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The 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League finally kicks off on March 26. The 10-team tournament will last till May 29 and will feature 74 matches, with all participating franchises set to contest 14 league stage fixtures each before the playoffs.
The 2022 campaign sees the return of the group format in the biggest T20 league after 10 years. Ten sides are divided into two separate virtual groups as per historic titles won and finals reached.
As per the design, teams will play their fellow group rivals twice during the league stage and also against one team from the other group. They will round off their campaign with one match apiece against the remaining sides.
In this article, we preview and predict the fortunes of teams placed in Group A, which comprises five-time winners Mumbai Indians, two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders, inaugural season victors Rajasthan Royals, 2020 finalists Delhi Capitals and new entrants Lucknow Super Giants.
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma-led side made some notable purchases at the mega auction in Bangalore last month. Having let go Krunal and Hardik, MI bought wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan back in their squad. The most successful franchise also roped in ace quick Jofra Archer and middle-order batter Tim David to bolster their already rich squad.
The franchise’s biggest strength is the balance within their top 7 as they boast a wicketkeeping option in Kishan at the top and multiple utility allrounders in vice-captain Kieron Pollard, new purchase Daniel Sams and David.
While injured Archer will be available only from the next season, that hasn’t weakened MI’s pace attack which is led by the mighty Jasprit Bumrah. To fill Archer’s void for IPL 2022, MI have got Riley Meredith and Tymal Mills as two attractive options.
In an otherwise strong, robust playing XI, spin emerges as MI’s only weaker suit. Not much has changed on this front from the last edition of the IPL as the franchise go from the Krunal-Rahul Chahar duo to unproven commodities such as Sanjay Yadav and Murugan Ashwin.
Despite the spin issue, however, Mumbai Indians are one of the favourites to make the playoffs and potentially go all the way, as IPL returns to Indian shores on flatter surfaces in Mumbai and Pune.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR’s two biggest pluses are their batting depth and spin options. They bat deep, with Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Pat Cummins there to take care of Nos 6-8 and enable a sense of freedom within their top 5 batters.
On the spin front, the side boasts of two mystery options in Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the duo of whom was largely responsible for KKR’s resurgence during the UAE leg of the previous season.
But just as these are notable strengths, KKR also have some glaring weaknesses to overcome, especially in the absence of Alex Hales, who opted out of IPL 2022 at the last minute. His absence means lack of power within the KKR top-order unless the franchise brings back Narine, the floater, at the top. The side’s upper middle-order, too, is heavily dependent on Shreyas Iyer’s form. Below which, the side lacks dependable death-bowling options in their line-up.
KKR’s unexpected revival through the second half of IPL 2022 may cloud judgements for some. But one critical look at their squad makes it tough to predict anything but a league stage finish. With an unsettled top 5 and not enough four-over banks, it is difficult to see KKR going all the way.
Rajasthan Royals
RR have certainly bolstered their allround batting prowess and spin reserves for IPL 2022. They have brought in promising Devdutt Padikkal at the top and beefed up their middle-order contingent with the inclusions of Rassie van der Dussen and Shimron Hetmyer around skipper Sanju Samson, the mighty Jos Buttler and young Riyan Parag.
On the spin front, the notable presence of two Premier League greats in Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal solves a lot of RR’s previous few editions’ headaches. RR have also got a refreshed fast-bowling department after the inclusion of Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult, who would help them cover for the middle-overs hard-length bowling and swing with the left-arm angle in powerplay overs, respectively.
But death-bowling remains a major concern for the Royals, who struggled to cope up around this weakness even last year. And talking of weaknesses, perhaps an even bigger one is their lower middle-order, where lack of solid utility options may just force RR to bat Ashwin at No.7. Historically, lack of batting depth has tended to have a deeper negative influence on a team’s top 6.
Still, if elements combine well and individuals have a good run for certain phases through the event, we may just see RR make the cut for the playoffs. Their batting unit and spin department are exceptional, to say the least.
Delhi Capitals
Perhaps no other franchise was hurt more by the retention and release process. Not only did DC lose their strong Indian core, they also lost their prominent spin and pace options. But the team did recover some ground on the batting front in Bangalore last month, bringing David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and KS Bharat to their likely top 5 around, featuring incumbents Prithvi Shaw and captain Rishabh Pant.
But below this top 5, DC have an iffy looking lower middle-order and an unsettled bowling unit. In the two previous campaigns, DC managed the absence of proper power-hitters at No.6 and No.7 well. But on truer and flatter surfaces in Maharashtra, that is one major issue that may just hold them back.
Going down and around Anrich Nortje and Axar Patel, there is a notable lack of four-over banks as DC go from a first-choice bowling attack of Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan and Ashwin to Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav and Chetan Sakariya.
If cricketing logic prevails, these are two issues DC will find too difficult to overcome through the league stage, especially at high-scoring venues in Mumbai and Pune. The 2020 finalists might just finish below the top 4 this time.
Lucknow Super Giants
New IPL entrants made three notable signings in skipper KL Rahul, promising wristspinner Ravi Bishnoi and allrounder Marcus Stoinis and went on to build their squad around these picks in Bangalore last month. They are equally strong and weak on the batting and the bowling fronts.
The presence of Quinton de Kock and Jason Holder in the top 6 gives LSG’s batting variety and balance but then with a likely No.3-4 of Deepak Hooda and Manish Pandey, they look less settled. Despite the presence of Holder and India’s Krunal Pandya around Stoinis, it’s not that Super Giants are super sure of their batting depth either. Stoinis’ blow hot and cold ways in IPL aside, the power-hitting skills of Holder and Krunal are still under scrutiny.
There is no shortage of pace in the bowling, with Avesh Khan and Dushmantha Chameera set to combine force. The presence of Bishnoi shall allow LSG to cover for the spin. But then, the unproven mettle of the Avesh-Chameera duo at the death and prospect of having to cover as many as eight overs with Stoinis, Holder and Krunal doesn’t make this a robust bowling unit either.
LSG looks like a side with bigger holes than the first look of their first-choice playing XI may suggest. How long they are able to cover for these holes and flaws will decide their fortunes for the tournament. As an early prediction, expect a league stage finish for them.
