India Premier League Season 7: Mumbai Indians Preview

The most high profile team of the Indian Premier League 7 finally managed to land the IPL trophy in the last season. Mumbai Indians got better of Chennai Super Kings in the all important finale. Their title win was the result of the hard work put in by the team management and the players. The players were serious and committed from the start and wanted to lift the cup for Sachin Tendulkar, who was playing in his last edition. They will be under tremendous pressure of retaining their title. Rohit Sharma, their charismatic skipper, will have the responsibility of leading his side to glory. However, he is going to miss Sachin Tendulkar, who is no more part of the team. Along with Rohit Sharma, the team has retained Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu. Anil Kumble, John Wright and the owners have done a commendable job by adding Michael Hussey in the team. The former Australian and the versatile opener in the Indian Premier League, is going to add more flavor to the batting unit. He was the highest run getter in 2013 and can do wonders for the Mumbai Indians. Apart from him, the sensational Corey Anderson, is the new member of the decorated squad. He has taken his game to new heights in a short span of time and has the talent to win games for the Mumbai based franchise. Zaheer Khan has been bought back in the side while the arrival of Hazlewood and Marchant de Lange is going to strengthen the fast bowling battery. Mumbai Indians have a good squad but they have fallen short on the Indian power in their middle order.

Best Buy
Michael Hussey has the experience of playing in the Indian Premier League, which will help Mumbai Indians immensely. He was a champion cricketer in his international days and his advice will do a world of good for Rohit Sharma. Hussey is still known for his quality batting, who can score against any sort of bowling arsenal.

Star Attraction
Rohit Sharma, Pollard, Harbhajan Singh
IPL History
2008 – Fifth
2009 – Seventh
2010 – Runners-up
2011 – Third (Lost in the second qualifier)
2012 – Fourth (Lost in the elimination final)
2013 – Champion

Number Game
2513
Rohit Sharma, the skipper of the team, has scored 2513 runs from 97 matches. He has even played for Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League.

103
Lasith Malinga has taken 103 wickets in the 73 matches of the cash rich event.

95
Mumbai Indians have played 95 games, winning 56 while ending on the losing note in 39.

MI Squad
Rohit Sharma (C), Michael Hussey, Apoorv Wankhede, Ambati Rayudu, Corey Anderson, Jalaj Saxena , Kieron Pollard, Aditya Tare, CM Gautham, Ben Dunk, Sushant Marathe, Pragyan Ojha, Shreyas Gopal, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Krishmar Santokie, Marchant de Lange, Pawan Suyal and Lasith Malinga.
Total Players: 21 (Indian 13, overseas 8)

By.Crictoday

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Yuvarj Singh: A Consistent Effort Is Required

Yuvarj Singh: A consistent effort is required
There is no denying the fact that Yuvraj Singh has all the talent in the world to dominate any bowling unit. His firepower was at display in one of the T20 World Cup matches against Australia. Rising from nowhere, he scored a brilliant 60 which helped his team in winning the match by 73 runs. The innings had Yuvarj Singh's class written all over it but he was still not at his best. The Indian southpaw somehow managed to hold on to his place in the playing XI. He is no more part of the Indian Test setup while has also lost his place in the ODI scheme of things. The struggle started against Australia in the ODI series which continued in the West Indies series as well. He was axed from the team for the tour of New Zealand, which landed him in jeopardy as far as 2015 Cricket World Cup is concerned.

