How Every IPL Team Is Shaping Up Ahead Of The 2020 Edition

Almost every IPL team has considerably strengthened their squad before the 13^th edition of the Indian Premier League. Plenty of top players were retained while some were shockingly released as well, before the teams splashed out a mammoth combined sum on the auction night.

The highly awaited auction night for the 2020 IPL season was held in December 2019 in Kolkata. Typical drama unfolded as every franchise strengthened their squads after months of meticulous planning and strategizing their priorities.

Overseas Stars Attract Huge Bids

A total of 62 players were bought at the auction by the 8 franchises, including 29 overseas players, for a combine total of a whopping Rs. 140 crores. The most expensive player in the auction was Australian pacer Pat Cummins, who was purchased for a mammoth sum of Rs. 15.5 crores by the Kolkata Knight Riders after one of the most intense bidding wars in IPL auction history. Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, nicknamed “The Big Show” for his big hitting exploits, again earned a big move to Kings XI Punjab, who paid Rs. 10.75 crores for his services.

While the Aussies earned big as always, the Caribbeans were not too far behind either. Left arm pacer Sheldon Cottrel, famous for his army march wicket celebration, fetched Rs. 8.50 crores, again from Kings XI Punjab while the Delhi Capitals splashed out on destructive batsman Shimron Hetmeyer, paying Rs. 7.75 crores on him to make him their most expensive signing this season.  

The captains of two of the most influential cricket playing nations, Aaron Finch and Eoin Morgan also earned big moves to the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.

Overall, every franchise strengthened considerably and we cannot wait to see how these teams shape up and perform in the upcoming IPL season. In this article we will go through all 8 teams in the IPL and analyze their auction and squad details, strengths, weaknesses and give a betting prediction for how the team will perform. For all type of IPL betting we always recommend LeoVegas.

Table of content:

• Delhi Capitals Players List (DC)
• Rajasthan Royals Players List (RR)
• Kings XI Punjab Players List (KXIP)
• Chennai Super Kings Players List (CSK)
• Sunrisers Hyderabad Players List (SRH)
• Royal Challengers Bangalore Players List (RCB)
• Mumbai Indians Players List (MI)
• Kolkata Knight Riders Players List (KKR)

Delhi Capitals

Perennial underachievers Delhi Capitals are still searching for their first ever IPL title. They are the only team in the IPL to have never reached the final, and would really like to change that no-so-flattering stat. The introduction of new owners saw the franchise being renamed as Delhi Capitals, and an aggressive auction in 2019 led them to the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, signaling a new era for one of the worst performing teams in the league.  

Auction And Squad Details

The Capitals were already in a strong position before the auction began, as they retained the core members of their Indian contingent – Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma and captain Shreyas Iyer among others. They also retained one of the best bowlers in the league in Kagiso Rabada.

However, they still went all guns blazing and bought some impressive names at the auction to create a formidable squad capable of challenging for the title. The biggest purchase was of Caribbean big-hitter Shimron Hetmeyer, who can be a gamechanger in the middle order. Another impressive purchase was that of the 2019 Big Bash Player of the season Marcus Stoinis, one of the best allrounders in the world.

Strengths

• The batting top-order of the Delhi Capitals is one of the strongest in the league. Though Jason Roy will be a big miss, they have plenty of options for openers. Shikhar Dhawan is an IPL legend on his own, while Prithvi Shaw is one of the best young talents. Marcus Stoinis was devastating as a opener in the Big Bash league while Ajinkya Rahane can also add some much needed steel and experience.
• The evolution of Shreyas Iyer as one of India’s most consistent limited-overs batsmen bodes well for Delhi. The skipper is a brilliant middle order option who can accelerate at will as well as provide stability.
• The Spin Attack – the combination of 2 of the most experienced spinners in the IPL in Ashwin and Mishra is Delhi’s secret weapon.
• World Class Coach – Ricky Ponting is one of the best cricketers to have ever played the sport, and is now turning into an equally adept coach. He has completely transformed the erstwhile struggling Delhi side and confidence is high that he can lead them to their first title.

