IPL 2020: Strongest Starting XI of all the sides

The much-awaited IPL Auction, for the 13th edition of the domestic Twenty20 league, took place on 19th December in Kolkata, with the teams geared up to ply their trade and find the missing pieces of the jigsaw for the upcoming season. The auction room was quite eventful, as franchises bid aggressively to bring to the table an optimum mix of international experience and domestic talent.

The Australians turned out to be the most sought after, as Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, and Chris Lynn minted money. The trend of domestic dominance continued, with Virat Singh, Priyam Garg and, Kartik Tyagi being bought for a fortune by their respective franchises. The auction also had its share of surprises, as stalwarts like Martin Guptill, Evin Lewis, Colin Ingram, and Tim Southee found no buyers.

With the franchises confident of having covered most areas for the next season, let us have a look at the Strongest Starting XI for all the teams:

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#8 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore would hope to end the title drought this year

RCB made it a point to strengthen all their bases on paper once again, as they executed some of the finest international buys. The team picked this time addressed its concerns about the opening slot by securing the services of Australian skipper Aaron Finch. Further, they also bought the seasoned South African all-rounder Chris Morris for a whopping Rs. 10 crores. Fast guns Kane Richardson and Dale Steyn were also roped in by the Men in Red.

Let us take a view of the strongest starting squad of the Virat Kohli-led side:

RCB's Strongest Starting XI: Parthiv Patel (wk), Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dubey, Chris Morris, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal

RCB has a rock-solid top order, with Finch, Kohli, and ABD capable of taking the game away from the opposition single-handedly on the Chinnaswamy wicket. There is a good batting depth, with Sundar coming in at No.8. The side also boasts of a rich battery of all-rounders, with two spin and seam bowling options apiece.

The pace of Umesh and Saini, along with the deceptive adroitness of Chris Morris are an asset for the bowling unit. Additionally, the tandem of Chahal and Moeen Ali promises to be a challenge on any given day.

RCB has most of the bases covered and looks a formidable unit on paper. Virat Kohli would be hoping to come with all guns blazing and lay his hands on the title that has been eluding his trophy cabinet for quite some time now.

#7 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals has a good blend of youth and experience

Rajasthan Royals have the reputation of being the silent killers of IPL and they have lived up to the tag by securing the services of effective match winners for a paltry amount. While the team bought Robin Uthappa and Jaydev Unadkat for Rs. 3 crores apiece, it roped in David Miller, Andrew Tye, Oshane Thomas, and Tom Curran at quite reasonable rates. The side also bought young guns Yashasvi Jaiswal and Kartik Taygi for hefty sums.

Let us have a look at the strongest starting XI of the Rajasthan Royals:

RR's Strongest Starting XI: Jos Buttler (wk), Robin Uthappa, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith (c), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Varun Aaron

With former captain Ajinkya Rahane shifting base to Delhi, Rajasthan shall witness a new opening pair in Jos Buttler and Robin Uthappa. The middle order is quite stable, being capable to anchor or accelerate as per the situation. Young Yashasvi and Parag, the talented all-rounder from Assam are capable of stepping into the shoes of a finisher, while Jofra Archer and Shreyas Gopal are also capable to give the ball a few whacks towards the end.

It is the pace of the bowling department which has been a sight of bother for the inaugural champions. The problem, by and large, remains unaddressed. Even with Andrew Tye being bought, as the overseas slot of RR remains fixed and heavily dependent on the above-mentioned players. However, the spin department appears compelling for the side, with Gopal and Parag, the finds of the previous season, expected to continue their exploits with the cherry.

Steve Smith would aim to take a leaf from fellow Australian Shane Warne and emulate his feat to go all the way once again.

#6 Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab shall hope that a change in leadership reins brings a change in fortunes

Kings XI Punjab continued their reputation of being smart and big buyers, as they picked up some highly effective players. While they managed to pick Glenn Maxwell for a whopping Rs 10.75 crores, they also succeeded in picking up Caribbean sensation Sheldon Cottrell for Rs 8.5 crores. KXIP invested a hefty sum of Rs 2 crore on spin all-rounder Ravi Bishnoi and also bought all-rounders Chris Jordan, James Neesham and Deepak Hooda.