A lifeline was thrown to him when selectors decided to include him in the squad for the T20 World Cup. The trust turned into betrayal when he dismissed cheaply against the arch rivals Pakistan. The horror show was again on display but this time with the West Indian team, a match which had no pressure moments for the Men in Blue. Time was running out for him as media and fans were asking for his ouster in order to bring Ajinkya Rahane or Stuart Binny in the squad. Then came the match against Australia, which changed everything for him. After starting slowly, he finally came into his groove, hitting Australian bowlers for fours and sixes. The old touch was back and Yuvraj was seen enjoying his batting. I know he was not able to dispatches full tosses for sixes but this can happen to any batsman across the globe. His match winning performance certainly delighted his fans, who were praying for his favorite player. The knock has brought a huge sigh of relief for Yuvi. He has shown such glimpse since making his comeback after winning his battle with cancer but Team India need consistency from him. A performance here and there won't help his cause of maintaining his permanent place in the playing XI. The team is looking for a Yuvraj who could once again become the backbone of the team as his presence is crucial. The fans would love to see more of Yuvraj Singh in the future matches. India has made it to last four of the T20 World Cup and it's the responsibility of players like Yuvi to guide them through.

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T20 World Cup: Sri Lanka vs. South Africa

Sri Lanka
They are firm favorites to land their first T20 World Cup trophy in Bangladesh. The rainbow nation has played exceptional cricket in the last few years and is looking set for their first match. Kumar Sangakkara, Kusal Perera, Mahela Jayawardene and Lahiru Thirimanne are Lanka’s inform batsmen while the likes of Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera can destroy any team with their batting as well as bowling. Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis and Sachithra Senanayake are quality bowlers. The only problem area for this team is Dilshan’s form with the bat.

South Africa
This team is struggling with injuries. Star bowler Dale Steyn and Faf du Plessis are doubtful for the opening match because of their hamstring. South Africa has always struggled against the spin bowling and Lanka has enough bowlers to trouble them. JP Duminy and AB de Villiers are the only two batsmen who can bat easily against all sorts of bowlers otherwise rest of the lot could find life difficult. Moreover, their bowling is not suitable for the slow and turning tracks of Bangladesh.

Verdict
Sri Lanka has a better chance of winning this one because of their well balanced squad.
Teams

South Africa Squad
F du Plessis*, HM Amla, F Behardien, Q de Kock†, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, BE Hendricks, Imran Tahir, DA Miller, JA Morkel, M Morkel, WD Parnell, AM Phangiso, DW Steyn, LL Tsotsobe

Sri Lanka Squad
LD Chandimal*, SL Malinga, TM Dilshan, HMRKB Herath, DPMD Jayawardene, KMDN Kulasekara, RAS Lakmal, AD Mathews, BAW Mendis, MDKJ Perera, NLTC Perera, S Prasanna, KC Sangakkara†, SMSM Senanayake, HDRL Thirimanne

T20 World Cup: New Zealand vs. England (7pm)
New Zealand
The Black Caps are in form at the moment. The batsmen are making runs while the bowlers have found success in restricting opposite numbers. Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor and Luke Ronchi are tailor made for the shortest format while the likes of Corey Anderson, Jimmy Neesham and Nathan McCullum are talented all-rounders. Tim Southee and Kyle Mills have taken lot of wickets in the slam bang version of the game. They should bat sensibly against the spinners
England
This European nation is not finding their feat in the T20 format. The batsmen are not scoring runs while bowlers are leaking boundaries in every over. Michael Lumb and Eoin Morgan have shown some class in the last few matches while others have not given consistent performance. Bowlers are unable to contain the rivals. Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach and Chris Jordan are bowling expensive bowlers.
Verdict
New Zealand has a chance of upsetting England easily.
Teams
England Squad
SCJ Broad*, EJG Morgan, MM Ali, IR Bell, RS Bopara, TT Bresnan, JC Buttler†, JW Dernbach, AD Hales, CJ Jordan, MJ Lumb, SD Parry, JC Tredwell, CR Woakes, LJ Wright

New Zealand Squad
BB McCullum*, CJ Anderson, TA Boult, AP Devcich, MJ Guptill, RM Hira, MJ McClenaghan, NL McCullum, KD Mills, C Munro, JDS Neesham, L Ronchi†, TG Southee, LRPL Taylor, KS Williamson



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Virat Kohli: India’S Don Bradman

It is getting next to impossible to see India's victory without Virat Kohli's contribution. Sachin Tendulkar was consistent throughout his career and the current vice captain of the Indian team has kept this trend alive. His latest performance came against England in the warm up game before the T20 World Cup. The match had no significant value but after losing to Sri Lanka in their opening match, MS Dhoni's boys were under some sort of pressure. Much like every game, the team started poorly, losing Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan cheaply.

