IPL 2019: Ranking the openers of each team
The auctions for the twelfth season of the biggest T20 league in the world are over and the teams are all set with their squads for the cricketing festival.
With doubts over the duration and venue of the next season - courtesy the elections in India and the World Cup - franchise owners did show a little reluctance in the timing of the auctions. But now that the auctions are done and dusted, the teams will have to cope up with whatever situations they are put in.
Over the years, most of the batting charts in the IPL have been dominated by the openers. The likes of Gayle, Warner, Sehwag and McCullum have all been very influential in taking the IPL to where it is now.
The openers have always been the key to success for teams over the years and the upcoming season is not going to be any different. Here we look at the opening combinations for each team and rank the teams accordingly:
8. Royal Challengers Bangalore
The Bangalore based franchise, who are yet to win their maiden IPL title, have got a very well balanced side for the upcoming season. With most bases covered, one area where they are slightly vulnerable is the top order.
Releasing De Kock and McCullum meant that they were left with only Parthiv Patel as a specialist opener. Although Virat has shown that his credentials as an opener are unquestionable, the unavailability of a specialist opener might prove costly to them, if Parthiv does not keep his good form intact throughout the tournament.
Youngsters like Akshdeep Nath and Himmat Singh are good additions, but they are yet to make a mark in the IPL. As a result, RCB are in a situation where not only they are short of specialist openers, but also have a dearth in backups.