IPL 2016: 8 teams and the type of player they desperately lack
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016 is already into its second month and is slowly approaching its business end.
While the points table, as of this moment, may reveal a clear picture about the chances of some teams as far as qualification for the playoffs is concerned, there are several issues that each team would like to address in order to make themselves best prepared for the second leg of the tournament and boost their chances of qualification.
Although there have been star performers associated with almost every team in the league, there have also been certain roles that have remained unfulfilled as far as the team combination is concerned.
Teams have been hampered by injuries to players and they have also been marred by the lack of certain players to fulfill key positions in the line-up. Here, we take a look at all 8 IPL teams and try to identify the type of player they lack in their line-up.
1. Gujarat Lions
One of the two new members of the IPL fraternity, the Rajkot-based franchise has been on a phenomenal success streak in its maiden tournament, winning 5 out of the 8 matches so far this season.
The second-placed Lions have almost all of their bases covered except for an express quick bowler who could trouble the batsmen with pace early in the innings. It’s not that the Lions have missed such an asset to a large extent, but going towards the business end of the tournament, they might benefit from having such a bowler.
While Praveen Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni et al have been good with the new ball, due to their lack of pace, they have been taken for runs as well, especially in the last few games.
Having lost the last three games, Gujarat would look to bounce back quickly and secure a place in the playoffs.