However, the Indian supporters knew that all was well till the time Virat Kohli was at the crease. After starting cautiously, the right hand batsman went on rampage against all the English bowlers. His unbeaten 73 off 47 balls had class written all over it. He along with Suresh Raina, who scored 55 off 31 balls, helped his team in posting 178 for 4 in 20 overs. It was a big task for the opposite team who could manage 158 for 6 from the allotted overs. Virat Kohli, who has been in news for his alleged affair with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, hit 8 fours in his entire innings.

This is not the first time he has helped India in overcoming from a difficult position. Virat has been scoring runs since long and there is hardly any weakness visible in his batting at the moment. His running between the wicket and the habit of converting ones in twos and twos into three is phenomenal. He can score runs without hitting regular boundaries. The recent innings against England had no sixes, which is enough to prove that big shots are not required to maintain the tempo in the shortest format of the game. One has to be smart enough to find new ways to keep scorecard moving in the slam bang cricket. There is no denying the fact that India's chances in the T20 World Cup will depend on the performance of Virat Kohli. If he gets going in all the matches, there are chances of lifting yet another T20 trophy. He has become India's Don Bradman in a span of short time, which is worth praising. Much like Bradman, Virat Kohli takes way all the pressure from his team mates. Apart from this, he has calm down in the last few months. His critics were after him because of his habit of getting too aggressive on the field but Virat has tamed this problem. He is more calm and compose these days, which is sign of maturity. Hail Virat Kohli……………..

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Top 5: Highest Run Getters in T20 World Cups

T20 is the most beloved format of cricket at the moment. The exceptional and powerful hitting with clever piece of bowling had made this version famous in a span of short time. The T20 World Cup has started in Bangladesh and the world is expecting closely fought matches. Let's take a closer look at the top five leading run getters in the show piece event.

Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka
The Lankan maestro has announced the current edition of the T20 World Cup will be his last as he is not going to play slam bang format after this. He has accumulated 858 runs in 25 matches at an average of almost 41, which is phenomenal. He has scored five fifties in the T20 World Cups, which is second highest in the history of this format. The right hand batsman has hit 91 fours, which is the highest while his 22 sixes, is fourth in the list.

Chris Gayle, West Indies
He is the most dangerous T20 batsman across the globe. The tall West Indian is known for his brutal hitting. The left hand batsman has scored 664 runs from just 18 games at an exceptional average of more than 44. His strike rate is over 150, which is breathtaking. He has more sixes (43) and fifties (6) to his name in the T20 World Cups.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka
Dilshan could miss out on the T20 World Cup as he has not fully recovered from a finger injury he sustained during the ODI series against Bangladesh. The former Lankan captain is also struggling for form but is a devastating player in the shortest format. The clean striker of the ball has scored 632 runs in 25 matches at an average of 30.

Kumar Sangakkara, Sri Lanka
He is the third Sri Lankan in the top four, which shows that Lankans prefer this format a lot. The good news is that he is in tremendous touch and could be Lanka's trump card in the T20 World Cup. The left hand batsman has added 590 runs in 25 matches and also has 75 fours to his name.

Brendon McCullum, New Zealand
Kevin Pietersen was in the fifth place but he is no more part of the international setup so it was useless to include his name. The New Zealand captain is the right candidate to take Pietersen's slot in the leading run getters list. He has been a part of all the editions of the T20 World Cups and has managed 552 runs in 21 matches.

