The last season of IPL featured more 200+ totals than ever before, more successful 200+ run chases and, naturally, more fours and sixes than ever before. So, what has changed to prompt a change of direction? Nothing.
But there is still some truth in the old cricketing adage that batsmen win matches but bowlers win tournaments.
Bowlers might be condemned to making fewer game-changing contributions, and their wickets may cost more, but that only means their sporadic match-winning contributions will count for even more.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Captain: Ruturaj Gaikwad
Once the ‘Dad’s Army’ of the tournament with highest average age for many years, the five-time champions have reinvented themselves this year – apart from the persistent presence of 44-year-old MS Dhoni.
World Cup player-of-the-tournament Sanju Samson has been signed and will, presumably, keep wicket leaving Dhoni to…?
Gaikwad, Samson, Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis give the men in yellow more power in the top four than ever before.
New Zealander Matt Henry will carry a heavy load in a bowling attack which looks thin without Ravi Jadeja who was traded to Rajasthan for Samson.
South Africans: Dewald Brevis, Ottneil Baartman (to be confirmed).
DELHI CAPITALS
Coach: Hemang Badani
Captain: Axar Patel
Started like a steam-train last year with four straight victories before losing momentum and fading badly.
KL Rahul will move back to open the batting having experimented in the middle order and much is expected of Tristan Stubbs is now regarded as a senior player.
The arrival of David Miller will make life easier for Stubbs, on and off the field.
Kuldeep Yadav and captain Axar remain one of the best spin pairings in the league and, if Cricket Australia finally allow Mitchell Starc after ‘managing his workload’ for the first month, they’ll have one of the best in the world at both ends of the innings.
South Africans: Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi
GUJARAT TITANS
Coach: Ashish Nehra
Captain: Shubman Gill
Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan and captain Gill were the most successful top three in the tournament’s history last season with almost 2000 runs between them led by Orange Cap winner, Sudharsan, with 759 at a strike rate of 156.
When they fired, Gujarat won more often than not.
Over-dependence is the problem, especially with Buttler’s recent form for England suggesting his career may have peaked.
Prasidh Krishna, Mohammad Siraj and Kagiso Rabada take care of the fast bowling with Jason Holder while the unrivalled Rashid Khan bosses the spin department with Washington Sundar to complement.
South Africans: Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Coach: Abhishek Nayar
Captain: Ajinkya Rahane
New Zealand openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert offer dazzle and Aussie Cameron Green is the most expensive player in the league’s history.
Sunil Narine is a pinch-hitting dream at the top of the order with a strike rate of 175+.
The bowling, however, looks very thin. A flurry of injuries and political unavailability (Mustafizur Rahman) means that Zimbabwean Blessing Muzarabani could lead the pace attack but Narine and Varun Chakravarthy still offer an experienced and potent spin duo.
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS
Coach: Justin Langer
Captain: Rishabh Pant
Should have done so much better last year with five wins from their first eight games but spluttered to nothing.
Captain Pant endured a horrendous campaign last year so Murphy’s Law suggests that can’t happen again.
Nicholas Pooran topped 500 runs at a strike rate of 196 and, together with Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram, that’s a powerful top four.
Josh Inglis, Mohammad Shami and Anrich Nortje were signed to bolster the bowling and Sri Lankan leggie, Wanindu Hasaranga, is a canny signing – if fit.
South Africans: Aiden Markram, Anrich Nortje, Matthew Breetzke
MUMBAI INDIANS
Coach: Mahela Jayawardene
Captain: Hardik Pandya
The five-time champions have finished stone last twice in the last four years but their squad this year is surely the strongest…on paper.
Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton will vie an opening sport alongside Rohit Sharma followed by eye-watering power hitters Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Will Jacks and captain Pandya.
The best fast bowler in the world, Jasprit Bumrah, will again be partnered by Kiwi Trent Boult with countryman Mitchell Santner providing quality spin.
South Africans: Quinton de Kock, Ryan Rickelton, Corbin Bosch
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU
Coach: Andy Flower
Captain: Rajat Patidar
The defending champions have retained the core of the title-winning squad with Virat Kohli and Englishman Phil Salt set to open the batting while Jacob Bethell will almost certainly start in the top order along with Tim David.
Krunal Pandya is still the most under-appreciated allrounder in the league while Devdutt Padikkal and ‘keeper Jitesh Sharma always came good at the most important moments.
Left-arm fast bowler Yash Dawal and veteran Bhuvneshwar Kumar are as effective at the top and bottom of the innings.
PUNJAB KINGS
Coach: Ricky Ponting
Captain: Shreyas Iyer
Nine wins in 14 games saw Punjab finish top of the league and reach their second final last year before coming up short.
They retained 21 players including Marco Jansen who is now one of the pillars of the team along with captain Shreyas Iyer, explosive opener Prabhsimran Singh and veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
Coach Ponting has also unashamedly kept the strong Australin flavour with Mitchell Owen, Cooper Connolly, Marcus Stoinis, Xavier Bartlett and Ben Dwarshuis all in the squad.
South African: Marco Jansen
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Coach: Kumar Sangakkara
Captain: Riyan Parag
Veteran allrounder Ravindra Jadeja returns to his roots and will be the only member of the squad who was part of the franchise’s sole triumph in the competition’s inaugural season under Shane Warne’s captaincy in 2008.
But it’s the youngsters who will grab the spotlight with openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi among the most dynamic in the league.
Captain Parag, Shimron Hetmyer and Jadeja isn’t the worst middle order, either. Nandre Burger and Kwena Maphaka will push for a place in the bowling line-up alongside Jofra Archer with Ravi Bishnoi providing the wrist spin.
South Africans: Nandre Burger, Donovan Ferreira, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Coach: Daniel Vettori
Captain: Pat Cummins
The prolific Ishan Kishan will lead the side for the first half of the season while Cummins recovers from a back injury and will bat No 3 behind the devastating ‘Travishek’ opening pair – Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma average 12.56 per over together, the highest ever.
Liam Livingstone’s arrival boosts the middle order which already contains Heinrich Klaasen.
Bowling looks a little thin in Cummins absence but the acquisition of English left-armer David Payne was a shrewd move.
South African: Heinrich Klaasen