Let us have a look at the strongest squad that could be fielded by Kings XI Punjab:

KXIP's Strongest Starting XI: KL Rahul (c), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Shami, Sheldon Cottrell

The side would witness a new style of leadership, with KL Rahul taking over the captaincy reins from Ravichandran Ashwin. The former shall aspire to form a thunderous opening partnership with T20 veteran Chris Gayle. The side has a great degree of versatility in the batting order as well as all-rounders, with batsmen of diverse game plans being present. KXIP have a strong batting depth, with Chris Jordan coming in at No.9.

The pace trio of Shami-Cottrell-Jordan has the potential of running through any batting lineup on any given day. The spin department is talented but a bit inexperienced, with Gowtham and Bishnoi being the main exponents of spin bowling. Additionally, Maxwell will also be able to chip in a few overs.

KXIP shall hope that a change in leadership brings in a change of fortunes, and the side shall aim to end the IPL title drought in this season.

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR bolstered their squad with a couple of handsome purchases

KKR underwent some drastic changes, as it released its core players like Chris Lynn and Piyush Chawla, before the auction. They had the costliest buy in the auction, picking up Australian seamer Pat Cummins for a record Rs. 15.5 crores, making him the most expensive overseas player ever.

The auction also resulted in the homecoming of English skipper Eoin Morgan, who was once again purchased by the franchise. The side inducted mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy as well. KKR continued unleashing their surprises, as they secured the services of 48-year old spinner Pravin Tambe.

Let's take a sneak peek into the strongest squad that could be fielded by the two-time champions:

KKR's Strongest Starting XI: Sunil Narine, Shubhman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Prasidh Krishna, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy team that follows a structured approach with a cadre of short format specialists, KKR seem to have got most of their moves right in the bid to build a balanced unit. The openers have a disparate approach, with Narine maximizing in the powerplay, and Gill capable of batting steadily for a longer period. The middle-order woes get addressed to a huge extent by drafting in Morgan, who can both, tear as well as wear away the opposition with his batsmanship. Rana and Karthik follow the suit.

The side boasts of a ferocious all-rounder in Andre Russell, who can steer the direction of the game in a single over. The combination of Kuldeep, Narine, and Varun promises to spin a web around any opposition on the Eden Gardens wicket. The fast bowling department, apart from Cummins, consists of young Indians which might be an area of concern.

The two-time champions have sufficient talent in their dressing room, which, coupled with the wise moves of Dinesh Karthik, can help them lay their hands on the coveted silverware for the third time.

#4 Sunrisers Hyderabad

SRH shall be hoping their bowling firepower to deliver the goods once again

SRH released some of its best bets before the auction and the ban on Shakib Al Hasan made things worse for the unit. The team addressed these concerns by investing handsomely in young talent, picking up the likes of Virat Singh and Priyam Garg for Rs 1.9 crore apiece. They also picked up international athletes like Mitchell Marsh and Fabien Allen.

Let's take a look at the strongest starting team of the Sunrisers:

SRH's Strongest Starting XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem

SRH has an enviable top order with swashbuckling batsmen who have displayed a great degree of consistency. The middle order of the squad is a bit unsettled, with Manish Pandey being the only regular feature. Youngsters Abhishek Sharma and Priyam Garg present exciting opportunities, which can be capitalized upon under the watchful eyes of VVS Laxman and Trevor Bayliss.

It is the bowling unit that has consistently delivered the goods for the side, and this trend can be expected to continue this year. The new spin combination of Rashid and Nadeem, along with the seam pair of Bhuvi and Sandeep are capable of defending even a below-par score on most of the grounds.

The fierceness of the likes of Warner, Bairstow, and Rashid, combined with the calm and sagacious Kane Williamson can help the side to emulate the feat of 2016.