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Million-dollar buys rule IPL auction

Indian Premier League, the T20 extravaganza, is known for providing fun, excitement, sadness and unlimited action at a faster pace. The auctions were held in Bangalore in order to finalize the teams for the upcoming edition. Let’s take a look at the formation of the teams after the all important auction process.
Kings XI Punjab
Squad: 23 (Indian 16, overseas 7)
Cost: INR 55.90 crore
Batting arsenal: George Bailey (INR 3.25 crore), Virender Sehwag (INR 3.2 crore), Shaun Marsh (INR 2.2 crore), Cheteshwar Pujara (INR 1.9 crore), Gurkeerat Singh (INR 1.3 crore), Mandeep Singh (INR 80 lakh), David Miller (retained), Manan Vohra (retained)
Allrounders: Glenn Maxwell (INR 6 crore), Rishi Dhawan (INR 3 crore), Thisara Perera (INR 1.6 crore), Akshar Patel (INR 75 lakh), Karanveer Singh (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Wriddhiman Saha (INR 2.2 crore)
Bowling unit: Murali Kartik (INR 1 crore), Shivam Sharma (INR 10 lakh), Mitchell Johnson (INR 6.5 crore), Beuran Hendricks (INR 1.8 crore), L Balaji (INR 1.8 crore), Sandeep Sharma (INR 85 lakh), Parvinder Awana (INR 65 lakh), Anureet Singh (INR 20 lakh), Shardul Thakur (INR 20 lakh)
Expensive player at auction: Mitchell Johnson (INR 6.5 crore)
Best bargain buy: Shaun Marsh (INR 2.2 crore)
Strengths: They were able to play their cards with perfection in the recently held auctions. Kings XI Punjab has added firepower in almost every department of the game. Virender Sehwag is out of form since long but this could be his IPL. Moreover, the likes of Glenn Maxwell, Thisara Perera, Mitchell Johnson and Rishi Dhawan can dismantle any unit with their individual performances. It would be interesting to see how Cheteshwar Pujara goes about his business in this format of the game.

Weaknesses: Kings XI Punjab doesn’t have a quality spinner in their side. Murali Kartik has lost his touch and is at the end of his career. Shivam Sharma is still a budding spinner, who will be under pressure to make his performance count in the IPL. The wicket keeping area could be another concern as Wriddhiman Saha is only known for his keeping skills rather than his batting.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Squad: 21 (Indian 13, overseas 8)
Cost: INR 59 crore
Batting arsenal: Manish Pandey (INR 1.7 crore), Chris Lynn (INR 1.3 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 70 lakh), Gautam Gambhir (retained)