Weaknesses

• Delhi Capital lack a big hitting bowling all-rounder in the mould of Andre Russel and Dwayne Bravo. Chris Woakes would have been ideal but he has already pulled out of the tournament and has been replaced by Nortje, who is a fast bowler. They have also lost Chris Morris who was perfect for this role, and may struggle to replicate what he did for them.

IPL 2020 Prediction

The Delhi Capitals are looking like a solid unit this time around and should aim to reach their first ever final. They reached the playoffs last season and will be looking to go one step further this time. The Indian core coupled with big name overseas players should ensure they finish strongly this season.

Rajasthan Royals

The first ever winners of the Indian Premier League back in 2008, The Rajasthan Royals are one of the most unpredictable sides in the tournament. You never know what you might get from them. They can completely dominate against the very best of teams while struggle embarrassingly against the bottom ranked teams in the very next match. The team finished 7^th last season and would definitely look to improve on that disappointing finish.

Squad And Auction Details

The Royals have two of the most high-profile cricketers in the world currently in Steve Smith and Ben Stokes. Their overseas bunch is arguably the best in the league, with Jos Buttler, Andre Tye, Jofra Archer and David Miller completing the formidable set.

The Royals were fairly cautious in this auction. They had surprisingly traded star batsman Ajinkya Rahane for young spin sensation Mayank Markande, a move which has raised a lot of eyebrows. They signed Robin Uthappa who was a consistent performer for KKR across the past decade and also David Miller, who can be destructive on his day, but such days are rare.

The squad is full of promising young Indian players such as Sanju Samson and Yashashvi Jaiswal, along with Ankit Rajpoot and Riyan Parag, which gives the Royals a youthful outlook full of energy.

Strengths

• The big name players such as Smith and Stokes add some much needed leadership and experience, which can be excellent for the youngsters to learn off. Stokes is widely regarded as the best all-rounder in the game and is their biggest asset.
• Their opening pair of Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson is one of the strongest in the league, and overall their batting lineup looks quite promising.
• The Royals have improved their bowling attack and now have two main spin options in Markande and Shreyas Gopal, along with a pace battery of Archer, Tye, Oshane Thomas and Tom Curran.

Weaknesses

• While Steven Smith is a legend in test cricket and a brilliant captain, he is not exactly suited to the T20 format yet he takes up a guaranteed overseas player spot.
• Players like Robin Uthappa and David Miller boast brilliant IPL stats in the seasons gone by but are now regarded as way past their best. 

IPL 2020 Prediction

Considering the Royals only finished 7^th last season, and have also lost their most consistent batsman in Rahane, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them in the bottom 4 again in the upcoming season.

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab are one of only 3 franchises in the league who have still not won the title yet. The franchise has often focused on their huge catchment area in Northern India to fill up their squad along with T20 heavyweights from around the world, but still hasn’t been able to break their trophy jinx. Their highest finish was as runners-up back in 2014 and they haven’t even made the top 5 ever since, let alone the playoffs.  

Squad And Auction Details

The Kings XI Punjab franchise has a formidable squad on paper, with heavyweights such as Chris Gayle and Glenn Maxwell adding shine to the list.

The Kings lost one of their best bowlers however, as they traded Ravi Ashwin with the Delhi Capitals, but still managed to retail established internationals such as Mohammed Shami and Karun Nair. KL Rahul is probably their biggest star and has been named the new captain and will also be keeping wickets this season.

Strengths

• A New Look Coaching Team – The kings have hired the legendary Jonty Rhodes as their new fielding coach, while former Indian test opener Wasim Jaffer is the new batting coach, and legendary West Indian pacer Courtney Walsh is their talent scout.
• Plenty of big hitters – The team has several players who can clear the rope with ease. Starting from KL Rahul and Chris Gayle, the most destructive opening pair on their day, to middle order big hitters Pooran and Maxwell, the Kings would be looking to put up some massive totals.

