IPL 2017: Top 4 teams with strongest Indian contingents

Can Hyderabad retain their crown?

A lot is cooking in Indian cricket these days. From Lodha Committee recommendations spurred into action to a glitzy IPL auction, Indian cricket is a constant news-churner. A lot of the attention over the recent IPL auction has already been drawn away thanks to India finding itself in a precarious situation in the first Test against Australia. While very few gave the visiting team a fighting chance in the four-match series, they are surprisingly well on their way to probably winning the Test on a minefield at Pune and taking a lead.

Meanwhile, it is not such a bad idea to look at the IPL squads after the initial hullabaloo over the auctions to see which teams have strong Indian contingents and which ones haven’t. This is particularly important considering South Africa and England players will leave midway for their national duty. While the four foreign players in the final playing XI will be needed to provide the impact, teams can hardly bank on them to do all the work.

In the past, teams like Chennai and KKR have been able to do well on the back of excellent Indian players providing the cartilage around the big-ticket players. Let’s take a look at the IPL squads this year which have reasonably good Indian players.

Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah form the core of the Mumbai Indians team

While the big boys from the IPL have always had deep pockets, it is their Indian contingent that has helped them get the silverware often. One of the most successful IPL teams, Mumbai Indians have an enviable Indian contingent that can compete on its own with any of the other teams. They are led well by a Mumbai lad, Rohit Sharma, India’s regular short-format opener and MI will hope he recovers perfectly from his thigh surgery after an injury.

MI also boast of death-overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah, who recently won India a T20I against England with a sensational last over. They have the Pandya brothers, Krunal and Hardik, both all-rounders, the former a spinner and the latter a pacer who also features in India colours. There is Harbhajan Singh, Karn Sharma and J Suchith, three different types of spinners.

To beef up the batting is Ambati Rayudu and Parthiv Patel, well-known names in Indian cricket circuit, having featured for the Indian team. Vinay Kumar, who has bowled the new ball for India in the past is also present in the mix.

Top 3 Indian players: Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Harbhajan Singh