Allrounders: Jacques Kallis (INR 5.5 crore), Yusuf Pathan (INR 3.25 crore), Shakib Al Hasan (INR 2.8 crore), Ryan ten Doeschate (INR 1 crore), Andre Russell (INR 60 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Robin Uthappa (INR 5 crore), Manvinder Bisla (INR 60 lakh), Debabrata Das (INR 20 lakh), SS Mondal (INR 10 lakh)
Bowling unit: Piyush Chawla (INR 4.25 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 40 lakh), Sunil Narine (retained), Vinay Kumar (INR 2.8 crore), Morne Morkel (INR 2.8 crore), Umesh Yadav (INR 2.6 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 1 crore), Veer Pratap Singh (INR 40 lakh)
Expensive player at auction: Jacques Kallis (INR 5.5 crore)
Best bargain buy: Andre Russell (INR 60 Lakh)
Strengths: Kolkata Knight Riders have assembled a good squad for the best T20 league across the globe. They have strength in the batting department while their bowling is capable enough of defending low scores. The whole world knows about the destruction Robin Uthappa is capable of causing in the IPL. The arrival of Morne Morkel, Umesh Yadav and Pat Cummins has certainly boasted the strength of the fast bowling unit.
Weaknesses: The only problem with the Kolkata Knight Riders could be the form of their players in the upcoming season of the cash rich league. Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan have been struggling for runs since long and if this continues in the IPL, things could become bad for the former champions. Their evergreen all-rounder Jacques Kallis has a good record but his growing age could affect his performance in the fast pace game.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Squad: 21 (Indians 14, overseas 7)
Cost: INR 60 crore
Batting arsenal: Nic Maddinson (INR 50 lakh), Vijay Zol (INR 30 lakh), Tanmay Mishra (INR 10 lakh), Virat Kohli (retained), Chris Gayle (retained)
Allrounders: Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 crore), Albie Morkel (INR 2.4 crore), Yuzvendra Chahal (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Parthiv Patel (INR 1.4 crore), Yogesh Takawale (INR 10 lakh), AB de Villiers (retained)
Bowling unit: Muttiah Muralitharan (INR 1 crore), Shadab Jakati (INR 20 lakh), Mitchell Starc (INR 5 crore), Varun Aaron (INR 2 crore), Ashok Dinda (INR 1.5 crore), Ravi Rampaul (INR 90 lakh), Harshal Patel (INR 40 lakh), Abu Nechim (INR 30 lakh), Sachin Rana (INR 20 lakh), Sandeep Warrier (INR 10 lakh)
Expensive player at auction: Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 crore)
Best bargain buy: Albie Morkel (INR 2.4 crore)
Strengths: They have a batting line up which can score 300 runs in the allotted 20 overs of the game. They have bought Yuvraj Singh for the whopping Rs. 14 crore and he is one player who can win tournament of his own forget about winning the few games. This team has done a great business by adding Albie Morkel and Mitchell Starc in their team as these two are renowned T20 players, who are always consistent. Albie Morkel has played an important part in winning two league crowns for his former team Chennai Super Kings and has been brought in to do the same.
Weaknesses: They have a habit of over relying on Chris Gayle, which could once again hamper their winning chances in the Indian Premier League. Moreover, they have exhausted much of their cash on acquiring the services of foreign stars despite knowing that they can field on four of them in a match. Apart from Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli, there are hardly any other Indian batsmen in the team, who could score heavily for them.
Mumbai Indians
Squad: 21 (Indian 13, overseas 8)
Cost: INR 59.95 crore
Batting arsenal: Michael Hussey (INR 5 crore), Apoorv Wankhede (INR 10 lakh), Rohit Sharma (retained), Ambati Rayudu (retained)
Allrounders: Corey Anderson (INR 4.5 crore), Jalaj Saxena (INR 90 lakh), Kieron Pollard (retained)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Aditya Tare (INR 1.6 crore), CM Gautham (INR 20 lakh), Ben Dunk (INR 20 lakh), Sushant Marathe (INR 10 lakh)
Bowling unit: Pragyan Ojha (INR 3.25 crore), Shreyas Gopal (INR 10 lakh), Harbhajan Singh (retained), Zaheer Khan (INR 2.6 crore), Jasprit Bumrah (INR 1.2 crore), Josh Hazlewood (INR 50 lakh), Krishmar Santokie (INR 30 lakh), Marchant de Lange (INR 30 lakh), Pawan Suyal (INR 10 lakh), Lasith Malinga (retained)
Expensive player at auction: Michael Hussey (INR 5 crore)
Best bargain buy: Corey Anderson (INR 4.5 crore)
Strengths: This team is renowned for its strong base which has helped them in winning their first title in the last edition of the Indian Premier League. Mumbai Indians have retained their top five players while have added new established names. Michael Hussey is a match winner, who was the highest run scorer in the IPL in 2013. They were successful in picking up Corey Anderson, who is the new sensation of world cricket. He has been literally hitting the bowlers out of the park since scoring fastest ODI hundred. Zaheer Khan will add new dimension to their fast bowling.
Weaknesses: The only problem could be the lack of high quality batsmen in the team. Apart from Captain Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu, there is hardly any other batsman from India who is a T20 specialist. Sachin Tendulkar has retired while Dinesh Karthik has moved to Delhi Daredevils. The absence of such talent could affect the reigning champions in their title bid. Also, there is hardly any good wicket-keeper batsman in the team.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Squad: 24 (Indian 17, overseas 7)
Cost: INR 59 crore
Batting arsenal: David Warner (INR 5.5 crore), Aaron Finch (INR 4 crore), KL Rahul (INR 1 crore), Venugopal Rao (INR 55 lakh), S Anirudha (INR 20 lakh), Manprit Juneja (INR 10 lakh), Ricky Bhui (INR 10 lakh), Shikhar Dhawan (retained)
Allrounders: Darren Sammy (INR 3.5 crore), Irfan Pathan (INR 2.4 crore), Moises Henriques (INR 1 crore), Parveez Rasool (INR 95 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Naman Ojha (INR 50 lakh), Brendan Taylor (INR 30 lakh), Amit Paunikar (INR 20 lakh)
Bowling unit: Amit Mishra (INR 4.75 crore), Karan Sharma (INR 3.75 crore), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (INR 4.25 crore), Ishant Sharma (INR 2.6 crore), Jason Holder (INR 75 lakh), P Parameswaran (INR 30 lakh), Ashish Reddy (INR 20 lakh), Chama Milind (INR 10 lakh), Dale Steyn (retained)
Expensive player at auction: David Warner (INR 5.5 crore)
Best Bargain buy: Irfan Pathan (INR 2.4 crore)