Weaknesses

• Consistency – The biggest issue that has been hindering the Kings from progressing beyond the league stage has been the lack of consistency among their biggest stars, and unfortunately that is still the case. The likes of Glen Maxwell and Chris Gayle can be the best and most destructive batsmen when they’re in full flow, but the frequency of such blasts has gone down. They are more like hit and miss cricketers at the moment and that could hurt this team.
• The lack of depth in the bowling attack – While Sheldon Cottrell is a big buy, he is supported in attack by Shami, who is a huge asset in ODIs and Test cricket but has often struggled in T20s. The departure of Ashwin will adversely affect the bowling lineup as most of the bowlers are still inexperienced.

IPL 2020 Prediction

The team has finished outside the top 5 for 5 consecutive seasons since reaching the final in 2014, and that looks highly unlikely to change considering their issue with the consistency of top players. They finished 6^th last season and may have another bottom 3 finish this season.

Chennai Super Kings

One of the most decorated and consistent teams in the league with 3 titles to their name, Chennai are perennial favourites to win the title. Still under the more than able leadership of MS Dhoni, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, Chennai will be hoping for another strong finish to this season’s IPL, having missed out on the title by the narrowest of margins last season, when they lost to their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians by a solitary run.

Squad and Auction Details

Chennai’s strategy throughout the IPL era has been to formulate a core group of players and stick with them no matter what. This has yielded great results for them as the team’s chemistry is second to none, while almost all other teams make drastic changes every season.

They also go against the grain of the league and usually prioritize experience over youth, as can be seen with their retention of the likes of Shane Watson, Imran Tahir, Dwayne Bravo, Du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh and other such T20 greats who are on the wrong side of 30.

The Superkings kept their auction deals short but effective, as they looked to improve their bowling attack with quality purchases of Josh Hazelwood and Piyush Chawla, while also adding young English allrounder Sam Curran for Rs. 5.5 crores.

Strengths

• The Super Kings have the most experienced bunch of players out of all the teams in the league, with the highest average age as well. These players not only have a wealth of experience in cricketing terms, they also have the priceless experience of lifting the IPL trophy multiple times, which ensures the winning mentality that can inspire the young players as well.
• With Shane Watson and Du Plessis still going strong, CSK still boast of a very solid batting lineup, with the likes of Rayudu handling the middle order and then Kedar Jadhav and Dhoni to provide those incredible finishes down the order.
• CSK are filled with quality all-rounders which ensure their batting runs very deep, another huge advantage that sets them apart. The likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Santner and Sam Curran are all equally adept with the bat and ball both, and if they add Harbhajan Singh and Shardul Thakur to the mix, they can easily have more than 5 bowling options as well as a whole set of 11 batsmen who can clear the rope !
• MS Dhoni – One of the best finishers the game has ever seen is still revered as “Thala” by the CSK faithful, and though he maybe declining with age, he is still one of the most important players in the team and would be looking for one last title after announcing his retirement from international cricket.

Weaknesses

• The only real weakness in this brilliant squad is the lack of youth players and over-reliance on quality players who are on their last legs. With age not on their side, the likes of Bravo, Watson, Dhoni, Harbhajan etc are always one small injury away from pulling out of the tournament.
• Suresh Raina has recently pulled out of the tournament citing personal reasons, and considering he was their most consistent batsman and a certified IPL legend, he will be sorely missed.

IPL 2020 Prediction

The team lost the IPL 2019 final by just 1 run and will be looking to do better this around, and we believe they are firm favourites as always to win the tournament.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Two-time winners of the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad are traditional heavyweights in this league. Led by the inspirational David Warner, SRH are more than capable of beating every other team in the league. They have traditionally taken pride in their bowling attack as well as fielding prowess and that seems to be the way ahead in the upcoming season also. They have the 3^rd best win-loss record in IPL history after Mumbai Indians and Chennai Superkings.

Squad and Auction Details

SRH have done well to retain most of their top players, with Bairstow and Warner opening the batting and Williamson providing stability after them while Bhuvneshwar Kumar spearheads the bowling.

