IPL 2022: One surprising move each team can make during the season

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is now knocking on the doors of the fans. After the Chennai Super Kings lifted the trophy for the fourth time, all the franchises battled it out in the mega auction. This meant that the dynamics of the teams have now completely changed.

With a huge tournament coming up, the IPL will set the stage for the T20 World Cup which is scheduled to be conducted later this year. It will be interesting to see which player establishes himself this time around. Adding on, no one should underestimate the teams having a mediocre lineup.

This is mainly because setting up a team is just the beginning, the main factor is about execution. It separates teams like CSK and MI from rest of the squads. So, talking about executions, let us have a look at surprise moves one team might put up during this year’s IPL

One surprising move each team can make in IPL 2022:

1. Sunrisers Hyderabad

For Sunrisers Hyderabad, it was a mediocre auction. The management was inactive for most of the auction. However, they did manage to put up a young squad for the upcoming season.

With Kane Williamson leading the side, all eyes will be on the Indian youngsters as they form the core of the side. Their form will determine the team’s chances this time around. And Kane Wiliamson can surprise the opposition by opting for a relatively lesser-known player in the form of Fazalhaq Farooqi who is from Afghanistan

With 4 ODIs to his name, he has managed to pick 7 wickets. With an economy rate of 5.2 economy rate, he has been quite effective with the ball. Adding on, an economy rate of 6.75 shows his ability to choke the batsman. In the recently concluded series against Bangladesh, Farooqi picked up a wicket and gave away 33 runs in 7 overs.

2. Mumbai Indians

This time around, MI went for Ishan Kishan and Jofra Archer as they were trying to save a huge amount of sum for them. Well, they do have most of the bases covered, but the only factor is in their middle order. As they have managed to spend a huge sum of money on a few players, there is a huge void in the middle order.

Hence, it will be important for someone like Kieron Pollard to occupy the middle order. Alongside him, Rohit Sharma can promote a youngster like Tilak Verma at the number four position. This will give him enough exposure in the league.

During the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he has scored 180 runs and picked 4 wickets in five games. As he will play under the national captain, one can easily expect him to find his true potential if given sufficient chances. It will be interesting to see how Rohit uses him this time around.

3. Lucknow Super Giants

The Lucknow Super Giants will be looking for a blockbuster debut season. With KL Rahul leading the side, all eyes will be on him as to how he uses his resources. Adding on, the presence of veterans will definitely help KL Rahul.

Talking about veterans, Marcus Stoinis has been drafted into the side as the premier all-rounder. He has the ability to smash the ball and destroy bowling attacks. And KL Rahul should use him as the pinch hitter during the IPL.

Stoinis has opened for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. While batting for them, he has scored a plethora of runs and even has a century to his name. KL Rahul can occupy the prestigious number three position and promote Stoinis to the top so as to open the innings with De Kock.

4. Royal Challengers Bangalore

The RCB is now a completely different team with multiple new faces. With veterans like Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, and Mohammed Siraj on the side, they can really go the distance this time around. The only thing they have to keep an eye on is the execution.

They can really outsmart the opposition by opting for Maxwell as the new ball bowler. Even if he is a part-timer, he can quickly finish his overs. By bowling Maxwell, they will ensure that the pacers bowl at the death overs.

Maxwell has a T20I economy rate of 7.45, which is excellent for a part-timer. Adding on, he has picked 22 wickets in IPL as well. His usage at the top will also prevent any case of slow overrate as well.

5. Delhi Capitals

There is no doubt that RCB was looking at Sarfaraz Khan as the next big thing in cricket. They released Chris Gayle to retain Sarfaraz. However, things turned haywire for both Sarfaraz and RCB as he was unable to put any solid performances.

This time around, the batsman has been picked up by DC. With a new team, he might find redemption as DC is well known for providing opportunities to youngsters. Under Pant, Sarfaraz might find enough chances to establish himself.

He has been on stellar form recently in the domestic circuit. With huge scores to his name, like 275 for Mumbai, it is now difficult for any committee to ignore him. Hopefully, his inclusion at the top in the batting order will do wonders for him. 

6. Kolkata Knight Riders

Even though Sheldon Jackson has turned 35 years old, things are quite good for him as a domestic player. He is one of the fittest players in the game and has the ability to anchor the innings if needed. This time around, he finds himself at Kolkata Knight Riders, the same franchise he represented in 2021.

This time around, Jackson might find himself in the playing XI. The main reason is Alex Hales’s presence. Hales has been in spectacular touch and was consistent in the PSL. If KKR has to play Hales at the top of the order, it becomes imperative for them to include Jackson as wicket-keeper in the playing XI.

Jackson can guard the wickets beautifully. With 1511 tuns to his name, Jackson has a strike rate of 120.88. Adding on, he can play as per the situation, which is a priceless asset. It will be up to Shreyas Iyer to include him in the playing XI.

7. Punjab Kings

The Punjab Kings have managed to put up an excellent team this season. At the auction, the management has done a commendable job by covering all the bases. Now, it is up to the players to put on a show.

It will be interesting to see who becomes their MVP during the 2022 season. But, the prime contender will be Liam Livingstone. The all-rounder is one of the prolific strikers of the white ball.

But, PBKS can surprise the opposition by using Livingstone as a regular powerplay bowler. Livingstone has been improving with the ball over the years and has an impressive economy rate of 7.12. Adding on, he can hold on to one end so that the fast bowlers can pick up wickets at the other end.

8. Gujarat Lions 

There is no doubt that Rashid Khan is one of the all-time greats in the shortest format of the game. Even though he is just 23 years old, he has dominated the format single-handedly. Till now, there is no batsman or team that has bossed him.

Khan’s bowling has been spectacular over the years. In 309 T20 games, he has a stellar economy of 6.35. Adding on, he rarely goes for runs and provides four quiet overs for his captain. But, Hardik can outfox the opposition by promoting Rashid up the order with the bat as well.

With a strike rate of 146.04, Khan has shown that he can destroy bowling attacks on his day. In any situation, he can be an effective batsman with lots of shots in his arsenal. He can boost the run-rate at any stage of the game.

9. Rajasthan Royals

In an environment full of high-class competition, it is important to have a consistent contributor on the side. These kinds of players can change the direction of the game easily. Rassie van der Dussen is one such batsman who has been consistent for South Africa.

Hence, he should be given more chances than Shimron Hetmyer. This is mainly because Hetmyer has not been consistent in the IPL. With Dussen being in spectacular form, he could assist Sanju Samson and other top-order batsmen.

Dussen has played 34 T20Is so far and with the highest score of 94, he has shown that he is a batsman who can play those match-winning innings. Adding on, he has an impressive strike rate as well, with 130.86 under his name. Most of the teams will not be expecting Dussen to feature in the playing XI, hence, it will be more of a surprise.

10. Chennai Super Kings

The CSK management and fans were subject to huge shock as their star all-rounder Deepak Chahar was injured. It has been reported that he might miss most of the matches and hence, the core is now affected. But, Dhoni’s cricketing brain is smart enough to bring in another all-rounder who has been on the rise.

With the U19 World Cup being concluded, CSK managed to buy Rajvardhan Hangargekar for the upcoming season. As Chahar will be unavailable, CSK can opt for Rajvardhan to replace him. The more he plays, the more he grows as a player.

The upcoming star played a huge role in the 2022 U19 World Cup for the national side. He is the future and it will be interesting to see how CSK uses this resource. We have seen how Ruturaj has become a sensational batsman under Dhoni’s leadership, and the fans will be expecting the same for Rajvardhan as well.