Summary
Following the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two new teams were announced. Shortly after, the two names were announced, with the Pune franchise named Rising Pune Supergiants and the Rajkot franchise being called Gujarat Lions.
 |
| Papers showing the news that there would be two new teams following the suspension of CSK and RR (PHOTO: STR) |
Before the auction in February, the two new sides were allowed to pick five players each from the list of players put on the market - those from Chennai and Rajasthan. This would be the start of their respective squad building ventures, with the remainder of the squads being made up in the auction.
The sides will be looking to become the first of the new teams to qualify for the knockout stages, after the previous failures of Kochi Tuskers Kerala and the former Pune franchise, Pune Warriors India.
Rising Pune Supergiants
Star man
MS Dhoni
The captain of the franchise and all round IPL icon. Dhoni had been a mainstay of the successful Chennai Super Kings before their suspension and he was one of the main reasons as to why they were so consistent.
 |
| Captain supreme - MS Dhoni will lead the new Pune franchise (PHOTO: Ryan Pierse) |
He has a sensational IPL record, failing to score 300+ in a season just once - in the 2010 season where he managed 'just' 287. Considering his floating middle order position, it is a measure of the quality of Dhoni that he is seventh on the all time runscorers list, with 2986.
He averaged 89 during the World t20, although he was dismissed just once in five innings. It was a disappointing tournament for India and Dhoni came under pressure from the media who suggested it might be nearing the time for him to retire.
Dhoni handled the questions in typical Dhoni style and it will be unlikely to see him failing too often during this IPL. His leadership is something that has brought success to the majority of teams he has played for, namely CSK and India, and the new Pune franchise will be hoping for a similar impact.
Key players
Steve Smith
 |
| Steve Smith had a disappointing World t20 and will be looking to make amends in this year's IPL (PHOTO: Ryan Pierse) |
Playing for the Pune Warriors India, Smith struck 362 runs at 40.22 with a strike rate of 135.58. It was a fine tournament for the Australian and he has since continued to perform, although he has only passed fifty twice - both during the 2015 season.
He had somewhat of a mixed World t20 as Australia bowed out in the group stage. He hit 81 runs in his four innings, but that was mainly down to an unbeaten 61 against Pakistan. In the three other innings he played, he was out three times for a combined 22. Smith will be hoping to put those disappointing performances behind him and perform well for his new franchise.
Ajinkya Rahane
 |
| Rahane will provide RPS with a classy option at the top of the order (PHOTO: Jan Kruger-IDI) |
It was a slow start for the 27-year-old in his IPL career, playing just 22 games in his first three years. In the four years that followed, Rahane became a mainstay of the Rajasthan Royals batting lineup.
He was in imperious form last season, scoring 540 runs in 14 games, passing fifty on four occasions. It was also his best season in terms of average and strike rate, with the opener averaging a shade under 50 and striking at just over 130. In a powerful batting lineup, Rahane will need to continue his fine composure and look to anchor the innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ashwin is one of the world's premier off spinners and despite not enjoying his best tournament in teh World t20, he has a fantastic IPL record. Ashwin currently lies eighth in the all time list of IPL wicket takers with 90. His economy rate is also miserly, with his 337.4 overs going at an average of 6.45 per over.
 |
| Ravi Ashwin will again hook up with MS Dhoni in this year's IPL (PHOTO: Pal Pillai-IDI) |
He was, however, targeted in the games against Australia and the West Indies, bowling two overs in each game for 31 and 20 respectively. There is no doubt, thought, that Ashwin is going to be a key player for the new franchise.
One to watch
Murugan Ashwin
There's another Ashwin in the fold. Ravichandran Ashwin will be joined in the Pune team by namesake Murugan who fetched a hefty Rs. 4.5 crore - 45 times his base price. He has played just 11 times in domestic cricket, for Tamil Nadu. Three First Class, two List A and six t20 games shows Ashwin to be relatively inexperienced at the age of 25.
A leg spinner, Ashwin has actually impressed during those aforementioned six t20 games played this year in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He took ten wickets in those six matches, with an impressive average and economy rate of 12.7 and 5.52 respectively. It will certainly be interesting to see if Murugan will get a chance in the side alongside his namesake and if he can continue his promising t20 form.
Potential starting XI
Rahane, du Plessis, Pietersen, S Smith, Dhoni, M Marsh, I Pathan, Bhatia, R Ashwin, I Pandey, I Sharma
Squad analysis
The Supergiants look to have a particularly strong squad on paper, with plenty of options within the squad. They also have three international t20 captains in Dhoni, Smith and Faf du Plessis, as well as the experience of Kevin Pietersen.
 |
| Adam Zampa had a good World t20 and will provide another option for RPS (PHOTO: Pal Pillai-IDI) |
In terms of bowling, the aforementioned all-round options of Morkel and Perera are added to by Aussie leg spinner Adam Zampa who performed so well in the World t20. RP Singh and Ashok Dinda are not the worst fast bowling options to have on the bench, with Australian Scott Boland, Murugan Ashiwin and off spinner Ankit Sharma also offering options.
