IPL 2024: Analysis of Every Team, Part 2 – MI, Punjab, Rajasthan, RCB, Hyderabad

IPL 2024: In the second part of our two-part analysis of every team, we take a detailed look at five squads.

With the new season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the horizon, it is essential to know about the strengths and weaknesses of all teams.

In the second part of our two-part series, we take a closer look at – Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

(Read Part 1: Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Gujarat Titans, Kolkata Knight Riders & Lucknow Super Kings)

1. Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya’s addition might have significantly strengthened Mumbai Indians’ squad, albeit they had plenty to do at the auction table, with a relatively small purse. Amid the hullabaloo, the five-time champions showcased adeptness in securing quality acquisitions at bargain prices.

This is how their predicted XI looks:

Strengths

• All-Indian Top 5:

In stark contrast to teams heavily reliant on overseas batters, Mumbai Indians are the only team to possess an all-Indian top five, featuring Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and skipper Hardik Pandya.

• Pace Unit:

The team also has potent pacers aplenty. Spearheading the attack will be Jasprit Bumrah, who has 145 IPL wickets to his name, while Mumbai have an excellent Indian alternative in Akash Madhwal, who scalped 14 wickets last season. In Gerald Coetzee – the first South African bowler to pick 20 wickets in a single World Cup season, Nuwan Thushara and Kwena Maphaka, they also have overseas seamers capable of winning matches for the team.

• International Experience of Indian Players:

Another notable advantage for Mumbai Indians lies in the international experience of their Indian stars. Sharma, Kishan, Yadav, Varma, Pandya, Chawla and Bumrah – the seven Indian cricketers who are likely to feature in the playing XI, have all represented the nation at the biggest of stages.

Weaknesses

• Era of Uncertainty Under New Leadership:

Unlike Chennai Super Kings, who also have five titles, Mumbai Indians were not always a force to reckon with in the IPL. In fact, they did not win a trophy for the first five years, before Rohit Sharma’s appointment as the captain turned their fortunes. Now, however, the team is ushering into a corridor of uncertainty, with Hardik Pandya leading the helm, which could either be a catastrophic call, or a masterstroke.

• Weak Spin Department:

Mumbai Indians’ spin contingent does very little to uphold the overall disconcerting look of the team. They will be reliant on Piyush Chawla, who is now 35, and in all likelihood, a 39-year-old Mohammad Nabi.

• Overseas Pacers Are New to IPL:

How can pace be both a strength and a weakness of the Mumbai team?

Perfectly put – Mumbai, indeed, have assembled a daunting pace contingent. Except, all of their overseas pacers – be it Coetzee, Thushara or the young prodigy, Mapheka – are new to the IPL, with lingering concerns about their adaptability to the IPL.

2. Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings’ strategy at the auction seemed more on the perplexing side than on the rational, considering in Rilee Rossouw and Chris Woakes, they spent heavily on players who might not feature in their playing XI. They are a team that will be relying on the sum of the individual parts more than the whole.

Let us look at their predicted XI:

Strengths

• Experienced Opening Pair:

The Kings will have a vastly experienced opening pair at their disposal, in Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow. Dhawan, the team’s skipper, has played 217 matches in this competition, scoring 6617 runs at an average of 35.39. Whilst Bairstow missed the last season, he was outstanding in 2019 and 2020, and has played 70 T20Is for England.

• Four Quality Pacers:

Besides two reliable openers, Punjab will also have four lethal pacers in their ranks. The attack will be spearheaded by Kagiso Rabada, who picked up 106 wickets in merely 69 IPL appearances. Aiding him will be Arshdeep Singh – 57 wickets in 51 matches, Sam Curran – who might have had an underwhelming 2023 season, but has bowled match-winning spells in this competition – and Harshal Patel, the purple cap winner from 2021.

