The Big Preview for IPL-8! (2015 season)

And IPL season is here again! This looks to be a massive one! And it will be quite a mood-fixer for the disappointed Indians after that heart-breaking World Cup. It's indeed one of my favorite sports tournaments, where you see Australians, South Africans, and players from other such big cricket-playing nations, fighting alongside Indians in Indian franchises.

And we see some usual big names performing, but we also see some relatively "unknown" Indian faces come up and do good, which is also very good to see!

This post will give a quick preview of each IPL side, to see who all are playing, and what we should be expecting from each side. Will also give my personal predictions and thoughts for each side.

Enjoy the read!


Note: Teams listed in alphabetical order.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: Finalist

2013: Finalist

2014: 3rd place

Undoubtedly the most consistent IPL franchise, having even won the cup twice. Sadly, the silverware has been away from their grasp for the last few years. But they will look to come pack the usual punch this time too. MS Dhoni will be hungry for a win here. And the team looks great too.

Current Squad:

MS Dhoni (c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Brendon McCullum, Ashish Nehra, Baba Aparajith, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Faf du Plessis, Ishwar Pandey, Matt Henry, Mithun Manhas, Mohit Sharma, Pawan Negi, Ravindra Jadeja, Samuel Badree, Suresh Raina, Ronit More, Michael Hussey, Rahul Sharma, Kyle Abbott. Irfan Pathan, Pratyush Singh, Ankush Bains, Eklavya Dwivedi

The Foreign Players to watch out for

Brendon McCullum, Francois Du Plessis, Michael Hussey, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo

It will have to be a choice between Dwayne Smith and Michael Hussey, to form the final 4 foreign players. I would personally opt for Hussey to begin with, and if he doesn't deliver in the first 2 or 3 games, bring in Smith immediately to give him a chance.

The Indian Stars

MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan

Suresh Raina and Ravichandran Ashwin are the main heroes of CSK. They will look to continue their good form, to be a danger to the opponents. Will be looking forward to their performance.

Also looking forward to the new inclusion of Irfan Pathan. He will seriously look to perform, in the hope of returning to the Indian squad.

Emerging Players to look out for

Baba Aparijith, Ishwar Pandey


I am not sure whether Baba Aparijith will get to play, but he was indeed one of those dangerous youngsters in that last U19 World Cup. Ishwar Pandey was an interesting find for CSK, although he was not too consistent. But if he gets going, he can be a threat to the opposition.

Initial Predictions for this Team

Yes, I admit that there is some bias involved here, but I would see CSK comfortably on top of the table. Yes I'm thinking Chennai Super Kings will end up 1st on the table.

Delhi Daredevils (DD)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: 3rd place

2013: Last place

2014: Last place

One of the weaker teams, if you look at their performance in the previous seasons. With a revamped team, and few big names in the squad, they will look to have a better outing this time. But on the whole, it does not look like they have as "big" a squad as the other ones.

Current Squad:

JP Duminy (capt), Quinton De Kock (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Manoj Tiwary, Mohammed Shami, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Saurabh Tiwary, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mayank Agarwal, Imran Tahir, Jayant Yadav, Angelo Mathews, Yuvraj Singh, Amit Mishra, Jaydev Unadkat, Gurinder Sandhu, Shreyas Iyer, CM Gautam (wk), Domnic Muthuswamy, Travis Head, KS Bharat (wk), Albie Morkel, Marcus Stoinis, Zaheer Khan, KK Jiyaz

The Foreign Players to watch out for

JP Duminy, Angelo Mathews, Imran Tahir, Quinton De Kock, Albie Morkel, Gurinder Sandhu

A lot of South Africans in this squad, but none of the "destructive ones", barring Duminy perhaps. Mathews and Sandhu will be interesting choices, if they get to play.

The Indian Stars

Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Manoj Tiwary

They have an out-of-form Yuvraj and a rusty Zaheer, but these two will be looking to get back in shape through this tournament. It will be nice to see Tiwary play again.

Emerging Players to look out for

Jaidev Unadkat, Shahbaz Nadeem

Unadkat and Nadeem are indeed very talented bowlers, so Delhi would need them to perform to have any possible chance.

Initial Predictions for this Team

I heavily doubt that they will do good this time. They just don't seem to have the "destructive players", if compared to the other IPL sides. Yuvraj is very much out-of-form, and so is Zaheer, so I don't expect any miraculous turnarounds in their career, as sad as it sounds. I think Delhi Daredevils will be placed last (8th) on the table.

