With the IPL 2021 season starting on April 9th, 2021, eight IPL franchises will compete for the coveted IPL trophy.
This will be the 14th edition of the IPL, and several developments have emerged in the team dynamics since the recently concluded IPL auction. Let’s take a look at the top three contenders for the IPL trophy this season.
When it comes to being a challenger for the IPL trophy, this five-time champion team is the first pick. MI’s squad is well-rounded in every department, and not just their playing 11, but also their bench strength is impressive.
One of the main reasons for this team’s performance is Rohit Sharma’s brilliant captaincy. MI has assembled a core group of excellent cricketers, including Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock, and Jasprit Bumrah. A formidable batting unit that includes in-form batsmen like Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan makes their batting lineup formidable, and the bowling duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult has been seen to disrupt the opposition batting in the past.
The recent inclusion of Piyush Chawla to this team adds to the spin strength. With the majority of the players currently in form and having done well in the recently concluded T20I series against England, there is no reason why this team cannot win the IPL for the third time in a row.
Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals , once regarded as the underdogs in the IPL, have reversed their fortunes in recent seasons. They were also finalists in the 13th edition of the IPL. IPL 2021 is an ideal opportunity for Delhi Capitals to win their first IPL title.
The absence of skipper Shreyas Iyer was a setback for this squad, but with a new captain in Rishabh Pant and Ricky Ponting at the helm as coach, DC will likely appear in the IPL 2021 final. A batting unit that includes young talents such as Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Shimron Hetmyer, and seasoned batsmen such as Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, and Steve Smith makes it one of the best in IPL 2021.
This squad has many alternatives for their playing 11, including Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, and Tom Curran. This season’s bowling attack, led by Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, and Ravichandran Ashwin, would be a nightmare for many IPL franchises.
With both batting and bowling guarded, Delhi Capitals will be the second favourite to win the IPL trophy in IPL 2021.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
A squad that has repeatedly shown that a franchise not only needs strong batsmen but also quality bowlers to compete in the IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad is well-known for defending low totals and having a bowling unit that has successfully destroyed every batting lineup in this league.
Sunrisers Hyderabad has been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL. Since 2016, when they won their first IPL trophy, they have repeatedly qualified for the play-off stages in the league.
Sunrisers had their squad figured out right before the IPL auctions, demonstrating the team’s management’s confidence in their stars. Captain David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have been one of the best opening pairs in the IPL 2020. With Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav in the middle order and Abdul Samad and Jason Holder finishing the innings for SRH, they have improved on the stability of the lower order.
The most recent addition to this team, Jason Roy, has also improved the batting at the top of the order and offered alternatives for the opening pair if required. Rashid Khan, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, and T Natarajan have been the driving force behind SRH’s bowling strike. With their steady efforts and disciplined fun88, SRH has emerged as the third contender for the IPL trophy this season.
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