#3 Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have one of the strongest squads this year

The Delhi Capitals were a revelation in the previous season, as the comprehensive re-branding of the side rejuvenated their fortunes. DC qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2012, under the enterprising Shreyas Iyer. The side showcased its intent for the upcoming season from the trade room itself, strengthening their base furthermore with the addition of Shimron Hetmyer, Alex Carey, Jason Roy, and Marcus Stoinis.

Let's see the strongest XI of the Iyer-led side:

DC's Strongest Starting XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Alex Carey, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma

Delhi Capitals have got the fundamentals of the domestic league very well, bolstering their side with quality Indian talent. The addition of Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin through trading makes the dressing room look even better.

As seen in the last season, the right-left combination of Shaw and Dhawan would be opening the innings, in all probability. Jason Roy forms an excellent backup for the latter, considering the aggravation of his injuries in the recent past. The middle-order has been fortified with the addition of Shimron Hetmyer to the ranks, who has a graceful companion in Shreyas Iyer devastating partner in Rishabh Pant.

Alex Carey and Axar Patel step into the shoes of the finisher, with the presence of Ashwin giving a good depth to the batting lineup. Though the side has three wicketkeepers, considering their merit as individual batsmen, all of them have been picked in this squad. Further, the Indian talent has made way for only three overseas players in this squad.

The addition of Ashwin in the ranks, with the presence of Mishra and Patel, can work wonders on the Feroz Shah Kotla wicket. The side also has two quality seamers in Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada.

With all their bases covered, Delhi Capitals seems to be one of the favorites to lift the title this year.

#2 Chennai Super Kings

The addition of Hazlewood has addressed a major concern for Chennai

The three-time IPL winners continued their practice of picking the choicest of players in the auction as they inducted Piyush Chawla for a hefty Rs 6.75 crore, along with Sam Curran and Josh Hazlewood.

Here's a view of the strongest squad that could be fielded by CSK:

CSK's Strongest Starting XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir

The combination of the side would most probably go on similar lines as last year, with Watson and Rayudu being the opening batsmen. The middle-order would, too, remain untouched. The addition of Piyush Chawla strengthens the batting depth of the side, with Chahar also able to chip in with some vital contributions.

One of the most prominent concerns for CSK was the absence of a quality international seamer, which has been addressed by the addition of Josh Hazlewood. His combination with Deepak Chahar, who has improved exponentially, and the T20 specialist Bravo, can wreak havoc on any opposition. The spin trio of Tahir, Chawla, and Jadeja, and the presence of Jadhav, can give nightmares to any side on the Chennai wicket.

The side has all the bases covered with a huge amount of experience on its table. With MS Dhoni channelizing these resources, CSK can certainly go a step better than last year.

#1 Mumbai Indians

The defending champions look an even more menacing unit after the auction

The four-time champions Mumbai Indians kickstarted their preparations for the title, as they negotiated some very good buys at the auction. The inclusion of Trent Boult and Sherfane Rutherford from trading makes the side look even more competitive.

Let's view the strongest starting team of Mumbai:

MI's Strongest Starting XI: Chris Lynn, Quinton de Kock (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Rahul Chahar

Mumbai Indians would definitely be enticed to let the Wankhede stadium witness the Lynnsanity, pairing him with de Kock. With Rohit Sharma following at No.3, any one of these three batsmen can single-handedly bat the opposition away from the game. The middle-order has stable batsmen, with the likes of Yadav and Kishan.

The most successful side of the league boasts of three dangerous all-rounders in the form of Hardik Pandya and the two KPs - Kieron Pollard and Krunal Pandya, who can change the fortunes of the game with their batting as well as bowling. The seam combination of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult makes the side look even more intimidating. They have a quality spinner in Rahul Chahar, who can put brakes on the scoring rate in the middle overs.

The side has plenty of Indian as well as international talent, quality all-rounders, and a menacing bowling lineup. With a wise captain like Rohit Sharma, MI can make the most of these resources and go on to defend their title.