Kolkata Knight Riders
With Kallis, Shakib and Yusuf — this looks like the most balanced team. Add to their armoury James Pattinson and Sunil Naraine — both excellent wicket-takers. 21 year old Pattinson showed his mettle against India in the Test Series. Naraine's off breakers are difficult to handle and he will be a force to reckon with.
Chennai Super Kings
Three time finalists, two-time champions: what more can one say? With quite a few in-form players like Abhinav Mukund and Faf Du Plessis, they're looking to extend their dream run. With Hussey not available for half the season, Anirudh is set to open the innings with Vijay. Also, Jadeja and Du Plessis with their all round abilities can guide the champions to another title win.
Kings XI Punjab
Last season MI discard Paul Valthaty took the IPL World by storm with his batting heroics. Another Mumbaikar Siddarth Chitnis looks to follow him soon. With a strike rate of over 180, he is surely going to grab eyeballs. South African southpaw David Miller is another to look out for. With solid technique and great temperament, he will play a big role in Punjab's shot at the title.
Rajasthan Royals
Ajinkya Rahane got a few chances to establish himself in the Indian ODI side. Barring a 90, he failed to impress. Hopefully with his talent and grit he will use the IPL platform well. Ashok Menaria is also another decent all-rounder who will be striving to prove himself.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Rilee Rossouw, 22-year-old South African, has great hand-eye coordination and reminds one of Gilchrist in his heydays. Cheteshwara Pujara is a big scorer in the domestic circuit. With Gayle, Vettori and Dilshan with them, this team can create quite few upsets.
Pune Warriors
With Yuvi missing, Pune Warriors have a daunting task ahead. Callum Ferguson, Tamim Iqbal and Angelo Matthews are the ones who can lift the spirits of the underdogs.
Mumbai Indians
On paper, they are the strongest team, with the Champions League title under their belt. Richard Levi, Thisara Perera and Suryakumar Yadav are going to be the ones to watch out for. Levi, with his brilliant century against Kiwis, has stamped his mark in world cricket. Hope Perera and Yadav join him soon.
Deccan Chargers
Kedar Devdhar, wicketkeeper-batsman famous for butchering the bowlers across the park, is a pocket dynamite whose hitting will definitely up the ante for Deccan Chargers. And then of course there's West Indian Darren Bravo, touted by many as the next Brian Lara.
Delhi Daredevils
With Sehwag and Warner leading the way, Delhi is no weak team. Adding to the line up is Aaron Finch, a Victorian player whose record speaks for him. More often than not, he devastates the bowler's rhythm. On the bowling side India's Varun Aaron will be a vital cog in Delhi's machinery.
Gaurav is a III year student of SRM University.
