How all 8 IPL teams will line up for their opening game
The Indian Premier League is only a month away and the excitement levels have hit a new high. All eight franchises entered the auction with the desire to find the right combination for their respective sides.
In my opinion, half the battle is won at the auction and the other half is fought in the field. The auction took place in Bangalore this year and the return of the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings was the talk of the town.
The eight franchises gave it their all in the auction to form their teams. Teams like Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Sunrisers Hyderabad look wonderful on paper and are considered strong contenders to win the tournament. The Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab and the Rajasthan Royals have plenty of firepower too but their fans are not too pleased with the team compositions.
On that note, let us take a look at the possible playing XI for each side.
NOTE: These apply only for the first match
Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings are making a comeback after two long years. The yellow brigade will be led by former Indian skipper MS Dhoni who was retained by the franchise.
Murali Vijay will take up the opening duties alongside Shane Watson. Vijay was one of the key batsmen for CSK before he was released. 'Mr. IPL' Suresh Raina will bat at his usual number three position. The southpaw is the only batsman to have scored over 370 runs in all the ten editions of the tournament.
Faf du Plessis will bat at number four. His ability to rotate strike against the spinners will be crucial for the franchise on slow turning tracks in Chennai. Team India's pair of MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav will take up the finishing duties for the Super Kings. Dwayne Bravo has been CSK's most successful all-rounder and he will bat at number 7 for the side.
Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir are both expected to feature. Their contributions will be important on the spinning tracks of Chennai. The pace department will be manned by two Indian pacers. India's recent recruit Shardul Thakur will take up the responsibility along with the young Deepak Chahar.
Playing XI: Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni(c)(wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir