IPL 2019: Predicting the positions of all teams at the end of league stage

The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is nearing the halfway stage and it’s been a pretty exciting season so far. We have had a few mouth-watering clashes and some one-sided affairs as well. We are 22 games into this Indian T20 extravaganza and teams are already fighting for spots. The race for the playoffs is on pretty early.

Two teams sitting pretty at the top with 8 points each while there are four other teams which are on 6 points and are involved in a mid-table battle. There are a few signs which suggest which teams might end up where. Hence, here we take a look and try to predict the position of each team at the end of the league stage.

1 – Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have emerged as the table toppers, courtesy a better and a superior net run rate. In fact, they currently possess the best net run rate in the competition. They’ve won four out of their five games and the only one that they lost was also in a Super Over. Hence, KKR have been the best team of the tournament so far.

Andre Russell has been in mind-boggling form, especially with the bat. He has turned games single-handedly for KKR. In fact, the hard-hitting Jamaican has bailed KKR out of nowhere and helped them register victories. However, it might seem like KKR have been all about Russell but there’s more to the franchise.

Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa have been really consistent in the middle order and have done really well irrespective of the start. After a couple of poor games, both Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine are providing fast starts. Lynn, in particular, has struck form and is looking good. On the bowling front, KKR have been expensive. Harry Gurney’s inclusion looks like a decent one as he made a rousing debut. The spinners have bowled hot and cold while the pacers have been a tad expensive.

However, KKR have found ways to win. Also, the best part about the side is they are unlikely to get affected by players leaving the tournament midway through the season to prepare for the World Cup. Hence, they could well end up topping the points table by the end of the league stage.

2 – Chennai Super Kings

The defending champions have been one of the most successful and consistent teams in the history of the IPL. Last year was a fairy-tale return for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who returned after a two-year hiatus and won the IPL. It was an aging side but the experience came into play.

Nothing has changed this time around as well. CSK bought just two players in the auction and retained almost everyone. They’ve once again started well this season. Despite no stand out performances, CSK find themselves with four wins out of their five games. They have largely relied on their spinners to do the damage but someone like Deepak Chahar has done well too.

The batting hasn’t really clicked but they’ve found a way to get the job done. It’s MS Dhoni once again who has found his mojo back in the yellow jersey. Hence, CSK once again looks good to qualify for the playoffs. They seem almost unbeatable when the ball stops and turns. Thus, they might end up in the top two if their current form continues.

3 – Sunrisers Hyderabad

This might be a surprising pick, given the recent results. But Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) seem to have the team that could take them to the playoffs. After losing the first game, they dominated the next three. However, the two losses may have dented their confidence a little bit.

SRH have the best opening combination in the competition. When David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have fired, SRH have looked a class apart. The middle-order seems to be a concern but Kane Williamson’s return should be a massive boost. The bowling has looked off colour a little bit but they have the class and experience. In fact, in the last few years, SRH have been successful on the back of their bowling. They have defended some low scores and choked the oppositions.

Hence, SRH might’ve stumbled a little bit here but they are certainly one of the contenders for the playoffs spot.

4 – Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) had a similar start last year as well. They won five out of their first six games before their campaign went downhill. However, as Ravichandran Ashwin said in the post-match presentation after the last game, last year they were rolling through sides and lost close games. But this time around they are winning those close games which hold them in good stead.

Punjab have won a couple of games after looking down and out. They came back strongly at the death against Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals to register dramatic wins. But what has been impressive is that KXIP have not been reliant on one or two players, as was the case last year. They heavily relied on KL Rahul and Chris Gayle with the bat last year. However, this year, the duo have continued their good form but the others have chipped in as well.

Mayank Agarwal has been consistent while the likes of Sarfaraz Khan and David Miller have delivered at times. The same has been the case with the ball as well. There’s no standout but there’s been a good collective effort. Ashwin has bowled and led the side well. Sam Curran and Mohammed Shami have chipped in pretty decently as well.

Thus, KXIP are looking really good at the moment. Unless something like last year pans out, they should make it to the playoffs.

