Big Show
A fresh season, some new leaders, many youngsters hoping to make an impact and some desperate veterans looking to break the title jinx — many such sub-plots will capture the imagination of the fans as 10 teams fight for the ultimate prize in franchise cricket over the next two months.
With the Indian Premier League (IPL) beginning on Saturday, cricket fever is set to take over the country. The mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in November ensured that the 18th edition of the IPL will see many new partnerships and rivalries, making it a thrilling prospect.
While five teams — Gujarat Titans, Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad — have retained their skippers from the previous season, the other five have picked new leaders.
With every team starting afresh with new lineups, The Tribune takes a look at the team dynamics of the 10 contenders.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings’ new skipper Shreyas Iyer will be reuniting with coach Ricky Ponting, with whom he led Delhi Capitals to the 2020 IPL final. Iyer captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the title last season. Punjab Kings hogged the limelight at the auction by spending over Rs 100 crore, hoping to end their title drought. The revamping of PBKS will help the skipper to have plenty of all-rounder options. Glenn Maxwell, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Hardie will be their best options in the middle order. Batters Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh were the only two players retained for this season. In the bowling department, pacer Arshdeep Singh will be carrying most of the burden. He finished with 19 wickets last season. Kiwi pacer Lockie Ferguson is one of their new recruits. They also have experienced spinner Yuzvendra Chahal in the lineup.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders will play under the captaincy to Ajinkya Rahane. A leader with vast experience, Rahane previously played for KKR in 2022 and is among the select few to have featured in the IPL since its inception in 2008. Venkatesh Iyer has been named the vice-captain. West Indian all-rounders Sunil Narine and Andre Russell will come into the tournament not in the best of form. Narine has gone wicketless in six of his last 10 T20s. But spinner Varun Chakaravarthy will be the one to carry high hopes after his stint with the Indian team. Explosive batter Rinku Singh will be another player to watch out for having proved his credentials in the last few editions.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Rajat Patidar will be the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, replacing Faf du Plessis. Patidar, who made his IPL debut in 2021, has been a consistent performer for RCB, accumulating 799 runs at a strike rate of 158.85 across 27 matches. Patidar’s biggest challenge will be stepping into the big boots of former captains such as du Plessis and Virat Kohli. He will have the guidance of Kohli, who will also have to lead the batting unit. The team boasts of experienced pacers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, along with Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Phil Salt and Jitesh Sharma. In the last edition, the side lost seven of their first eight matches, but recorded a great turnaround by winning six games to secure a playoff berth.
Chennai Super Kings
Ruturaj Gaikwad will be leading Chennai Super Kings for the second consecutive year. But MS Dhoni’s presence will make the former captain the default leader. Last year, CSK finished fifth on the points table with seven wins and as many losses. Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Curran and Vijay Shankar will be making a return to the franchise, while Devon Conway, who had missed the last season with injury, was also brought back. The team has gone with a mix of experience and youth. This year, the side is also bolstered by the presence of Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad and Indian batter Rahul Tripathi. TNPL star Gurjapneet Singh, who had missed the second phase of the Ranji Trophy with injury, will be a bowling option along with Curran and Khaleel Ahmed. Matheesha Pathirana is once again likely to be at the centre stage with his yorkers and slower deliveries.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals will be led by Axar Patel. A key member of the franchise since 2019, he was retained ahead of the mega auction. In the previous season, Rishabh Pant led the side on his return from injury, guiding them to a sixth-place finish. Patel, who had a successful Champions Trophy, will have a lot to carry on his shoulders. The skipper will also have the support of KL Rahul, who remained India’s wicketkeeper in the Champions Trophy and is likely to play the same role with his new outfit. Another major boost is the presence of spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who needs no introduction when it comes to providing breakthroughs. In the fast-bowling department, they have the likes of Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, veteran Mohit Sharma and Mukesh Kumar. Patel will also have good support from his deputy Faf du Plessis, who has 4,571 runs from 145 IPL matches at a strike rate of 136.37.
Gujarat Titans
Shubman Gill will continue as the captain of Gujarat Titans after taking over the role in 2024. Having had a strong 2024 season with the bat, Gill will be eyeing a better finish than last year’s eighth place. After a major rebuild, the former winners have Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna as their pace battery. However, the major attraction for the side will be Jos Buttler who is likely to open with captain Gill. Buttler had scored 863 runs in IPL 2022, but his ton in the last edition against KKR was among the most legendary innings. The least ‘tech-savvy’ coach of the IPL, Ashish Nehra will also have ample batting options as Sai Sudharsan, their highest run-scorer last season, is also back in the squad.
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals will be led by Sanju Samson for the fourth consecutive season. Samson, who had a finger surgery last month, is awaiting fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team. There is no confirmation yet on whether that might impact his availability for RR’s first match on March 23. Under his leadership, Royals have made two playoff appearances, including a runners-up finish in 2022 — their first final since their title triumph in the inaugural 2008 season. A bowler-heavy side, RR have the services of Tushar Deshpande, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and the skipper himself will make the core of the batting unit. They also signed 13-year-old batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi — the youngest player to earn an IPL deal.
Mumbai Indians
Hardik Pandya will continue leading Mumbai Indians. Having guided Gujarat Titans to an IPL title in 2022 and a runners-up finish in 2023, Pandya endured a challenging 2024 season as MI finished at the bottom of the table. Having faced the fans’ backlash for replacing Rohit Sharma, the team will have to overcome a new challenge this time due to the unavailability of Jasprit Bumrah. The side had won only four games in the last edition. However, Pandya won back the fans’ support by helping India to the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy triumphs. The presence of India T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav and Sharma make them a feared batting unit. The former champions have brought back Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar. They also picked up the experienced and reliable Mitchell Santner. Youngster Bevon Jacobs can be Mumbai’s find of the year.
Lucknow Super Giants
Rishabh Pant has been named their new captain. He replaces KL Rahul, who led the franchise in its first three seasons before joining Delhi Capitals. Even before the start of the tournament, the outfit received a jolt as pacer Mayank Yadav was reported to be injured. However, he recently shared a story showing himself bowling in the nets at the NCA. It is expected that he might be available after the mid-season. However, LSG mentor Zaheer Khan previously clarified that Mayank would only play in the IPL if he is 150 per cent fit, not just 100 per cent. Australia T20 captain Mitchell Marsh will bolster the team as he is cleared to play in the IPL, despite missing the Champions Trophy with a back injury. Nicholas Pooran will be one of the key players. Last year, the side failed to make the playoff for the first time in three years.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Australia’s World Cup-winning skipper Pat Cummins will continue to lead Sunrisers Hyderabad, aiming to go one step further after guiding them to the IPL 2024 final — their first in six years. SRH had a strong campaign last season, securing five wins in their first seven matches before finishing second on the points table. And, the credit goes on the opening pair of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head — the duo that smashed almost every bowling line-up of the tournament. The side had gone past the 250-mark thrice and set a new record for the highest total in IPL history by scoring 287/3. The team also has Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Kumar along with Ishan Kishan. The bowling department will be led by Mohammed Shami. He took 28 wickets in the powerplay at an average of 21.25 and an economy of 7.08 across the 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons.
