 5 crores and Lockie Ferguson for 1.6 crores are great buys. KKR went into the auction to buy batting, all-rounders and spinners reserves and to build a fast-bowling lineup. I’d say they were quite successful in doing so. On paper, the KKR team looks as strong as ever and DK showed us last year that he is more than a capable captain.m
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Mumbai Indians (MI) - IPL 2019Much like CSK, MI have retained majority of their team from last year and they enter this year’s IPL a couple of acquisitions and some new signings. Lasith Malinga is back as a player and Yuvraj Singh will don Mumbai Indians’ jersey for the first time in IPL.
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Rajasthan Royals (RR) - IPL 2019If 5 years ago you told me that Rajasthan Royals purchased players worth 12.5 crores, 8.4 crores, 8 crores, 7.2 crores and 6.2 crores, I’d have laughed at you in disagreement. Last 2 auctions though, RR has been splurging, the result of which is that RR posses a solid arsenal, at least on paper.
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Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) - IPL 2019It is very difficult to form an opinion about RCB’s auction. They made a couple of smart buys and acquired Marcus Stoinis from KXIP. While most of their departments look complete, the batting looks a little weak, with the onus once again falling on Kohli and A B de Villiers.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) - IPL 2019For the first time in the past few years, I am not happy with the squad SRH have put together. They had several opportunities in the auction to efficiently replace Shikhar Dhawan. Manan Vohra is someone who comes to the mind. Now, the dilemma they face is playing 2 out of Jonny Bairstow, Shakib Al Hasan and David Warner. Trust me, any combination is making the lineup of SRH a bit weaker.