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: 6th

2013: 6th

2014: Finalist

The way they played last year took all of us by surprise. It was initially the Maxwell-Miller show, but what was good to see was also the great performances from the likes of Axar Patel and Parvinder Awana. It will be interesting to see, if they can do an encore, and continue their good run in the IPL, under the leadership of George Bailey.

Current Squad:

George Bailey (captain), Murali Vijay, Anureet Singh, Axar Patel, David Miller, Beuran Hendricks, Gurkeerat Singh Mann,Glenn Maxwell, Manan Vohra, Mitchell Johnson, Karanveer Singh, Shivam Sharma, Rishi Dhawan, Parvinder Awana, Sandeep Sharma, Shaun Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Virender Sehwag, Thisara Perera, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Nikhil Naik, Yogesh Golwalkar

The Foreign Players to watch out for

Glenn Maxwell, David Miller, George Bailey, Mitchell Johnson, Thisara Perera

That combination of Maxwell the destructive batsman, and Mitchell Johnson the dangerous bowler, can indeed be a lethal one.

The Indian Stars

Virender Sehwag, Murali Vijay, Axar Patel, Wriddhiman Saha

Murali Vijay, one of the IPL stars, will look to have a good tournament. I'm also very keen to seeing Axar bowling to all these big and dangerous batsmen from the other teams.

Emerging Players to look out for

Manan Vohra, Parwinder Awana

Initial Predictions for this Team

Despite having some very good names, seeing how other teams are having a great line-up, I'm thinking they will be just below the Top 4. I'm thinking Kings XI Punjab will finish 5th.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: Winners

2013: 7th

2014: Winners

With the one and only Gautham Gambhir leading them, and with a good mix of star bowlers and star batsmen, they do make for a very interesting side to look forward to. Having won last year's edition, they now have a heavy task ahead as "Defending Champions"

Current Squad:

Gautam Gambhir (c), Azhar Mahmood, Andre Russell, Manish Pandey, Kuldeep Yadav, Morne Morkel, Suryakumar Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Patrick Cummins, Ryan ten Doeschate, Robin Uthappa, Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Veer Pratap Singh, Umesh Yadav, Johan Botha, Yusuf Pathan, Aditya Garhwal, Brad Hogg, KC Cariappa, Sumit Narwal, Vaibhav Rawal, Sheldon Jackson

The Foreign Players to watch out for

Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan, Morne Morkel, Brad Hogg, Andre Russell, Ryan ten Doeschate

Sunil Narine has been a crucial factor for KKR, and now that his action has been cleared, he will look forward to get going as he always did. Morne Morkel and Andre Russell will also look to make a mark in this, providing this bowling line-up the "firepower" it requires.

The Indian Stars

Gautam Gambhir, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Umesh Yadav. Yusuf Pathan

Gambhir and Uthappa are the main key batsmen to look forward to. Plus, Gambhir's captaincy is a big plus, I am a huge fan of his leadership skills. Umesh Yadav is returning from the World Cup, and having done great in Australia and New Zealand.

Emerging Players to look out for

KC Cariappa, Kuldeep Yadav

There is a lot of buzz around this player called KC Cariappa, so let's see what he does in this tournament. Kuldeep Yadav has is an interesting prospect to look forward to.

Initial Predictions for this Team

KKR have it in them to reach at least the 3rd position on the table.

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: 4th

2013: Winners

2014: 4th

They have been very good over the last few seasons, making it to the play-offs almost every time. Can they do it again? Moreover, can they win it this time around? With players like Corey Anderson and Pollard, they indeed have a team with a lot of firepower.

Current Squad:

Rohit Sharma (c), Corey Anderson, Aiden Blizzard, Jasprit Bumrah, Unmukt Chand, Marchant de Lange, Aaron Finch, Shreyas Gopal, Harbhajan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Siddhesh Lad, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Abhimanyu Mithun, Pragyan Ojha, Hardik Pandya, Parthiv Patel, Kieron Pollard, Nitish Rana, Ambati Rayudu, Lendl Simmons, Jagadeesha Suchith, Pawan Suyal, Aditya Tare, Vinay Kumar, Akshay Wakhare

The Foreign Players to watch out for

Corey Anderson, Lasith Malinga, Aaron Finch, Kieron Pollard, Josh Hazlewood

Anderson, Finch and Pollard are very big names to have in the line-up. And then there's the dangerous Malinga. What else!

The Indian Stars

Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayadu, Pragyan Ojha, Parthiv Patel

These are very well-settled names to look forward to. There's nothing more to add on that!

Emerging Players to look out for

Umukt Chand, Aditya Tare

They might not get to play, but if Unmukt Chand gets a chance, it will be one to look out for.

Initial Predictions for this Team

Despite having such a big team, I believe Mumbai Indians will end up 6th  on the table. Simply because the other teams will do better.