• Commanding Finishers:

Should they need a flurry of runs at the death overs, Punjab Kings can rely on their redoubtable finishers. Jitesh Sharma, who is now a part of the Indian T20I side, scored 309 runs last season at a strike rate of 156.06. Liam Livingstone’s IPL career strike rate is 165.60, while the likes of Curran and Shashank Singh can also contribute in this regard.

Weaknesses

• Unconvincing Indian All-Rounders:

While Punjab Kings boast seasoned overseas all-rounders like Curran and Sikandar Raza, the same level of experience is lacking in their Indian contingent. The team might have to rely on Shashank Singh this season, who has played only 10 IPL matches.

• Unimpressive Spin Contingent:

Punjab will have to rely on their pacers to play out of their skin, for the spin contingent is significantly less imposing. Leading the wing will be Rahul Chahar, who had a season to forget in 2023, picking up merely 8 wickets in 14 matches. Partnering him will be Harpreet Brar, who has scalped only 18 wickets in 28 IPL appearances.

• Over-Reliance on Foreigners:

One glance at Punjab Kings' predicted XI underscores their dependency on overseas players, amid uncertainty about the returns of many Indian players. In such a scenario, even one foreigner not performing to his potential could prove to be fatal for the side.

3. Rajasthan Royals

Considering they had a modest purse to work with at the auction table, Rajasthan Royals have done a decent job in further strengthening a team that took them to a final, only a couple of seasons ago.

This is how their probable XI looks:

Strengths

• Excellent Top 3:

If a competition were to hinge solely on the performances of the top three batsmen from each team, Rajasthan Royals might emerge as the prime title contender. The 2008 champions have an in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal, who scored 625 runs last season, and a proven match-winner in Jos Buttler, who has 3223 IPL runs to his credit. Following the pair will be skipper Sanju Samson – another reliable figure, with 3888 IPL runs.

• Fiery Finishers:

Besides an excellent top three, Rajasthan also have three fiery finishers. The standout feature from this group is Shimron Hetmyer, who has scored 1131 IPL runs at a strike rate of 152.22. Assisting him will be Dhruv Jurel, who had an excellent Test debut for India on the back of his IPL 2023 performances, and Riyan Parag, who might have struggled to adapt to this competition, but is a consistent performer in the domestic circuit.

• Chahal-Ashwin Spin Twins:

Not many teams possess two Indian spinners with decade-long experience. Rajasthan, being the outlier, have Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal. The former picked up 14 wickets last season and is always economical, whilst the latter got 21 wickets in IPL 2023.

Weaknesses

• Major Absentees:

Rajasthan will miss a few crucial players in this edition’s IPL. Prasidh Krishna, a Rs 10 crore signing, was a significant absentee last season, and will not feature in the upcoming edition either. Meanwhile, Adam Zampa – the Australian spinner whom Rajasthan used as a third spin option on turning tracks – has also opted out.

• Weak Indian Pace Attack:

In Krishna’s absence, Rajasthan are running thin on Indian pace alternatives. They spent Rs 10 crore to trade Avesh Khan from Lucknow Super Giants, albeit the pacer’s numbers do very little to justify the move. He picked up only eight wickets last season, conceding 9.76 runs per over. Sandeep Sharma is another option, albeit the veteran is now in his thirties.

• Lack of All-Rounders:

The Royals have had a bizarre inclination towards signing either specialist bowlers or specialist batters, leaving them short on all-round options. They did spend Rs 7.40 crore to sign Rovman Powell, although his IPL numbers are far from impressive – 257 runs at an average of 19.77, and only one wicket.

4. Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Bordering on Punjab Kings’ level of inexplicable, Royal Challengers Bangaluru made a few signings which raised both eyebrows and questions. Time will answer all queries about strategy, but RCB have players who have stood the test of time.

A glimpse at their probable XI:

Strengths

• Experienced Opening Pair:

Purely in terms of experience, Royal Challengers Bangalore might have the best opening pair across the board. They have skipper Faf du Plessis, with his 4133 IPL runs, partnering former skipper Virat Kohli, with his 7263 IPL runs.

