IPL 2022: 3 teams who can win their maiden title

IPL 2022 is going to start in a few days from now. With the addition of two new teams - Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans - the world's premier T20 franchise-based tournament is now going to be a 10-team competition.

The contest will now get tougher and more exciting, with each IPL team having to grind harder for securing a spot in the IPL playoffs and be in contention to win the title.

IPL 2022 could see a new winner

The IPL hasn't seen a new winner since the 2016 edition when the Sunrisers Hyderabad won their very first trophy. From 2017 to 2021, the IPL trophy was won either by the Chennai Super Kings or the Mumbai Indians.

IPL 2022 could be different as all the teams have had to build their squads from scratch. This has brought all of them on the same page and nothing can be said with certainty as to which team is going to walk away with the IPL trophy.

It wouldn't be surprising to see a new winner rise up and clinch the trophy. Here, we are going to look closely at 3 teams among those most likely to win their maiden IPL title.

---

Lucknow Super Giants

KL Rahul will lead the Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming IPL 2022

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are one of the two new teams that have been drafted in to take part in IPL 2022. LSG performed well at the IPL auction and built a team that can make it to the top four.

They have roped in many all-rounders who can play a key role. The new team also possesses a solid pace attack, having the likes of Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, and Dushmantha Chameera in its ranks.

They do not have many players who could play the anchor role if the team loses quick wickets at the top. This could be an area of concern for them but, apart from that, LSG have an impressive-looking squad and possess a good chance of making it to the top four in their debut season.

---

Delhi Capitals

Anrich Nortje will be leading the pace attack for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2022

Delhi Capitals have been very impressive over the last few seasons of the IPL, making it to the playoffs in the last three. They even reached the Final in 2020 but missed out on winning the title. This time, they will look to better that result and clinch their maiden IPL victory.

The Capitals have built a formidable squad for IPL 2022. They have roped in some highly-reputed players like David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur, and Mustafizur Rehman to name a few.

The Capitals have all the bases covered and possess good bench strength that provides cover for their regular players. Their pace attack doesn't look as threatening as it used to be with both Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan gone.

Hence, they will rely heavily on Anrich Nortje to come good for them and it could get tricky if he has to sit out due to an injury.

View the IPL Orange Cap Winners here.

---

Punjab Kings

Shikhar Dhawan will open the batting for the Punjab Kings along with Mayank Agarwal in IPL 2022

Punjab Kings have not been consistent in the past seasons of the IPL. They have not qualified for the playoffs in the last seven seasons. But this time around, they have built a team which can possibly break that jinx.

The Kings were the busiest of all the teams at the auction, having retained only two players - Mayank Agarwal and Arshdeep Singh.

They have roped in some big names and have built an impressive-looking squad. The Kings have Shikhar Dhawan, who could be a more than worthy replacement for KL Rahul at the top.

They have also brought in Kagiso Rabada, one of the best fast bowlers in the world. Players like Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Odean Smith, and Sharukh Khan can win them matches single-handedly.

The spin department is an area of concern for them. They have Rahul Chahar as the lone frontline spinner and he would be expected to bowl well in IPL 2022.