IPL 2019: Predicting where each of the 8 franchises will finish on the points table 

The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League began in Chennai amidst huge fanfare. It is the premier domestic competition of the country and is probably the best league in World Cricket by some distance.

With the league having begun, one question that would be on every fan's mind is 'At what place would my team finish in the league'? IPL has always proved to be an unpredictable tournament and it can be gauged from the fact that the league has had 6 different champions in the last 11 seasons.

This year's IPL will be an interesting one to watch as the World Cup will have an impact on the league, as a number of players will be rested through the course of the tournament. Predicting how the teams would finish on the IPL Points Table gets even trickier because of a number of important players missing a part of IPL.

#8 Rajasthan Royals

The team's batting department is extremely strong with Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith, Jos Butler, Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson in their ranks. The team has some great batsmen and the world's best all-rounders in the shortest format of the game in their team, but the area where they lack is bowling.

Unadkat has the tendency to leak runs and the spin department is totally inexperienced with both Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal lacking international experience. The Sawai Mansingh Stadium where Royals are going to play a majority of their matches is a batting paradise and having a weak bowling attack will be a huge problem.

Another problem which Rajasthan Royals would be facing this year is the mass exodus of their star players by April end, which could severely hamper their chances. The team might face a situation where they will not even have enough players to fill the quota of four overseas players in the last leg of the league.

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#7 Delhi Capitals

The top order of Delhi Capitals is the strongest in the league and boasts of international stalwarts like Shikhar Dhawan and some phenomenally talented domestic players like Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant.

The presence of a genuine all-rounder in Axar Patel and a quality spinner in Amit Mishra is another advantage for the side going into the competition. The biggest weakness for the side, however, is in their mind. Delhi Capitals is one of the strongest teams in the league on paper, but it has also been a team which has underperformed consistently over the past decade.

The team has always been filled with stars, but has somehow performed below their potential year after year. The team management will have to find a way to come out of the mental block which many of the Delhi players will be facing.

The absence of an experienced Indian pacer can also grow into a cause of concern if Avesh Khan doesn't perform up to expectations.

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#6 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore is amongst the most popular franchises which has an extremely dedicated fan base. They would definitely be disappointed with their team being placed at 6th in the list, but there are reasons for it.

Bangalore has a brilliant batting line-up at its disposal yet again with the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Shimron Hetmyer. The batting line-up is amongst the strongest and the spin attack too looks pretty good.

The problem this year as well is similar to the one the team has faced for several years. Lack of a genuine death bowler and the absence of a quality foreign pacer is their biggest problem this year as well.

Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj have leaked way too many runs in the death overs and this has been the main reason for the team's poor performance last year.

Nathan Coulter-Nile, who in all likelihood will be the team's overseas fast bowler too will leave the team in April which will affect the team's chances severely.

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#5 Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders had the weakest team going into the competition last year but they had managed to perform brilliantly to reach the playoffs.

The team was ably led by Dinesh Karthik and thanks to some brilliant performances by the likes of Shubman Gill, Shivam Mavi, Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and the captain himself, the team played beyond their potential and managed a 3rd place finish last year.

This year too, the team looks to be a bit weak when compared to the other teams in the league and with injuries to their star bowlers, the team definitely has their task cut out.

Kolkata team is definitely weaker than the Bengaluru side, but they have a team culture and an environment which has brought them success despite having a weak team.

Dinesh Karthik has also led the team brilliantly and has shown that he is capable of making his team punch above their weight. The team this year also is likely to make a strong bid for the playoffs, but are likely to fall just short of the mark.

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#4 Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions of IPL this year and are touted by many to be the favourites to lift the title this year as well. The team has a lot of expectations riding on their shoulders.

Chennai Super Kings is another side in the league which has performed brilliantly irrespective of the XI they have fielded. A large part of that credit goes to the team culture and the environment that exists in the dressing room. The team will most probably reach the playoffs yet again just on the basis of their dressing room atmosphere, but whether they will progress to the finals will depend on how some of their important players perform.

Lungi Ngidi has been ruled out of the league and that will be a huge cause of worry as the team doesn't have a single International pacer who can bowl in the 140s. The team's death bowling will be severely affected and this might prove to be the difference between the team winning the championship and the team not even making the finals.

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#3 Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians had a horrendous IPL last year as the defending champions were unable to even reach the playoffs. They will look to use this year's competition to redeem the lost pride. Mumbai Indians is the most successful side in IPL history along with Chennai Super Kings as both the teams have won the league thrice. Mumbai will aim to go one better this time.

Mumbai Indians have the batting firepower to chase any target and have some of the world's best all-rounders in Pandya brothers. The inclusion of Quinton de Kock will give the team the firepower at the top and this could prove to be a huge difference to the side.

Mumbai have areas of worries as well as the team lacks quality spinners and a quality International pacer. Rohit Sharma will look at Jasprit Bumrah to compensate for the lack of quality bowlers. Bumrah has the ability to provide the important breakthroughs to the team and his performance will be the most crucial aspect of this season for Mumbai Indians. The team will definitely make the playoffs this year and might also go on to lift the title for the 4th time.

#2 Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab is one of the strongest sides in the league on paper, if not the strongest. It has explosive power hitters, mystery spinners, quality pace bowlers and a shrewd captain. It has everything that is required in a Championship winning side.

One area where the team might lack is in the dressing room atmosphere which has proved to be an extremely important factor in the league. Virender Sehwag and Ravichandran Ashwin tried to change that aspect and were partly successful as well as the team was very close to reaching the playoffs and would have made it had it not been for the unexpected collapse in the final games.

The middle order of Kings XI Punjab is still brittle and that might hamper the team's chance of winning the title but the team, on the whole, is strong enough to qualify for the playoffs and they might finish in the Top 2 in the league table.

#1 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of those sides which makes the playoffs on the basis of their performance on the auction day every year and this year too, they would be the favourite to top the charts in the league stages. David Warner's inclusion will provide the team with the X-factor that will be required to win the title but Shikhar Dhawan's exclusion might force Kane Williamson and Warner to play differently.

The team's bowling will definitely give an edge to the team over others. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi makes the bowling attack capable of defending any total.

Some star players of the side will be leaving the tournament midway and that might stop the team from winning the league. SRH team will dominate the league stages like they do every year but they might end up short of the title this year as well.