SRH were relatively quiet at the auction, with their main focus being on retaining their key players. The only significant buy was Mitchell Marsh, who can turn out to be a handy all-rounder for them.

Strengths

• Top Order – The Sunrisers have probably the best top order in the league, with Bairstow and Warner being remarkably consistent as well as destructive, a rare combo, and even if one of them fails, in comes Kane Williamson, one of the most consistent and reliable batsmen in the world.
• Bowling Attack – Arguably the best bowling lineup in the tournament, the SRH pace battery consists of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and Billy Stanlake, while they also possess both the spin sensations from Afghanistan – Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi, to complete a formidable lineup.

Weaknesses

• The key weakness in the SRH camp over the years has been their over-reliance on the top order because of a weak middle order. The ban on Shakib Al-Hasan robs them of a quality all-rounder and a huge middle-order presence and there’s huge pressure on Mitchell Marsh to adequately replace him.

IPL 2020 Prediction

SRH often rely heavily on their top-order batsmen, and while that sounds like a risky strategy, the top 3 have been remarkably consistent and often carried them out of tricky situations. With one of the best bowling attacks combined with the best top 3 batting options in the league, we firmly believe SRH can make the play-offs at the very least.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The “Hollywood Franchise” of the league with the maximum amount of glitz, glamour as well as talent on the pitch, Royal Challengers Bangalore are regarded as the favourites for the title almost every single season, yet shockingly they are one of the 3 teams who have never actually won it, finishing as the runners-up 3 different times.

Squad And Auction Details

RCB have almost always had formidable starting lineups, with a penchant for capturing some of the biggest overseas cricketers at the auctions. That trend seems to continue with the big money purchase of former Delhi Capitals all-rounder Chris Morris and that of Australian T20 captain and experienced campaigner Aaron Finch, for a combined total of Rs. 14.4 crores.

They also bought back legendary pacer Dale Steyn at his base price, at the behest of captain Virat Kohli, who is a huge fan, and Kane Richardson for Rs. 4 crores, to create a devastating bowling attack.

Strengths

• The combo of Virat Kohli and AB Devilliers, two of the best batsmen in T20 history, can destroy any bowling attack in the league when in good nick. They have had several high profile partnerships and would be raring to go one more time in their desperate bid to win that elusive maiden title.
• The Bowling Attack – Often criticized for their weak bowling attack, RCB seem to have learned from their past mistakes and have considerably strengthened that department, with the additions of Morris, Richardson, Udana and Steyn, to complement Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav.

Weaknesses

• Weak Indian core – RCB have one of the weakest Indian core groups in the league, with the likes of Kohli and Chahal the only senior Indian internationals, along with part timers such as Umesh Yadav and Parthiv Patel. Their overseas contingent seems as strong as ever but only 4 of them can play, and filling out the rest of the team with 7 quality Indian players will be tough for them.
• Over reliance on the power duo – Not too long ago, RCB boasted of probably the best batting top order in IPL history, with Gayle and KL Rahul opening the innings. However, both have now departed for the Kings XI Punjab, and RCB are now fully reliant on Kohli and ABD to anchor their innings as well as accelerate it, thereby putting a lot of pressure on them and risking a batting collapse.

IPL 2020 Prediction

While the big names continue to headline RCB’s brand image, the balance of the team has never looked weaker. And unless the likes of Parthiv Patel and Gurkeerat Singh etc emerge out of nowhere as match-winners, their weak batting lineup leads us to believe the title will elude Virat Kohli once again and they might finish in the bottom 4.

Mumbai Indians

The most successful team in IPL history, with 4 titles to their name, are also the defending champions this time around. Funded by the richest man in India, Mumbai Indians have a very powerful aura about them, consistently dominating all across the pitch. Several times they have had terrible starts to the tournament and yet finished as one of the strongest teams, so you can never write them off. They would be looking to add a 5^th title to increase the gap between them and arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings who are on 3 titles.

