With the mega auction throwing up a myriad of possibilities and the two new teams adding an extra layer of intrigue, IPL 2022 is set to be one of the hardest to predict. We’ll no longer have MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli leading their sides while the likes of Chris Gayle, Suresh Raina, and AB de Villiers are all absent for varying reasons. The teams have hit the reset button after the auction and we are warming up to the new era in IPL. Here’s looking at where the teams stand ahead of the season.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Strengths: Chennai Super Kings have one of the longest batting line-ups in the competition. They managed to stick to their template and retain the core and the outer core of their line-up with a few exceptions after the mega auction. The familiarity with roles will help individual players who are already in the setup, while the ones coming in will know exactly what to do.

Batting remains a strength for this team with Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, and Ambati Rayudu making for a solid top four. Newly anointed skipper Ravindra Jadeja’s finishing skills are also among the best in the league. The line-up has multiple all-rounders with Dwayne Bravo and rookie Rajvardhan Hangargekar likely to slot into the first XI alongside Jadeja. Deepak Chahar, when he returns, will also be handy with bat in hand. With MS Dhoni no longer the captain, CSK can opt to use him for select games while continuing to tap into his incredible cricketing brain.

Weaknesses: The unavailability of Deepak Chahar for a large part of the season will dent CSK’s template, especially since the early inroads helped them take control of the game. Ravindra Jadeja is new to captaincy and while Dhoni will still be around, Jadeja’s leadership could be decisive in CSK’s season. CSK could struggle in the middle-overs phase where they have no one clearly able to dominate attacks except Moeen Ali. A middle-order of Dhoni, Shivam Dube, and Ambati Rayudu fails to inspire great confidence, and spinners will be able to control the flow in the middle overs. CSK also miss a proven leggie in the setup and it could hurt them in the long run if their spinners aren’t really wicket-takers.

Where they could end up: Just outside top 4

Delhi Capitals (DC)

Strengths: The batting line-up is incredibly promising with David Warner coming back to the Delhi franchise. Prithvi Shaw and Warner opening the innings makes them good against pace and spin upfront in the powerplay. Mitchell Marsh’s resurgence as a T20 batter holds promise and gives them flexibility with their No.3 slot. Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, and the exciting Rovman Powell, all quality options, should fill the other middle-order slots. The Indian domestic backups are exciting and make their bench strength decent enough.

Weaknesses: What will affect Delhi most is the loss of their bowling core with Anrich Nortje the only one still around. The South African’s fitness will be crucial to Delhi, primarily because they failed to complement him well enough in the auction with the pace department which could be hit and miss. While Axar Patel is a top quality spinner to have, they miss a leg-spinner in the line-up. Outside the top four, the batting is thin, and that could affect how the top four – all of whom are dynamic players who like to bat freely – approach their innings.

Where they could end up: Just outside top 4

IPL 2022 schedule: Full list of fixtures for the Indian Premier League can be found here.

Gujarat Titans (GT)

Strengths: A solid bowling attack is Gujarat Titans’ biggest strength. Rashid Khan and Lockie Ferguson in the same line-up with Mohammed Shami and Alzarri Joseph as other options gives the bowling a real edge. While the team balance could hinge on Hardik Pandya being able to, they are still reasonably well-equipped in the all-rounders department. The finishing job is also sorted with David Miller, Pandya, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan all offering different strengths.

Weaknesses: Shubman Gill is a promising buy, but he’s yet to be in the elite category of IPL openers, an area that Gujarat Titans seem to be falling behind in. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Matthew Wade are promising partners to Gill, but both are relatively new to the league and have their own challenges to overcome. To make matters worse, the others in the top four aren’t very reliable either. Vijay Shankar and promising domestic batter Abhinav Manohar could slot into the middle-order with Wriddhiman Saha or Gurkeerat Singh the other options, none of whom are capable of dropping anchor or going big very effectively.

Where they could end up: Lower table

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Strengths: The one area where Kolkata Knight Riders can strangle teams in is the middle overs where they have two mystery spinners in Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy and hit-the-deck pace bowling options in Pat Cummins and Andre Russell. The flexibility of the mystery spinners – they can also operate early in the innings – makes them a potent combination that could win KKR games. With the buy of Shreyas Iyer, the middle-order is also good against spin. Nitish Rana, a left-hander, and Sam Billings also excel in this department while Narine could always float up the order to be the spin hitter. Russell’s form with the bat could still make or break the season for them.

Weaknesses: KKR once again failed to beef up their all-rounder stocks outside of Russell and Narine. The backup options among overseas players aren’t great and it could affect their season, especially since Cummins is unavailable for the first few matches. The entire middle-order could also struggle against quick bowlers with Iyer, Rana and Russell not the greatest trio against short bowling in particular. The opening duo remains a concern with Ajinkya Rahane a downgrade to Shubman Gill and Alex Hales’ late withdrawal cutting down the one big strength they had. The pace bowling group is also relatively unproven although Shivam Mavi’s promising 2021 season could see him mature into a reliable option.