Strengths: They have the most dangerous pair in this format of the game. David Warner and Aaron Finch are no pushovers and containing them is next to impossible for any team. They can chase any score and has the ability of putting tons of runs on the board that too against the best bowling attack. The addition of Irfan Pathan is good news for the team as he will be gearing up to prove his worth again to the Indian selectors. Sunrisers Hyderabad was able to win back Amit Mishra and Karan Sharma. These two were their star performers in 2013.

Weaknesses: Apart from Shikhar Dhawan, they have no one from India, who could take the responsibility of scoring runs in the middle order. They will be counting on the performance of their foreign stars but if they are unable to score the much needed runs, life won’t be easy for a team which surprised everyone with their performance in the last edition of the Indian Premier League.
Chennai Super Kings 
Squad: 20 (Indian 12, overseas 8)
Cost: INR 59.80 crore
Batting arsenal: Batsmen: Faf du Plessis (INR 4.75 crore), Mithun Manhas (INR 30 lakh), Suresh Raina (retained)
Allrounders: Dwayne Smith (INR 4.5 crore), John Hastings (INR 50 lakh), Vijay Shankar (INR 10 lakh), B Aparajith (INR 10 lakh), Dwayne Bravo (retained), Ravindra Jadeja (retained)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Brendon McCullum (INR 3.25 crore), MS Dhoni (retained)
Bowling unit: Samuel Badree (INR 30 lakh), Pawan Negi (INR 10 lakh), R Ashwin (retained), Mohit Sharma (INR 2 crore), Ashish Nehra (INR 2 crore), Ishwar Pandey (INR 1.5 crore), Ben Hilfenhaus (INR 1 crore), Matt Henry (INR 30 lakh), Ronit More (INR 10 lakh)
Expensive player at auction: Faf du Plessis (INR 4.75 crore)
Best bargain buy: Dwayne Smith (INR 4.5 crore)
Strengths: This team has retained their best five players who are capable of winning matches against all the other franchises. Apart from them, the availability of all-rounders makes Chennai Super Kings a dangerous unit. Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum, the two new entries, are renowned for their exploits in the shortest format of the game and if they are picked in the playing XI, let’s be sure of some breathtaking display from their willows. The addition of Samuel Badree will help this team on the turning tracks.
Weaknesses: I know Mohit Sharma was superb in the last edition of the Indian Premier League but he is still learning about the dos and don’ts of the cricket. Their fast bowling is looking weak as only Ben Hilfenhaus has an experience of playing at the highest level.
Delhi Daredevils
Squad: 23 (Indian 16, overseas 7)
Cost: INR 60 crore

