The IPL has now resumed; and Here Are Each Team’s Chances of Winning
The BBCI had to postpone the 2021 IPL nearly halfway through due to the pandemic. At the beginning of June, it was announced that the rest of the IPL would be played in the United Arab Emirates between the 19th of September and the 15th of October. The time has come and now the biggest cricket tournament in the world is fully underway again. How do players fare after such a long interruption? We will look at all eight teams and each’s chances of winning the title.
Mumbai Indians: 7/10
The Mumbai Indians currently sit in fourth place in the IPL table. Consistency has been a bit of an issue for them. Their bowling attack is the main reason why they have picked up three wins from seven games and are still in with a decent chance of landing a play-off place.
The fact that the tournament has been moved to the UAE is something that will please Rohit Sharma and his men as they were the winners last year when the whole tournament was played in the UAE. During the 2020 IPL, the likes of Quinton de Kock, Ishan Khan, and Suryakumar Yadav were all scoring runs for fun. They will be quite confident in their ability to do exactly that once again and go deep into the tournament.
Chennai Super Kings: 8/10
The Chennai Super Kings had a horrendous tournament in 2020, but they have clearly put this behind them as they have been one of the most consistent teams in the 2021 IPL. Although they lost their first game to the Delhi Capitals, they have gone on to win five matches, to put themselves second in the table as things stand.
While we know that they did not perform at all well in the United Arab Emirates in 2020, we do not believe that they will put in such poor performances once again. Their batting lineup has clicked this year and MS Dhoni has been spot on with his tactics. Ravi Jadeja has showed his class both with the bat and the ball, and we think that they have a really good chance of winning the title for the fourth time. In fact, our IPL prediction would be for the Chennai Super Kings to win the title.
Delhi Capitals: 8/10
The Delhi Capitals are currently sitting at the top of the table with 12 points thanks to six wins from eight matches. One of the reasons why they have been doing so well is that their opening partnership of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan has been on fire and are scoring freely.
Rishabh Pant will be the first to admit that he has made a couple of captaincy errors, but for the most part he has been outstanding. To add to this, the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Steve Smith, and Shimron Hetmeyer have scored some crucial runs. Their bowling unit is the same that put in great performances in the UAE last year, so they will be confident in their ability to make inroads into the opposition’s batting lineup.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 7/10
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have never won the title, and with five wins from their first seven games they will be thinking that this year could truly be their year. Glenn Maxwell has been on fire, delivering a match winning innings in at least three of the five games that they have won. In addition to this, AB de Villiers has been dismantling attacks for pleasure.
Virat Kohli was not at his best in the first half of the competition, but if he clicks in the UAE then they will certainly be able to give any team a game. They will definitely make it to the play-offs and have a very good chance of reaching the final, but we do not think they will go on to lift the trophy.
Punjab Kings: 5/10
The Punjab Kings have been really inconsistent during the 2021 IPL, meaning that they currently sit in sixth place with three wins from the eight matches they have played. While their captain, KL Rahul has been in scintilating form, the likes of Nicholas Pooran and Chris Gayle have been poor. Pooran was expected to be one of the stars of the tournament, but he already has four ducks to name.
The competition moving to the UAE is something that might well work in their favour because they won five matches on the spin last year. This is exactly what they will need to happen if they are to stand any chance of forcing their way into play-off contention.
Kolkata Knight Riders: 4/10
The Kolkata Knight Riders have a really good batting lineup, but they have not lived up to their talents this time around. Eoin Morgan, when he plays for England, usually scores runs for fun, but he has struggled this season for some unknown reason. However, in the 2020 edition, Morgan performed well in the UAE, so he will be hoping to get some form back, especially since the T20 World Cup takes place after the 2021 IPL.
With just two wins from their first seven matches, we would be highly surprised if they managed to turn things around and nab a play-off spot. With the likes of Morgan, Andre Russel, Pat Cummins, Tim Southee, Shubman Gil and Sunil Narine in their squad, they definitely have the talent to cause teams problems. However, we think they have left it far too little too late.
Rajasthan Royals: 3/10
Led by Sanju Samson, the Rajasthan Royals have a bowling attack that most teams would be jealous of. Thanks to the likes of Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, and Jaydev Unadkat, they delivered some top quality bowling performances. However, they have not performed as well as they would like with the bat, meaning that they sit in fifth place with three wins from seven games.
Samson would have been hoping that Ben Stokes would have recovered from a finger injury to take part in the second part of the competition, but he is currently taking time out of the game for personal reasons. Things got even worse for the Rajasthan Royals when Jos Buttler announced that he would not be returning this year. Although they are just two points off a play-off spot, we do not think they will be able to improve on their current position.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 2/10
The Sunrisers Hyderabad sit at the bottom of the table with one win from seven games, and they would need to put in a herculean performance to get anywhere close to the play-offs. They have a really good bowling attack that performed well, but it was their middle order that let them down time and time again.
With the likes of David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Jonny Bairstow they have some of the best batsmen in the world, but they have underperformed, and this has left their team with plenty to do in the UAE. To be honest with you, we would be surprised if they finished somewhere other than bottom of the table.