One weakness may be the likelihood of Irfan Pathan and Rajat Bhatia coming in at seven and eight, with both possibly coming in one too high in that scenario. There would, however, be considerable scope for Saurabh Tiwary to replace one of them to provide further batting strength.
Prediction
It is a new team and no new team has progressed in the eight previous years of the IPL. It is, however, led by a certain MS Dhoni and boasts a large amount of experience and leadership, along with good depth.
The batting looks strong, although the bowling may lack another quality option to back up Ravi Ashwin and Ishant Sharma. It is always hard to judge a new team, but there is a hint of the old CSK side to it, with Dhoni captain and Stephen Fleming coach, along with Ashwin, Ishwar Pandey and du Plessis.
It is a strong-looking side but I would personally question the strength of the bowling lineup and the lack of genuine power hitters at the top of the order. That being said, the top order does ooze class and it will take a good bowling outfit to reduce them and get at their lower order.
Verdict: could challenge for play-offs but may ultimately miss out
Gujarat Lions
Star man
Suresh Raina
 |
| Raina had a poor time of it in the World t20 but has huge pedigree in the IPL (PHOTO: Christopher Lee-IDI) |
By his standards, Raina had a disastrous World t20 campaign, scoring just 41 runs in four innings. His top score was 31, meaning he had scored just 11 in his three other innings. His strike rate of 124.24 was better, but it was a tournament that the 29-year-old would rather forget. He will now focus on making this upcoming IPL a tournament to remember instead.
Key players
Ravindra Jadeja
 |
| Jadeja is an elite all-rounder and will provide a vital cog in the Lions' machine (PHOTO: Morne deKlerk - CA) |
His bowling stats read slightly better, with an average of 26.75 and economy of 7.60. He currently has 69 wickets over the course of his IPL career, with three four wicket hauls and a best of 5-16. He will form part of a dynamic fielding outfit that should include Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo and Raina, amongst others.
Brendon McCullum
 |
| McCullum has recently retired from international cricket, freeing himself up to play in tournaments such as the IPL worldwide (PHOTO: Ryan Pierse) |
The 34-year-old hasn't always had a full season to show what he can do because of international commitments or injury, but he has recently retired from the national side and will be available all season. Indeed, in eight years of playing IPL cricket, McCullum has played just 76 times - an average of around nine or ten games per year.
Dwayne Bravo
 |
| Bravo was an important player during West Indies' victorious World t20 campaign (PHOTO: Gareth Copley) |
The 32-year-old is one of only five players to have taken over 100 wickets and currently sits on 105 with an impressive average of 21.53. His economy is a little high at 8.07 but overall he has shown to be a proven wicket taker. His performances in the World t20 further showed his quality, with an array of slower balls, bouncers and yorkers marking him out as a trustworthy death bowler.
One to watch
Andrew Tye
 |
| Tye has proven himself in successive BBLs and may warrant a chance in the Lions' team (PHOTO: Paul Kane) |
Tye has come into the t20 limelight following his excellent performances in the Big Bash League for Perth Scorchers in the last two years. He has shown himself to possess similar qualities to Bravo and is known as a quality death bowler.
He has had his opportunity at international level with Australia, but his three t20I games have returned disappointing figures. It will be difficult for Tye to get a game with the international quality that Gujarat have in their side, as well as the fact Dale Steyn is in the squad.
Steyn, however, has not been at his best in recent times and so Tye may well get a chance to team up with Bravo at the death and show what he can do.
Potential starting line up
McCullum, Finch, Raina, Karthik, Bravo, Jadeja, Faulkner, P Kumar, Sangwan, Kulkarni, Tambe
Squad analysis
There is plenty of proven quality throughout the Gujarat Lions squad, with a potentially frightening top seven. The bowling, in terms of the specialists, looks rather weak. Dhawal Kulkarni and Praveen Kumar are good options without being of the top quality of other attacks. Pravin Tambe is 44 now and it will be a wonder to see if he can produce.
 |
| Faulkner will make up a potentially potent trio of all rounders with Jadeja and Bravo (PHOTO: Ryan Pierse) |
That being said, the Indian batting depth does look weak, with no one other than perhaps Paras Dogra offering any kind of IPL experience. The lack of squad depth may be the downfall of this Gujarat side, although their batting does look strong.
There is plenty of international batting quality within the squad, with Dwayne Smith available as an alternative at the top. Smith may well even get the nod ahead of Finch, given his previous experience opening the batting with McCullum with CSK.
Prediction
Despite their strong batting, with the explosive top three coupled with a solid middle order, Gujarat may lack genuine batting depth in their lineup. To get that depth, they may well need to call on some inexperienced heads which will most likely go one of two ways.
They have three quality all-rounders and they may well get Gujarat out of some problems, but it may not always be the case. It would be looking far more bleak for the Lions if they did not have that all round trio within their lineup.
Steyn will need to prove he is somewhere near his best if he is to be picked and Tye will need to prove himself on the big stage. I feel they are the weaker of the two new franchises, although I do really like the look of the Bravo/Jadeja/Faulkner batting and bowling combination. A team with Raina, McCullum and Finch/Smith at the top of their batting lineup can never be truly dismissed.
Verdict: lower reaches of the table
Comments
Post a Comment