IPL 7 predictions: Will we crown new champions

6 years, 5 champions and a lot of money, sweat and tears. This is what it has boiled down to. Rajasthan, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai have been the 5 IPL teams to have laid their hands on the coveted trophy. Will these 5 teams stake a claim again? Will the mighty Chennai continue their domination? Or will new challengers create a new order this time?

The first observation Harsha Bhogle made after the auction was that teams have become smarter and have spent very wisely. He also pointed out that the teams are evenly balanced and this year might see the closest tussle for the final four spots.  His observation was not without merit. Corey Anderson was the name on everyone’s radar before the auctions. In the years gone by he could have easily expected to be the million dollar man, but ultimately got a 4.5 crore bid. Teams have been planning shrewdly with their staff this summer and the results are there for all to see. The retention clause has also affected the calculations; with teams retaining multiple players and coming with a severely diminished purse.
We look at all the teams and see how they stack up (The 11 players mentioned are just the probable starting 11)

Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c), Baba Aparajith, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Samuel Badree/Ben Hilfenhaus/Matt Henry
The 2 time winners and 4 time finalists have reached at least the semi-finals on every occasion. That is tremendous consistency in this game of glorious uncertainties. They might be short on an Indian batsmen and their bowling line-up is just decent rather than extraordinary. They will also miss the reliability of Michael Hussey who was bought by Mumbai. But any team lead by Dhoni and having Raina, McCullum, Ashwin and Bravo, cannot be taken lightly. This edition though should be a tough climb for them.
Rating: 7/10

Kings XI Punjab: Virender Sehwag, Mandeep Singh, George Bailey(c), David Miller, Glenn Maxwell, Manan Vohra, Wriddhiman Saha, Rishi Dhawan, Mitchell Johnson, Murali Kartik, Parwinder Awana/L Balaji
Punjab might just have finally got their formulae right after 6 years of failure. The team is packed with a powerful batting lineup and has good variety in its bowling. There is no obvious weakness in the team, and they also have good backups in Shaun Marsh and Beuran Hendricks should one of the overseas stars fail. A firing Sehwag will make this franchisee unstoppable and the marauding right hander will want to prove to the world that his glory days are not yet past him. Expect this team in the final four.
Rating: 8/10

Delhi daredevils: Murali Vijay, Dinesh Kartik, Kevin Pietersen(c),  Ross Taylor, J P duminy,Manoj Tiwary, Saurabh Tiwary/Lakhsmi Ratan Shukla, Nathan Coulter Nile, Mohammad Shami, Rahul Shukla, Shahbaz Nadeem
A new coach, a new captain and a brand new over hauled side. That’s Delhi for you. And boy do they look strong. They have a good mix of Indian and foreign players and their batting line-up is one of the best of the tournament. Expect some fireworks from their captain, a certain Mr. Pietersen, who must be itching to go out there and prove a point) and some lusty blows to the cow corner by Ross Taylor. They might face a bit of issues with the ball, they can counter that by playing one more foreigner and dropping either Taylor or Duminy. Kartik was sold for the second highest bid (12.5 crore) and could be entrusted to open or they could open with Mayank Agarwal. They should be in with a good chance for the final four.
Rate: 8/10

Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane, Shane Watson, Unmukt Chand, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith, Brad Hodge, Stuart Binny, Rajat Bhatia, Praveen Tambe, James Faulkner, Dhawal Kulkarni
Rajasthan were quite typical in their spending, and yet ended up with the biggest squad. They managed to retain the core of the squad with some smart purchases and will look to consolidate on their showing from last year. Rahul Dravid will play a mentor’s role this year for them and this might not be such a bad thing for the franchisee. They have some good all-rounders who should carry them through. Steve smith and Brad Hodge could provide the late impetus while Samson and Rahane would be expected to hold the innings together. Their bowling attack lacks spark but on slow Indian and Dubai pitches they could thrive. There squad is well balanced but untested. They will have to be greater than the sum of their parts and they could be a competitive force yet again.
Rate: 7/10

Bangalore Royal Challengers: Chris Gayle, Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli, A B De Villiers, Yuvraj Singh, Vijay Zol, Albie Morkel/Mitchell Starc, Muttiah Muralitharan, Varun Aaron, Ashok Dinda, Abu Nechim
The rock stars of IPL, the Royal Challengers aren’t short of big names. They splurged a whopping amount on Yuvraj singh (14 crores) having gone into the auction with a limited purse (they had retained three players). But the balance of the squad is not too great, with some unproven and inconsistent performers with both bat and ball (apart from the retained players). They can be boom one night and bust the other. But discount any team with Gayle, Kohli, and De Villiers at your own peril. These three are the most dangerous batsmen in world cricket at the moment and bowling attacks will fear them. But can these three carry the team all the way, especially with the shaky form of Yuvraj Singh. I think it might just be difficult for them.
Rate: 7/10

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Aditya Tare, Michael Hussey, Ambati Rayudu, Keiron Pollard,  Corey Anderson, C M Gautham, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga
The big spenders were at it again, when they bought the flavour of the season Corey Anderson for 4.5 crores. But they may just be short of some good Indian batsmen. Michael Hussey, Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu will provide solidity to the line-up and Anderson and Pollard add the fire power. The bowling looks solid with Malinga being a constant threat. The team would also be sweating on Pollard’s fitness (knee problem) and Zaheer Khan’s appetite for the game. They are a bit like Bangalore in a way that they have the big names but they will have to carry the team all the way.
Rate: 7/10

Kolkata knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir, Manvinder Bisla, Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Shakib Al Hasan/Chis Lynn, Manish Pandey,Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla, Morne Morkel/Patrick Cummins, Vinay Kumar, Sunil Naraine
The most controversial team in the history of the league has not done its chances any harm in the auctions. They retained Gautam Gambhir and Sunil Naraine, grabbed Kallis and Pathan through the right to match card and added further firepower with Uthappa, Lynn and Cummins. They are a nicely balanced side with backups available for both foreign and domestic players. They should be disappointed if they do not make the semi-finals this time
Rate: 9/10

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Aaron Finch, David Warner, Naman Ojha, Darren Sammy, S Anirudh/Manpreet Juneja/Parvez Rasool, Irfan Pathan, Dale Steyn, Bhuvaneshwar kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra
The team which surprised everyone in the last edition has managed to retain its core group of players and have also added two master blasters in Warner and Finch. The team is not high on glamour but expect them to punch above their weight. They have a decent blowing attack too, with Dale Steyn breathing fire, Bhuvaneshwar using his swing and Amit Mishra displaying his guile and control. They will have to scrap hard to make it to the final four.
Rate: 7/10

Verdict: Delhi and Punjab have a strong chance to win their first IPL title and we may see a new winner if they go ahead and play to their potential. Kolkata seem the most balanced of the lot, but this game is uncertain for a reason and it needs just one man to take the game away from the opposition. Hence, as mentioned already, the teams stack up evenly and only one thing is for certain. We are all in for one hell of a ride.