Indian Premier League 2021

April 3, 2021

Tap/Hover over bold words/phrases to know their meaning.

5 min read

Stability in IPL from any corner is over-rated and estimated or desired for only by the highly inexorable. Let’s look at its history for a moment. 2008 started off with a bang and Indians hoped for a daily dose of cricket for 2 months on a yearly basis in their own country. But 2009 saw the tournament moved to South Africa due to the general elections in India. IPL was back in India for 2010 and there looked a hope for continuity. While the IPL continued to be staged in India for the next 3 seasons, 2011 saw the introduction of 2 more teams. We had just wrapped our heads around the idea of seeing 10 teams which also had some scheduling discrepancies (such as not having home-away games against every team), the 2012 season had just 9 teams, following the removal of Kochi Tuskers Kerala. In 2013 we continued with 9 teams, but Sunrisers Hyderabad had replaced the Deccan Chargers team. We were also rocked by a spot-fixing scandal that would change the face and perception of cricket forever.

In 2014, we were back to 8 teams and the tournament was scheduled in UAE, due to the general elections in India. In 2015 we were back to India and just when we hoped for some calm waters, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were banned for 2 years for reasons related to the 2013 spot-fixing scandal. The ban meant 2016 saw the introduction of 2 new and temporary teams – Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions. We saw some continuity in 2017. CSK and RR returned in 2018. 2019 was perhaps the most ‘ordinary’ season as compared to others as nothing out of the ordinary happened in terms of teams participating, scheduling (if you don’t count the juggling of venues due to general elections in India) or host country. The pandemic in 2020 meant the IPL was once again shifted to UAE. In 2021, the IPL returns to India, scheduled to take place behind closed doors.

Having said all this, let’s not forget, the IPL is designed to NOT have calm waters for too long – there is a mega auction that happens after every 3 seasons, with one to happen before the 2022 season. And the fact that IPL is the only domestic T20 league ever to have been shifted out of its home country puts in perspective the organising ability of IPL.

As like each year since 2017, Cricket in Progress! has come up with a SWOT analysis for each of the 8 teams. We have introduced some new elements to it which introduces an element of ‘fantasy’ to factual analysis while deriving our observations and analysis from alternative indicators as well. We are excited to present those to you.

The following elements are part of every team’s analytical package:
Strengths and Weaknesses – these contain some obvious and some not-so-obvious strengths and weaknesses of the team, considering the venues the teams are going to play at this year, among other parameters.

Opportunities – a new season means opportunities not only for the team but for certain individuals for that team.

Threats – ideas/policies/decisions that are highly likely to pose as a threat to the team.

Player from Unsold – A player from the unsold pool who, in hindsight, would have helped the team bolster their overall chances by strengthening the balance and depth of the roster. This section also has a hidden ‘fantasy’ connotation – If the teams are given a choice to pick 1 player from the pool of unsold players in addition to the roster they have, this would be the player the team is most likely to pick.

Player from another team – ‘one person’s trash is another one’s luggage’. Again, with a hidden ‘fantasy’ connotation, this section mentions one player who would help address certain weakness of one team while being an excess or backup for another.

Key player – player from one team whose performance (or the lack of it) will go a long way in determining the overall progress of the team throughout the tournament.

Prediction – having considered everything that is on offer to our eyes as external viewers, what the most likely outcome of the team will be.

This year, instead of overwhelming you with the analysis of all the 8 teams at once, we will be spacing out the release between teams so that you have time to reflect on the analysis of each team.

All media that you see and the collated information gone behind this will be available as a download package. Feel free to use/store/distribute. Download here

You will definitely want to give these a try

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) - IPL 2021
Chennai Super Kings had a relatively quiet and predictable auction in which they looked to fill their ‘perceived’ gaps in the all-rounder department and add a batsman or two. I say ‘perceived’ because personally, I don’t feel they needed any more all-rounders than the ones they had, certainly not at the eventual price tag.
Delhi Capitals (DC) – IPL 2021
It has been characteristic of the Delhi franchisee over many auctions - they try their hand at almost more players than any other franchisee. Even before that, they end up releasing a lot of players and therefore having to buy a lot of players in the auction to fill the roster. In fairness, this year, all they released and subsequently purchased were backups to their otherwise continued core. A small glance at their activity during the auction and one quickly…
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – IPL 2021
KKR kept mostly quiet in the auction, looking to fill up spots on their bench and buying efficient backups for their core. It looks like a well-balanced team which should see continuity in their playing XI as compared to the previous season.
Mumbai Indians (MI) – IPL 2021
Barring any last minute injuries, and the known absence of Quinton de Kock for the first game, MI will play the same playing XI from last year. And why wouldn’t they? That playing XI, at least the majority of them, won them 2 back-to-back titles. Again, their auction activity was restricted to buy backups or buy back, in case of Nathan Coulter Nile.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) – IPL 2021
Having released 9 players in the off season, Punjab Kings, or Kings XI Punjab as they were known then, were always going to be "active" at the auction. But having splurged on individuals, they have shot themselves in the foot by limiting the balance of their roster. Es, 5.25 crore for someone with the promise of Shark Khan is justified, but I’m appalled by the PBKS spending.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) – IPL 2021
In the analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders, I mentioned that the purchase of Shakib al Hasan was one of the smartest buys of this year’s auction. Another one of those smart buys would be that of Shivam Dube by Rajasthan Royals. An Indian all-rounder on an upward trajectory, with a healthy SR in batting as well as bowling is a good luxury to have in IPL. But RR’s auction wasn’t all roses and lilies.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – IPL 2021
RCB released 10 players before the auction and added 10 new players to their roster, the highest among of all teams. It doesn’t take an eagle’s eye to see that these are actions of a team desperate to win. Desperation is good, it makes one hungry for success, but in all fairness, the same amount of desperation, if not more, has been there in RCB for quite some time now.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) – IPL 2021
With only 4 personnel changes from last year, 1 of which involves a replacement, SRH are the epitome of stability and continuity this year. Another interesting fact of SRH’s line-up is that only 2 players are purchased for the minimum base price of 20 lakhs.

You will definitely want to give these a try

The Author(s):