IPL 2022: Three Teams To Watch Out For

The 2022 edition of the IPL starts this Saturday and there are three teams that Bet Central and Ongama Gcwabe want you to keep an eye out for. 

Preparations for the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League are well underway as the first match of the tournament is scheduled for Saturday 26th March at the Wankhede Stadium. The first match will see last season’s champions, Chennai Super Kings, go head-to-head with the Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Chennai Super Kings have more or less the same squad and perhaps the biggest ‘loss’ to their squad is opening batter Faf du Plessis. Du Plessis is now captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore which is one of three teams Bet Central wants you to watch out for.

Royal Challngers Bangalore

RCB have had many outstanding seasons and they’ve had quality players over the years. The likes of AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Quinton de Kock have all been there but the team is yet to win the IPL. 

So, who & what does this year’s squad have that makes us think RCB are favourites? 

Faf du Plessis 

Faf has done amazing things as a leader in his career. The Proteas team that was led by Faf achieved many great things and we think it will be his leadership that will be the difference for RCB this season. 

The man has an inclusive approach to leadership, and most often than not, inclusivity becomes a major difference between successful teams and unsuccessful teams. 

Not only does he excel as a leader, but he also excels as an individual player at the top of the order. RCB has needed a reliable run-scorer at the top of the order and Faf has all the ingredients to fill the void that was left by Chris Gayle at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. 

This is by far not a one-man team. The squad that RCB put together this season has match winners and seasoned campaigners. 

Experienced RCB stars – Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell & Mohammed Siraj have been retained and will be a critical part of the team’s success this season.

Newbies, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, and Sherman’s Rutherford complete what is a formidable squad.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad

Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Anuj Rawat (wk),  Finn Allen (wk), Luvnith Sisodia (wk), Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed,  Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford, Aneeshwar Gautam, Mohammed Siraj,  Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood,  Jason Behrendorff, Chama Milind, Karn Sharma, Siddarth Kaul.

Delhi Capitals

As a cricket fan writing this, this team is by far the most exciting if you look at the potential of the squad that has been put together. 

This season, Prithvi Shaw will most often than not open the batting with one of the most successful IPL openers, David Warner. Those two at the top of the order are a scary combination for any bowlers in the tournament. 

The addition of powerhouses Rovman Powell and Mitchell Marsh is another exciting element to this new look DC team. Both players have had an amazing 12 months of T20 cricket. Marsh started his dominance in the West Indies last year where he smashed the Windies bowlers and took valuable wickets too for  Australia. 

The all-rounder took that form to the World Cup and was key to Australia winning last year’s T20 World Cup. On the other hand, the rise of Rovman Powell has been incredible. The right-handed batter came through the ranks in the Caribbean Premier League and showcased his power-hitting abilities with big scores. 

Powell’s rise was topped up by the magnificent T20I century he scored against England earlier this year. It was this inning that made DC take note of the player. He is one to watch out for this season. 

Delhi Capitals Squad

Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, David Warner, Ashwin  Hebbar, Sarfaraz khan, KS Bharat (wk), Yash Dull, Mandeep Singh, Rovamn  Powell, Tim Seifert (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vicky Ostwal,  Shardul Thakur, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mustafizur Rahman, Lungi Ngidi, Khaleel  Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Praveen Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav.

Chennai Super Kings

This Dhoni-led team is a bunch of winners led by an incredible T20 brain. They are the defending champions and are four-time IPL champions. 

What has been key for them is retaining a core group of players within their setup year in year out. The DJ Bravo’s, the Ravi Jadeja’s, and the Ambati Rayudu’s have played many IPL seasons together and they understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses. 

This feat about CSK makes them a very dangerous side because they have a detailed plan of how to go about their business when it’s time to fire. Last season’s top run-scorer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, will also have a point to prove that he is not a one-season wonder. 

Moeen Ali and Robin Uthappa are other experienced cricketers that will take CSK  to new heights. 

Dhoni and his men understand that they are one trophy away from equaling Mumbai Indians as the most successful IPL team in the history of the tournament. That alone is big enough motivation for the Yellow Army to repeat last season’s performances.

Chennai Super Kings Squad

MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu (wk),  Devon Conway, Subhranshu Senapati, Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan (wk),  Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Shivan Dube, Dwaine Pretorius,  Bhagath Varma, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Simranjeet Singh, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary,  Prashant Solanki, Mitchell Santner, Rajvardhan Hangargekar

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