Rating the bowling of eight teams ahead of IPL 2019
The next season of Indian Premier League starts from March 23. Last term, we witnessed the impact of quality bowling line-up in the T20 league, as Sunrisers Hyderabad travelled the road to final by winning several low-scoring contests. Notably, Rajasthan Royals had won the inaugural edition courtesy of their bowlers. After rating the batting prowess, here we analyze the bowling line-up of the teams.
Rajasthan Royals- 4.5/10
Rajasthan Royals look short of quality bowlers. Pacer Jaydev Unadkat was poor last season and we don't expect to have a great season in 2019. Dhawal Kulkarni has hardly played since 2017. Ben Stokes is the only decent all-rounder, but lacks consistency. The spin department doesn't have any match-winning bowler. Their main weapon is Jofra Archer but overall, Royals have the worst bowling set-up.
Delhi Capitals- 6/10
Kiwi pacer Trent Boult will lead the bowling attack for Delhi Capitals. Kagiso Rabada can have an impact alongside fellow South African Chris Morris. Sandeep Lamichhane and Amit Mishra are the main spinners alongside Axar Patel. West Indian all-rounders Sherfane Rutherford and Keemo Paul would like to chip in, meanwhile, Ishant Sharma hasn't played T20 cricket much. The remaining bowling quartet lacks the edge.
Royal Challengers Bangalore- 6.5/10
Royal Challengers Bangalore have quality bowlers in their ranks. Umesh Yadav, in particular, was on song, last season. International bowlers Nathan Coulter-Nile and Tim Southee have immense experience. Yuzvendra Chahal leads the spin show. All rounders such as Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme and Shivam Dube add variety. There have bench strength, but their bowlers lack consistency as we rate them 6.5/10.
Mumbai Indians- 7/10
Mumbai Indians have a quality pace attack comprising of foreigners Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga and Adam Milne. Jasprit Bumrah and Barinder Sran are major Indian fast bowling options. All-rounders Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting and Hardik Pandya can be captain's delight. However, spin department is where Mumbai fall short. Mayank Markande and Krunal Pandya are the only options. Overall, we rate them 7/10.
Kings XI Punjab- 7.5/10
Andrew Tye will handle the pace bowling mantle. He will be backed by all-rounder Sam Curran and the man-in-form Mohammed Shami. Ankit Rajpoot and all-rounder Moises Henriques add depth. Mujeeb Ur Rahman will play a prominent role, with skipper R Ashwin supporting him. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has the ability to rattle the opponent's line-up. All in all, KXIP have a decent bowling line-up.
Kolkata Knight Riders- 7.5/10
Kolkata Knight Riders will be banking on the services of their three premier spinners, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla to keep them in the game. Andre Russell gets support from another all-rounder, Carlos Brathwaite. The pace bowling is mostly dependent on youngsters, as Prasidh Krishna and Shivam Mavi will be joined by Kamlesh Nagarkoti. However, KKR might face issues on batting-friendly pitches.
Chennai Super Kings- 8.5/10
Chennai Super Kings are well balanced in their bowling and have quality in their ranks. Lungi Ngidi will get more chances this time. All-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Shane Watson add depth. Indian pace quartet bear names such as Mohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur and Deepak Chahar. The spin-heavy attack boasts of variety and experience. Part-timers Kedar Jadhav and Suresh Raina can chip in when required.
Sunrisers Hyderabad- 9/10
Sunrisers Hyderabad have the best bowling unit this time, and it's a side that can defend any total. Rashid Khan leads the proceedings and is a genuine wicket-taker. Shakib Al Hasan, Mohammad Nabi and Shahbaz Nadeem add crucial depth. The pace quartet has match winning attributes. Billy Stanlake, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, and Khaleel Ahmed lend their voices. We rate them 9/10.