Where they could end up: Lower table

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)

Strengths: A solid top-order with players capable of making big knocks gives Lucknow Super Giants a distinct edge. The top-order of KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock and Deepak Hooda is very promising. Marcus Stoinis’ role in the middle-order could be crucial and luckily for them, he’s warmed up to it well in the Delhi Capitals setup.

Weaknesses: Outside their best XI, Lucknow’s bench strength isn’t great, and this is a bigger issue than it seems because of the holes in their likely starting XI. The middle-order of Manish Pandey, Krunal Pandya and Marcus Stoinis is heavily dependent on the Aussie and could struggle against quality attacks in the middle overs. The spin department has Ravi Bishnoi, but he isn’t well backed up with Krunal and Krishnappa Gowtham susceptible to conceding big runs. The entire line-up is vulnerable to spinners with no genuine spin hitter in the line-up. With Mark Wood ruled out, the fast bowling group is riding on Avesh Khan, who is still a bit raw.

Where they could end up: Mid-table

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Strengths: Like with CSK, Mumbai Indians know exactly what they want from their players and they have put together personnel who can fit into their template. The middle-order is as dynamic as they come with Kieron Pollard surrounded by Suryakumar Yadav on one side and the exciting Tim David on the other. Buying back Ishan Kishan gives them a solid opening duo familiar with each other’s strengths. The pace attack is strong with Jasprit Bumrah complemented with Tymal Mills and Daniel Sams.

Weaknesses: The spin department lacks a big name and unless Murugan Ashwin turns up with a really good show, Mumbai could struggle in this area. The Indian domestic backup seamers aren’t great and this could force Mumbai to play two overseas quicks every game. Pollard’s form is a slight concern, and it could flare up terribly for Mumbai if the No.4 player, likely a rookie Indian domestic player, does not fit in well.

Where they could end up: Top 4

Punjab Kings (PBKS)

Strengths: Punjab Kings built the best batting line-up in the competition in the IPL auction. Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, and Shahrukh Khan fill up five of the top six slots. Raj Angad Bawa could potentially slot in as the left-hander in the middle-order. Odean Smith provides an X-factor down the order. They have a solid top three, good finishing options and players who can tackle spin in the middle overs. The fast bowling trio of Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Smith is promising on paper. Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar also make for an exciting spin duo.

Weaknesses: They do not have an off-spinner who can tackle the left-handers and it could make them susceptible in the middle overs, especially since Chahar isn’t a great exponent of the googly. The middle-order is also very right-hand heavy although they could make up for that if the spin hitters take control of matches. The bench strength is decent, but again lacks quality names who are pushing for a place in the best XI.

Where they could end up: Top 4

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Strengths: Rajasthan Royals built on their strength by backing a strong top-order and they have a dynamic top five capable of swinging games on their own. A good mix of aggressive batters make RR a dangerous batting unit. Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal are a terrific opening duo on paper with Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer good enough to control the middle and death overs. They also covered up an issue from last year in the spin department with Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal giving them a world-class duo. The pace attack is also very promising with Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna and Nathan Coulter-Nile likely to fit into the XI.

Weaknesses: The team misses genuine all-round options and it could affect their team balance. The middle-order below the top five is also not very reliable and it could force the likes of Samson and Hetmyer to try and bat deep, affecting the tempo of the innings. Devdutt Padikkal is raw in the middle-order role and if he is chosen as opener, there are similar concerns around Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Where they could end up: Finalists

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Strengths: Royal Challengers Bangalore have built a quality bowling attack in the auction, with Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj joined by Josh Hazlewood and Jason Behrendorff in the pace department. David Willey is a promising backup buy too. The spin department has Wanindu Hasaranga and Shahbaz Ahmed and gives them plenty options in the middle overs. Glenn Maxwell could also be the matchup bowler against lefties.

Weaknesses: Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli in the top three with no great big-hitting option to complement them makes RCB a bit one-dimensional at the top. It also puts big responsibility on Maxwell, who had a good season in 2021, but isn’t really known to put together consistent performances year after year. The middle-order lacks punch outside Maxwell with Mahipal Lomror and Sherfane Rutherford not proven players in the IPL. Good backup options give RCB flexibility, but they still don’t have enough options to slot in someone like Finn Allen into the top three without compromising elsewhere.

Where they could end up: Finalists

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Strengths: Sunrisers Hyderabad had a middling auction, but still managed to rope in Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram, two players that could prove to be crucial to their batting hopes. While Pooran is a great option to have in the middle overs, Markram is a genuinely good option at the top, even if he does not quite make it the elite category of T20 openers, against pace. Kane Williamson’s form could still prove to be pivotal, but Sunrisers are reasonably solid on paper in terms of middle-order batting options.

Weaknesses: The spin department is near empty outside of Washington Sundar, whose fitness issues persist. There’s no quality leg-spinning option either. The pace department is pretty well stocked, but still lacks a cutting edge with Bhuvneshwar Kumar no longer the force he used to be. Outside him, Umran Malik is exciting, but unproven and T Natarajan ahs fitness concerns. The top-order also lacks a proven big-hitter who can swing matches.

Where they could end up: Lower table