IPL 7: Know the players who can turn the fortune of their teams

New Delhi: The season 7 of the cash-rich Indian Premier League has been kicked off and eight franchisees would be fighting it out for T20 glory with almost 13 crore rupees as a winning prize.The shortest form of cricket is such that in which a single player be it a batsman or a bowler can turn the game around and change the fortune of his team. So what are these eight teams and their players are upto? Let's find out CHENNAI SUPER KINGSTwo time IPL champions and three times finishing as runners up Chennai Super Kings led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni have always been in Top four teams in the points tally. After finishing at the top position last year, CSK thumped Mumbai Indians in the Qualifier 1 when Mr. Cricket Michael Hussey led the team from the front with most runs but later in the final even he could not stop Mumbai Indians and the legend Sachin Tendulkar from lifting up the IPL trophy.One to watch:In a squad that has four international skippers finding the best one out can be difficult. But in this batsmen dominated game, Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has skills to restrict the batsmen and take crucial wickets at regular intervals. He recently has a terrific World T20 campaign in Bangladesh where he claimed 11 wickets in 6 matches also including that famous “Ball of the century” to Hashim Amla.DELHI DAREDEVILSWith just three victories in 16 matches and finishing at the bottom of the points tally last year may be the reason that the franchisee didn't retained any of its player this year and are coming up with a brand new team with Kevin Pietersen as the skipper. They want a fresh start with a fresh team!One to watch: Its KP who'll be the centre of attraction for DD this year and there is no need to tell what kind of batsman he is. After being sacked from the England team he has everything to prove to the England selectors. His influence will be felt from top to bottom at the Daredevils. He would definitely love to play at his best not just to prove his worth but to shut the mouth of all those who criticized him after being sacked from England's squad.KINGS XI PUNJABWith 8 wins and 8 losses in 16 matches Kings XI finished at 6th position in the points tally with 16 points last year. Adam Gilchrist signed off his IPL career with his first and only wicket, and that of Harbhajan Singh, prompting the worst version of Gangnum Style captured on film. One to watch:Actually there are two players to watch out for in this franchisee. Firstly it's the Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who led the way for Australia in the recent World T20 in Bangladesh with the bat and in the field. He played every shot in the textbook, often both ways, and enters this tournament in a purple patch of form. Punjab will hope Maxwell can keep it up throughout the tournament to justify spending a million bucks on him. Secondly, its Virender Sehwag who had his worst IPL career last year will be on the eyes of all the Indians fans and Team India national selectors.KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERSAfter winning the trophy in 2012, even mystery spin from Sunil Narine and all-rounder talent of Jacques Kallis could not stop KKR from finishing at the 7th position in the points tally last year. Their last three consecutive losses affected the team momentum which restricted the team's movement in the points table.One to watch:The team has many to watch out for but the player who can be crucial for KKR is the new entrant South African pacer Morne Morkel. His height and tight line & length are the new assets for the team's bowling department. This time skipper Gambhir has the bowler who can actually bowl above 140s or even 150s with many variations.MUMBAI INDIANSThe defending champions of the IPL title will be starting their campaign against KKR. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Mumbai lost the first qualifying game against CSK but bounced back in the elimination match and defeated Rajasthan Royals. Later they took revenge of 2011 IPL final defeat from CSK and won their maiden IPL title. This time their two big names Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar will not be seen in their action.One to watch: He captained his country to the World T20 title and is arguably the greatest T20 bowler ever, Lasith Malinga is the kind of guy that can change games in a matter of deliveries. Owning an action that is difficult to read and unorthodox at best, Malinga is the trump card in Mumbai's deck, and if history is anything to go by he'll be just as destructive this year.RAJASTHAN ROYALSThe winner of the inaugural IPL has been unsuccessfully trying to win the title again from the past 6 years. However under the leadership of Rahul Dravid they reached in the qualifying round last year but lost to determined Mumbai Indians, thus got eliminated from the tournament. This year Shane Watson would replace Dravid as a skipper and it would be interesting to see how he continues the legacy of him.One to watch:James Faulkner is on track to becoming the game's best finisher. He did it India last year, at home this summer and even though injury hampered his impact in the World T20, Faulkner is ready to attack IPL 7 with both bat and ball. He was the second highest wicket taker in the tournament last year with 28 wickets in 16 matches with an economy rate of just under 7.ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALOREPossessing a roster that includes the biggest names in T20 cricket, it's hard to imagine how RCB didn't make the finals. Kohli, Gayle and de Villiers should alone win you 10 games, but alas, it's the other names, most notably the remaining seven Indian players, that determine an IPL season. Three losses in their last five games last year proved the difference, missing out on the finals by a solitary win. They believed to be having the strongest batting line up but can they use them efficiently??One to watch:Do we need to take his name who need to be watched? Yes, it's the Caribbean beast Chris Gayle. The Gayle storm did worked last year for RCB but it was not enough to make it to the qualifiers. His blistering innings of 175* in just 63 balls including record 17 sixes will force the crowd to fill the space again in the stadium. SUNRISERS HYDERABADSunrisers Hyderabad's inaugural season was made of fairy tale stuff. Underdogs from the first ball, Hyderabad didn't have the strongest squad on paper, but as Rajasthan showed in IPL 1 that doesn't mean much. Led by Cameron White in the later stage of the tournament last year, the Sunrisers upset the big names thanks to Dale Steyn and Shikhar Dhawan, plus the subtle spin of Amit Mishra. They've boosted their batting with Warner and Finch, and will hope to feature in the finals for two years running.One to watch:He bowled more dot balls than any other bowler last year and bowls as fast as anyone, Dale Steyn is probably the best fast bowler. In the pressure moments you call upon your clutch players, and Steyn's performance in Bangladesh proved why he's the best in the business. If fit, he'll be a major reason why Hyderabad play finals this season. Apart from Steyn, all the Indian eyes will be on the skipper Shikhar Dhawan who is currently struggling in his batting, and with the crucial tours ahead of IPL, he needs to get back in his form.

IPL 7: Know the players who can turn the fortune of their teams

New Delhi: The season 7 of the cash-rich Indian Premier League has been kicked off and eight franchisees would be fighting it out for T20 glory with almost 13 crore rupees as a winning prize.The

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