Squad And Auction Details

The Mumbai Indians did very well to retain the core of their title-winning team, and are looking like a very well rounded team. At the auctions they addressed the issue of their strike bowler Malinga ageing, by signing Nathan Coulter Nile for Rs. 8 crores.

MI might have bought the bargain of the season by signing Chris Lynn at his base price. Lynn has been one of the most destructive batsmen in the world across several leagues in recent years, and has the potential to win them the title if he’s in form. They also traded in Sherfane Rutherford from Delhi Capitals, who may turn out to be another explosive addition to the batting lineup.

Strengths

• The Brothers Of Destruction – Mumbai Indians boast of two amazing Indian all-rounders who can each turns the game on its head, and the most amazing part is that they are siblings ! Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya provide incredible depth to the MI batting middle order, and are also equally adept with the ball, proving to be invaluable assets for the team.
• The Indian Internationals – The presence of the Pandyas, captain Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah, the consistent Suryakumar Yadav and even youngster Ishan Kishan give MI an incredibly strong Indian contingent.
• The Deep Batting Lineup – Starting with Rohit Sharma and Lynn, then the West Indian giant Pollard followed by the Pandya brothers and wicket keeper Kishan, MI have a ridiculously deep batting lineup.

Weaknesses

• MI’s bowling looks a shade lighter this season compared to the previous seasons. One of the primary reasons is that Lasith Malinga is now ageing rather quickly, and is no longer the lethal weapon he once was. Bumrah is the only senior Indian bowler, and a lot depends on Coulter Nile and McCleneghan to take the burden off Malinga.

IPL 2020 Prediction

While the squad is still very solid, it looks a shade weaker than last season and we aren’t expecting them to win the title again, but they will definitely look to finish in the top 4 and qualify for the play-offs. They have made a habit of proving their doubters wrong though, so anything can happen when MI are on a roll.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders are always making headlines, primarily because they have the most famous owner of them all – The Bollywood Badshah Shahrukh Khan. SRK as he is fondly called, is often seen at the Eden Garden supporting his team with a huge bunch of friends and family, including other Bollywood stars. KKR have an enormous fan-base and often have roller-coaster fortunes in this league, snatching victories from the jaws of defeat while also giving away matches from winning positions.

Squad And Auction Details

KKR made enormous waves at the 2020 IPL Auction, snapping up the most expensive player on the night after a brutally intense bidding war with 4 other franchises. Australian quickie Pat Cummins was purchased for a staggering amount of Rs. 15.5 crores.

The Knight Riders also signed two of England’s most influential T20 batsmen in Eoin Morgan and Tom Banton, which will go a long way into replacing Chris Lynn, who was inexplicibly released along with Robin Uthappa.

Strengths

• Andre Russel – Just the name is enough. The only player to win the IPL MVP award even when his team failed to reach the play-offs, and that too twice. Words cannot adequately describe just how important he is to KKR. Russel has consistently created havoc with the bat and ball both, with some of the biggest sixes you will ever see. Probably the most consistent match-winner in the league currently, Russel will again be the man to watch.
• Bowling Attack – With a pace battery of Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson and Russel, combined with the spin wizardry of Sunil Narine, KKR have traditionally been brilliant with their bowling and that is still the case for this upcoming season.
• Middle Order – KKR have one of the strongest batting middle orders in the league, with the presence of Eoin Morgan single-handedly enhancing that. The likes of Nitish Rana and Shubman Gill are very explosive and then Andre Russel destroys everything in front of him down the order.

Weaknesses

• No Fixed Opening Pair – KKR always had very strong openers and always relied on them. Earlier it was Gambhir and Uthappa and then Lynn and Uthappa. However, all of them have left now and they need to settle on an opening pair as soon as possible. Trying out Narine and Banton may be a good shout but they’re still unproven as a pair.

IPL 2020 Prediction

KKR are a very unpredictable side in general and a lot depends on how they sort out their opening slots. If that is fixed, we expect them to compete for the title from the word go, else it will be a struggle to finish in the top 4.