'Tough to pick a winner' - Salman Butt picks four teams that can win IPL 2021

The second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence on Sunday with the iconic game between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings in Dubai. 31 matches are set to be played in this phase and no team is ruled out of the tournament yet. Several cricket experts have picked their title favourites, however, Salman Butt reckons it is tough to pick any one winner at this moment.

He feels the competition is pretty neck and neck and has instead picked four teams who have a great chance of lifting the elusive trophy. He first picked MI as the title favourites which is not a surprise at all. Butt pointed out that the five-time champions know how to win matches and have proven performers in their team as well.

He also felt that the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore also have a very strong squad on paper and their bowling has improved after their latest overseas signings.

“On paper, MI and RCB are looking very strong. Mumbai has performers too and they know the art of winning. These two teams are favourites. The newest additions in the RCB, like Hasaranga, are very good. His variations were missing from their bowling previously. They are in with a good chance to win the IPL,” Butt said on his Youtube channel.

No one can write off a team like CSK, says Salman Butt

Salman Butt then talked about the three-time winners, Chennai Super Kings. He reckoned even though the age of the entire squad is on a higher side but the experience their players bring to the table is huge. However, the 36-year-old is of the opinion that CSK’s bowling attack is a little bit weak compared to the other teams. He also picked Delhi Capitals as the other favourites who are also at the top of the points table.

“Then there is CSK. With the kind of experience they have, you can’t write them off. Their bowling strength is not so great as compared to other teams. DC also have a strong bowling attack in the form of Rabada and Nortje. They can also win,” he further added.

In the end, when he was asked to pick only one winner, Salman Butt stated that it is very tough to pick one team while hoping that RCB finally go all the way in this season. “All these teams are neck and neck. But maybe, hopefully this time RCB wins the IPL. But again, you can’t write off CSK and MI. It is tough to pick any one winner seriously,” the former Pakistan skipper said.