Batting arsenal: Kevin Pietersen (INR 9 crore), M Vijay (INR 5 crore), Manoj Tiwary (INR 2.8 crore), JP Duminy (INR 2.2 crore), Ross Taylor (INR 2 crore), Kedar Jadhav (INR 2 crore), Mayank Agarwal (INR 1.6 crore), Saurabh Tiwary (INR 70 lakh), Milind Kumar (INR 10 lakh)
Allrounders: Laxmi Ratan Shukla (INR 1.5 crore), Jimmy Neesham (INR 1 crore), Jayant Yadav (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Dinesh Karthik (INR 12.5 crore), Quinton de Kock (INR 3.5 crore)
Bowling unit: Rahul Sharma (INR 1.9 crore), Shahbaz Nadeem (INR 85 lakh), Nathan Coulter-Nile (INR 4.25 crore), Mohammad Shami (INR 4.25 crore), Jaydev Unadkat (INR 2.8 crore), Wayne Parnell (INR 1 crore), Siddarth Kaul (INR 45 lakh), Rahul Shukla (INR 40 lakh), HS Sharath (INR 10 lakh)
Expensive player at auction: Dinesh Karthik (INR 12.5 crore)
Best bargain buy: Ross Taylor (INR 2 crore)
Strengths: They have learned a lesson from the drubbing they had in the last edition of the Indian Premier League. Delhi Daredevils have got rid of all their failing stars and have formed a team which is complete in every department of the game. Kevin Pietersen is back for them and is available for the whole season. Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary and Dinesh Karthik are the leading Indian players in the shortest format of the game and their presence in the batting lineup is enough to guarantee a much required stability.
Weaknesses: It is difficult to find any weaknesses in the squad of the Delhi Daredevils as they have cover for each and every department of the game. They are bit tight in the all-rounder’s category, which could hurt them. The players of this team will have to make sure that they give their best in the important moments of the games as this format is cruel and unforgivable.
Rajasthan Royals
Squad: 25 (Indian 17, overseas 8)
Cost: INR 54.45 crore

Batting arsenal: Brad Hodge (INR 2.4 crore), Karun Nair (INR 75 lakh), Unmukt Chand (INR 65 lakh), Ajinkya Rahane (retained)
Allrounders: Steven Smith (INR 4 crore), Rajat Bhatia (INR 1.7 crore), Abhishek Nayar (INR 1 crore), Ben Cutting (INR 80 lakh), Kevon Cooper (INR 30 lakh), Rahul Tewatia (INR 10 lakh), Shane Watson (retained), Stuart Binny (retained), James Faulkner (retained)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Dishank Yagnik (INR 30 lakh), Ankush Bains (INR 10 lakh), Sanju Samson (retained)
Bowling unit: Iqbal Abdullah (INR 65 lakh), Ankit Sharma (INR 10 lakh), Pravin Tambe (INR 10 lakh), Tim Southee (INR 1.2 crore), Dhaval Kulkarni (INR 1.1 crore), Kane Richardson (INR 1 crore), Deepak Hooda (INR 40 lakh), Vikramjeet Malik (INR 20 lakh), Amit Mishra (INR 10 lakh)
Expensive player at auction: Steven Smith (INR 4 crore)
Best bargain buy: Rajat Bhatia (INR 1.7 crore)
Strengths: When you have Rahul Dravid in the camp, the planning and strategy has to be perfect. The Rajasthan Royals were able to buy lot of players despite not spending their full amount and the credit should be given to their former captain. .Tim Southee is another great buy.
Weaknesses
They have a squad where many of the players are inexperienced when it comes to shortest format of the game. Moreover, there could be an issue with the fast bowlers. There is no big Indian name in their fast bowling recourses. This has been the case with them over the years and might once again find some solution for this. They will certainly miss Rahul Dravid’s services as a captain, who was influential in the last edition.
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