After 56 matches and six weeks of daily action, the group stage of the Indian Premier League is finally done and dusted. But it’s still all to play for as it reaches the business end of the tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals are the last four teams standing as the road to the Wankhede Stadium for May 27’s showpiece decider continues.
Here, we examine all four sides left in the 11th edition of the competition.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
LEAGUE STAGE: First
RECORD: Played 14, Won 9, Lost 5
WHY THEY CAN WIN: The absence of David Warner has hardly been felt with Kane Williamson stepping into his shoes with such ease. He has hardly put a foot wrong as captain and the Kiwi has certainly led from the front with the bat, sitting second in the run charts with 661 and eight half-centuries to his name. Even if he is dismissed, the bowlers will have a tough task to stop the likes of Alex Hales, Manish Pandey and Shikhar Dhawan clicking. They also possess two in-form bowlers in Rashid Khan (16) and Siddharth Kaul (17) who continue to go from strength to strength.
WHY THEY CAN’T WIN: Despite topping the league on run-rate, they are not in the best of form and come into the play-offs on the back of a three-match losing streak.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
LEAGUE STAGE: SECOND
RECORD: P 14, W 9, L 5
WHY THEY CAN WIN: The two-time champions have a major advantage that a number of their players have already won the IPL with Chennai. MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Faf du Plessis are among those players and their experience of having done it before puts them in good stead.
But it’s the form and additions of Shane Watson, Lungi Ngidi and Ambati Rayudu. Watson seems to have rediscovered his best form with the bat with 438 runs, while Ngidi will enter the Qualifier clash on Tuesday on the back of a 4-10 that ripped through Kings XI Punjab on Sunday. In each of his five matches, he’s claimed one wicket. For Rayudu, Chennai have one of the most dangerous batsmen who can take the game away if the bowling is not up to the mark. Add to that, MS Dhoni’s ability to finish the innings in style and Bravo stepping up with the bat and ball, Chennai will be the ones to beat.
WHY THEY CAN’T WIN: It’s hard to find any weakness from the 2010 and 2011 champions. They’re back in the play-offs for the first time in three years following their two-year suspension and even their return at this stage shouldn’t hamper their chances considering how impressive they have been this year.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
LEAGUE STAGE: THIRD
RECORD: P 14, W 8, L 6
WHY THEY CAN WIN: With three consecutive wins in the group stage, Kolkata not only enter the play-offs as one of the in-form sides but have the comforts of playing their Eliminator and Qualifier 2 (should they progress) on their home patch. Andre Russell has had to deal with some injury niggles this season but even when he hasn’t been 100 per cent fit, the West Indian is dangerous. He might sit 27th in the batting charts with 264 but a quick-fire 31 off 14 and his match-winning spell of 3-14 in Kolkata’s thrilling win against Kings XI Punjab are prime examples of his capabilities.
While Sunil Narine continues to go from strength to strength in every IPL season with 327 and 16 wickets to his name, Kolkata have a strong depth in their batting line-up. Chris Lynn is beginning to show the form that made his employers pay a staggering US$1.5 million in January’s auction with 425 runs including three fifties, while captain Dinesh Karthik is leading by example with the bat. And while Kuldeep Yadav has shown he’s more than capable of adding to his 14 scalps, Kolkata can take confidence from the fact they have beaten all the play-off teams in the group stage.
WHY THEY CAN’T WIN: Despite being one of the IPL’s most successful teams with two title wins, their last came back in 2014. Barring their 2015 season, they have shown signs of progression finishing third last year but their players have to be at the top of their game to stop either Sunrisers Hyderabad or Chennai Super Kings.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
LEAGUE STAGE: FOURTH
LEAGUE RECORD: P 14, W 7, L 7
WHY THEY CAN WIN: They come into the latter stages with four wins in five matches including a triumph over Chennai Super Kings. The Royals possess one of T20’s brightest prospects in Jofra Archer, who despite only playing nine matches has taken 13 wickets already. They will need another fine show from Shreyas Gopal after his four-wicket haul against RCB. Their batting line-up isn’t the strongest but Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi and Ajinkya Rahane have proved they can deliver big scores and it’s a matter of repeating that when it counts.
WHY THEY CAN’T WIN: Although they were fortunate to have reached the play-off stage following Mumbai Indians’ defeat, their cause isn’t helped by the fact their prolific in-form batsman Jos Buttler and big buy Ben Stokes have returned to England. They may have beaten Royal Challengers Bangalore last time out but greater tests lie in wait and it might be a bridge too far to replicate their 2008 triumph.