5 – Mumbai Indians

In the last six years, every alternate year has been the year of Mumbai Indians. They were the champions in 2013, 2015 and 2017. It’s just a pattern that has developed with time. However, 2019 seems to be a different year. They’ve blown hot and cold quite a bit this season. They started the season with a heavy loss against Delhi Capitals before pulling one back against Royal Challengers Bangalore in a controversial game.

They lost another game against Kings XI Punjab and then won a couple of them convincingly. They are currently involved in that middle muddle. With six points, they are currently placed fifth on the points table. It might well be the same at the end of the league stages. Their inconsistency is one of the biggest reasons.

Also, the fact that they lose a few players towards the fag end of the tournament. Quinton de Kock will return to South Africa to prepare for the World Cup. Jason Behrendorff might also go back while Lasith Malinga has been in and out due to his commitments with Sri Lankan cricket. He might also leave to prepare for the World Cup towards the end of this IPL.

Moreover, the batsmen have been in pretty indifferent form and Rohit Sharma’s form has been at the forefront of it. Hence, it might well pan out that MI miss out on a playoff berth for the second year in the running.

6 – Delhi Capitals

The change of name hasn’t really worked for the Delhi Capitals (DC). Barring the first game which they won convincingly against the three-time champions Mumbai Indians, they’ve not inspired confidence in any of the other games. They have lost from good positions and they’ve found it hard to adjust to the indifferent nature of the pitch at the Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi.

In the three games they’ve played there, two of them have been on low and slow tracks and Delhi haven’t been able to adapt. The only game they won at home was in the Super Over. They were cruising along before almost bottling up an easy chase towards the end. However, they did falter in the next game as they failed to chase down 30 in four overs despite having 7 wickets in hand.

They did win against the bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last game which moved them to six points from as many games. It seems like it’s going to be an uphill task for DC to make it to the playoffs with five other teams above them looking good. Moreover, the inconsistency might continue to haunt them. Also, their adaptiveness on different pitches has also come into question.

7 – Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals (RR) might feel that the seventh position might be a tad low with the way they’ve played. Three out of their four losses have been pretty close games. They were in good positions to win each one of them. However, they just faltered towards the end of the game.

Be it with the bat or ball, RR have not been able to deliver under pressure. In their second game, they failed to defend 199 against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Meanwhile, they haven’t been able to chase 185 (against KXIP) and 176 (against CSK) despite being in strong positions at different stages of the game. Their only win came against Royal Challengers Bangalore when they chased down 159 with a ball to spare.

The batting has been RR’s biggest worry. They have relied on Jos Buttler to do the bulk of the damage. Steve Smith has got runs but they haven’t come at a fair clip. In fact, his strike-rate this season has been 116.91. Meanwhile, the big hitters like Ben Stokes and Krishnappa Gowtham haven’t really come to the party. The bowling has blown hot and cold as barring Shreyas Gopal, no other bowler has looked threatening.

Thus, unless dramatic things happen, RR will most likely not qualify for the playoffs and their current position might also remain unchanged.

8 – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Year in, year out, the same question remains when it is about Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). What will it take for them to win an IPL title? Forget the IPL title, this season, they haven’t won a single game. They simply haven’t been able to produce match-winning performances.

They have been at the receiving end of a couple of very close losses. In fact, in those games, they were calling the shots and were in a strong position but couldn’t close out the game. They should’ve chased down 188 against MI before a Bumrah masterclass halted their charge at the death. Andre Russell then literally snatched RCB’s maiden win of the season as he helped KKR chase down 53 in the last three overs.

But the other games have been very disappointing. They lost the first game badly as they were shot out for a mere 70 against CSK. The other games all three departments haven’t clicked together. In fact, their fielding is the worst by any team in this tournament. They’ve dropped plenty of catches this season and that has hurt them.

Losses in six out of six have them placed at the bottom of the table. They need to win all their games to qualify for the playoffs which seems almost improbable. Also, they will do really well if they can avoid the wooden spoon finish. But at the moment, it looks like RCB will finish last.

[interaction id=”5cab77e3150ec7e7250ee569″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.