IPL 2018: Rating the top 4 teams in IPL 2018

The eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League was one of the most interesting editions in the tournament history. Seven of the eight teams were in the race for the playoff spots till the last round of league stage. Even the team which ranked at bottom of the table, Delhi Daredevils, claimed 10 points, two fewer than fifth, sixth and seventh-placed teams.

We saw few stunning games in the tournament. While some of the teams were simply spectacular this season, others did not meet the expectations. Eventually, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals found a spot in the playoffs.

Without wasting any more time, let’s rate the top four teams which qualified for the playoff this season.

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Rajasthan Royals: 7/10

The Royals were one of the most inconsistent sides of the season.

Rajasthan Royals were one of the most inconsistent sides this season. Sanju Samson was the key player for Rajasthan Royals during the first half of league stage. Samson was brilliant at no.3 and played match-winning knocks. As the tournament progressed, he lost his form and failed to contribute to the team.

One big area of concern for Royals was the poor form of Benjamin Stokes. The Englishman was the star all-rounder in the tenth edition of IPL but had a forgetful season with the Royals this year. In 13 games, he scored 196 runs at an average of 17.33 and took only eight wickets. It was also the worst IPL for the Rajasthan Royals Skipper Ajinkya Rahane, where he managed to score only 370 runs in 15 matches.

Remarks:

Rajasthan Royals needed to show some consistency in the second-half of the league stage to finish in the top four. With the brilliance of Jos Butler and luck on their side, Rajasthan Royals were the last team to qualify for playoffs. Even though Rajasthan qualified for the playoffs, they have a lot to learn before the next season.

Star Player: Jos Buttler who scored 548 runs in 13 matches at a whopping average of 54.80.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 9/10

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders started the campaign with the smallest squad in the tournament which consisted of 19 players. With the smallest squad in the tournament, injury of the key pacer, Mitchell Starc didn't help their cause.

The poor form of Robin Uthappa was a constant concern for the Knights. He scored just 351 runs in 16 games at an average of below 22. Sunil Narine, however, was a genie for KKR who delivered everything the Knights camp expected from him not only with the ball but with the bat as well. Yet another Caribbean, Andre Russell contributed with his brutal batting and tricky bowling at the death.

Remarks:

Newly appointed skipper, Dinesh Karthik helped the team's campaign with his consistent form. KKR managed to qualify in the playoffs with the third position in the league stage and progressed in the second qualifier after they defeated Rajasthan Royals in the eliminator.

Even though KKR failed to make it in the finals, they will be pleased by the way their campaign ended and will come strong in the next season.

Star Player: None other than the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2018, Sunil Narine who in 17 matches took 16 wickets and scored 357 runs at a fierce strike rate of 189.89.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: 9/10

Sunrisers Hyderabad reached the final and lost against Chennai Super Kings.

Sunrisers Hyderabad was the best bowling unit in the last couple of seasons and they repeated the same in IPL 2018. Even without their best bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they defended small totals which include defending 118 against Mumbai Indians at Wankhede.

The absence of David Warner was a big blow for SRH. Kane Williamson was given the responsibility of captaincy and he was spot on. He scored runs consistently at the top especially when his team needed it the most. The spin king of the tournament Rashid Khan was a nightmare for the batsmen of the opposition.

Remarks:

From starting their campaign to being the first team to qualify for playoffs, SRH was one of the toughest team to beat in the tournament. SRH had everything going their way this season. Kane Williamson was capable of turning anything into gold he touched. SRH should forget the defeat against CSK and should focus on the positive side of the campaign.

Star Player: This is a tough one as both, Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan had a dream IPL. Kane Williamson scored 735 runs in 17 matches at an average of 52.50, while Rashid Khan took 21 wickets in 17 matches. But to pick one it has to be the orange cap winner and the skipper, Kane Williamson who led the team to the final.

Chennai Super Kings: 10/10

Chennai Super Kings won the IPL title for the third time

A two-year ban from the IPL had no negative impact on the performance of Chennai Super Kings. They are the most successful team in IPL history and 2018 was no different for MS Dhoni & Co. Ambati Rayudu was the pick of the season. His brilliant form became the reason for picking him in the Indian side against Ireland.

Captain cool MS Dhoni had an extremely good season with the bat. He played winning knocks on several occasions and it was purely vintage Dhoni. In the bowling department, young Deepak Chahar bowled well under pressure in the power plays.

Being the second-ranked team to qualify for the playoffs, Chennai defeated SRH in the Qualifier 1 to find a place in the finals for the seventh time. CSK again defeated SRH in the final to register their third IPL title win.

Remarks:

CSK were brilliant from the first match of their campaign, which was also the first match of IPL 2018. Dwayne Bravo helped CSK registered their first win in the first match itself giving the perfect start to the campaign. Something that we learned from this season was, no matter what CSK does, they will reach the playoffs.

Star Player: Ambati Rayudu who scored 602 runs in 16 matches at an average of 43.