• Quality Overseas All-Rounders:

Adding to their strength, the team flaunts match-winning overseas all-rounders. Glenn Maxwell had an excellent 2023 season, scoring 400 runs at a strike rate of 183.49, whilst his prowess with the ball was seen at the World Cup. They have now added Cameron Green to the mix, who scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160.28 for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023, in addition to six wickets.

• Commanding Indian Pace Arsenal:

While the M Chinnaswamy track barely offers bowlers any leniency, Bengaluru have a commanding Indian pace arsenal. Spearheading the attack will be Mohammed Siraj, who scalped 19 wickets last season. He will be aided by either Akash Deep – who had an excellent Test debut, Vijaykumar Vyshak – who did well to pick nine wickets last season, or Yash Dayal – who has improved since conceding five consecutive sixes off Rinku Singh.

Weaknesses

• Players Nearing Retirement Age:

Bengaluru have a few promising youngsters, albeit they are not particularly a youthful team, with some players nearing retirement age. Dinesh Karthik, now 38, is likely to bid farewell to IPL after this season, while Karn Sharma is also in his mid-thirties. There will be concerns about their efficacy.

• Not Enough Spin Threat:

Not only did Bengaluru never manage to replace Yuzvendra Chahal, but they now also lack a Wanindu Hasaranga to lead the spin contingent. The team will hence be reliant on Karn Sharma, who has scalped 20 wickets in the last four seasons combined, and Mayank Dagar, who has picked only one wicket in the IPL.

• Unassuming Overseas Pacers:

Bengaluru’s overseas pace arsenal is far from imposing. The decision to spend Rs 11.75 crore on Alzarri Joseph is not particularly rational, considering his economy rate in IPL 2023 was 9.38 runs per over. Lockie Ferguson’s economy rate was even worse (12.52), while Tom Curran’s career IPL economy rate is 10.84. Reece Topley, the fourth alternative, has only played one IPL match.

5. Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad have ushered into a new direction, as they frequently do. Except, this time, they will be led by a skipper with multiple ICC titles to his name – Pat Cummins.

Here’s how their probable XI looks:

Strengths

• Incredible Batting Depth:

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s batting depth is nearly preposterous. Likely to bat at number 9 for the franchise is their new skipper, Pat Cummins, who has three IPL half-centuries to his credit, alongside a strike rate of 152.21.

• Pat Cummins' Leadership Record:

Pat Cummins’s track record as a leader, albeit in international cricket and not in the IPL, is exceptional. Having taken over Test captaincy from Tim Paine in November 2021, he guided the Baggy Greens to an ICC World Test Championship triumph last year. In the same year, he also won the ODI World Cup for Australia, leaving India shell-shocked in the final.

• Pace Attack:

Hyderabad have also assembled what appears to be a high-octane pace attack. Led by Cummins, the arsenal features veterans like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jaydev Unadkat, a yorker specialist in T Natarajan, and promising youngsters like Umran Malik and Akash Singh.

Weaknesses

• Indian Players Lack Recent International Exposure:

In complete contrast to Mumbai Indians, whom we discussed earlier in this article, almost all of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Indian players lack recent international exposure. Mayank Agarwal, for instance, has not played an international match since March, whilst the last time Bhuvneshwar Kumar represented the nation was back in November 2022.

• Middle-Order Reliant on Heinrich Klaasen:

Hyderabad will be reliant on Heinrich Klaasen to execute most of the pyrotechnics at the death overs, with the other alternatives being unassuming. The team has shown faith in Abdul Samad, although having an average of 19.75, he is yet to repay the franchise. Washington Sundar, a player Hyderabad signed for Rs 8.75 crore owing to his all-round abilities, has an average of merely 14.54.

• Problem of Plenty Among Overseas Octet:

While the Indian contingent does not inspire confidence, Hyderabad have a problem of plenty among their overseas octet, with all eight players seeming to be worthy of a playing XI spot. Should they not have clarity of plans at the start of the season, we might witness another campaign with incessant changes in the Sunrisers’ camp.