IPL 2018: Ranking teams based on their batting lineup
The world's biggest T20 carnival is just around the corner and the frenzy among the fans is beginning to crescendo. While the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals seems to have infused the past glory into the tournament already, some exciting buys in the recently held auction have pepped up the things even more.
As expected, batsmen inevitably pose to be the superstars in the shortest format of the game and it is their sheer brilliance with the willow that gets the crowd's monies worth. Come the eleventh edition of the IPL, and the eight teams will be rearing to field their best batsmen to maul the oppositions.
Here, we analyze the eight franchises based on their batting strengths and rank them from the weakest to the strongest.
#8 Kolkata Knight Riders
Arguably, Kolkata Knight Riders come as one of the most depleted batting sides in this year's IPL. In Gautam Gambhir, Manish Pandey, and Yusuf Pathan, the team has lost three of its most experienced and bankable Indian players.
With the Indian trio leaving big boots to fill, the onus will now be on KKR's star performer Robin Uthappa and the newly appointed skipper Dinesh Karthik. While Uthappa and Karthik will be under pressure to do the bulk of the scoring, youngsters Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, and Ishank Jaggi will need to chip in with handy knocks.
The foreign reserves too, look bleak in the batting department. Injury-prone big-hitters, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell, despite being capable of turning a game on its head with their lusty blows, will be doubtful starters. On the other hand, South African pinch-hitter Cameron Delport, given his inexperience in the Indian conditions, might be facing tough times against some high-quality spin.