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: 7th

2013: 3rd

2014: 5th

Yet another big team, with many good names too. They have done well in the last seasons, but only having qualified once in the last 3 seasons. They will look to do better.

Current Squad:

Shane Watson, Abhishek Nayar, Ajinkya Rahane, Ankit Nagendra Sharma, Ben Cutting, Deepak Hooda, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dishant Yagnik, James Faulkner, Kane Richardson, Karun Nair, Pravin Tambe, Rahul Tewatia, Rajat Bhatia, Sanju Samson, Steven Smith, Stuart Binny, Tim Southee, Vikramjeet Malik, Chris Morris, Juan Theron, Barinder Singh Saran, Dinesh Salunkhe, Sagar Trivedi, Pardeep Sahu

The Foreign Players to watch out for

Steve Smith, Tim Southee, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Kane Richardson

All eyes on Steve Smith, who is in terrific form. Tim Southee will also look to do great.

The Indian Stars

Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Stuart Binny

These three names have made it big mainly thanks to their roles in the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, so they will look to continue doing well.

Emerging Players to look out for

Pravin Tambe, Deepak Hooda

Pravin Tambe is one of those names that came out of nowhere in the last seasons, so he will have cemented his spot in the team.

Initial Predictions for this Team

This is a very hard call for me to make, as I like this team very much, but I'm thinking they will be 7th (second last) on the table. Only because the other teams will do better.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: 5th

2013: 5th

2014: 7th

Having the Big Three Names is indeed a huge advantage over other teams: AB De Villiers, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle. Unfortunately, despite having these names, the team never came to qualify for the play-offs in the last seasons. So now, they will look forward to finally get things sorted out.

Current Squad:

Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villers, Chris Gayle, Mitchell Starc, Nic Maddinson, Varun Aaron, Yuzvendra Singh Chahal, Rilee Rossouw, Vijay Zol, Yogesh Takawale, Abu Nechim Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Ashok Dinda, Sandeep Warrier, Manvinder Bisla, Iqbal Abdullah, Dinesh Karthik, Subramaniam Badrinath, Darren Sammy, Sean Abbott, Adam Milne, David Wiese, Jalaj Saxena, Sarfaraz Naushad Khan, Shishir Bhavane

The Foreign Players to watch out for

AB De Villiers, Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Rilee Rossouw

The destructive De Villiers, the explosive Gayle, along with Starc and the newly-added Sammy, it will be a very interesting team to be watch out for.

The Indian Stars

Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, Varun Aaron

After that forgettable outing in the World Cup, Kohli will be looking to come back in form in this IPL.

Emerging Players to look out for

Yuzvendra Chahal, Abu Nechim, Vijay Zol

Chahal had a great season last year, they will need more of that from him.

Initial Predictions for this Team

Royal Challengers Bangalore will be reaching 3rd position this time. Only because with the Big Three in form, they just shouldn't fail as badly as last time.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Position in last 3 seasons

2012: NA

2013: 4th

2014: 6th

They may not have had a good campaign in the previous season, but they have a very lethal bowling combination. With the likes of Dale Steyn, Trent Boult, Ishant Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, they will certainly pose a massive threat to the batsmen. That for me, will make the difference.

Current Squad:

David Warner (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Lokesh Rahul, Eoin Morgan, Ricky Bhui, Kevin Pietersen, Ashish Reddy, Moises Henriques, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Ravi Bopara, Hanuma Vihari, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, Padmanabhan Prasanth, Naman Ojha, Ishant Sharma, Dale Steyn, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Chama Milind, Praveen Kumar, Trent Boult, Siddarth Kaul

The Foreign Players to watch out for

David Warner, Dale Steyn, Trent Boult, Kane Williamson, Kevin Pietersen

Dale Steyn and Trent Boult are the key players to look out for. They are clearly the strongest names when it comes to bowling. David Warner  is also the captain, this time. We will have to see how he does as skipper.

The Indian Stars

Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar

Ishant and Bhuvi Kumar will add to that great bowling line-up. Shikhar Dhawan also in great form.

Emerging Players to look out for

Chama Milind, Lokesh Rahul

Initial Predictions for this Team

I think the Sunrisers, with that bowling line-up, will do wonders this time. I'm even thinking they will be placed 2nd on the table.

Final Table Prediction

1. CSK
2. SRH
3. KKR
4. RCB
5. KXIP
6. MI
7. RR
8. DD

So that was the preview... hope you enjoyed reading it! I know I might be entirely wrong with my predictions... so don't hesitate to leave your thoughts in the comments below! All that having been said... ENJOY this IPL! Cheers! :-)