Teams are gearing up for IPL 2022 in full swing: Sarah Waris takes a look at the probable playing XI of all ten teams for their opening matches.

Each team will be looking to make the best of their available resources, given that there will be a number of notable absentees leading up to the first game of the 2022 IPL.

Delhi Capitals – DC

Prithvi Shaw
Tim Seifert
KS Bharat
Rishabh Pant (c/wk)
Rovman Powell
Sarfaraz Khan
Shardul Thakur
Axar Patel
Kuldeep Yadav
Mustafizur Rahman
Lungi Ngidi

Delhi Capitals will be heavily affected by the absence of their overseas stars David Warner and Mitchell Marsh. Anrich Nortje is expected to miss the first few games as he is yet to regain full match fitness. The current top six fails to inspire, and the lack of a sixth-bowling option could affect the side.

Chennai Super Kings – CSK

Ruturaj Gaikwad
Devon Conway
Robin Uthappa
Ambati Rayadu
Ravindra Jadeja(c)
MS Dhoni (wk)
Shivam Dube
R Hangargekar
Dwayne Bravo
Maheesh Theekshana
Adam Milne

The big news is MS Dhoni stepping down as skipper, with the challenge of a few absentees will be a big one for skipper Jadeja. The absence of Deepak Chahar due to injury and the late arrival of Moeen Ali due to visa issues has set CSK’s plan in disarray. The batting order lacks a pinch-hitter, which Ali’s presence could have solved, and the side will also have to sort of their new-ball bowling, Theekshana could be the second spinner in the XI.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – RCB

Faf du Plessis (c)
Virat Kohli
Anuj Rawat
Mahipal Lomror
Sherfane Rutherford
Dinesh Karthik (wk)
Wanindu Hasaranga
David Willey
Harshal Patel
Shahbaz Ahmed
Mohammad Siraj

Glenn Maxwell will miss the first few games of IPL 2022, which considerably weakens RCB’s predicted XI for the first game of IPL 2022. Josh Hazlewood will be absent due to international duties as well, and David Willey is expected to be the fourth overseas player in the side in his absence. Whether Virat Kohli bats as opener or slots down to three remains to be seen.

Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR

Sheldon Jackson
Venkatesh Iyer
Shreyas Iyer (c)
Nitish Rana
Sam Billings (wk)
Andre Russell
Sunil Narine
Shivam Mavi
Tim Southee
Umesh Yadav
Varun Chakravarthy

Though KKR will miss Pat Cummins for the first five games, Tim Southee, who was with the side in the second half last season, is a ready replacement. Alex Hales, who pulled out of the IPL due to bio-bubble fatigue, remains a loss, but the overall make-up of the squad looks promising with plenty of all-rounders.

Mumbai Indians – MI

Rohit Sharma (c)
Ishan Kishan (wk)
Anmolpreet Singh
Tilak Varma
Tim David
Kieron Pollard
Sanjay Yadav
Daniel Sams
Tymal Mills
Jasprit Bumrah
Murugan Ashwin

Mumbai Indians will reportedly miss Suryakumar Yadav for the first few games as he recovers from an injury. Fabian Allen is with the side as well, but Tim David is expected to edge ahead. Tymal Mills and Jasprit Bumrah could form a formidable bowling pair.

Punjab Kings – PBKS

Mayank Agarwal (c)
Shikhar Dhawan
Prabhsimran Singh (wk)
Liam Livingstone
Shahrukh Khan
Harpreet Brar
Odean Smith
Benny Howell
Rahul Chahar
Arshdeep Singh
Kagiso Rabada

Despite Jonny Bairstow arriving late, Punjab Kings have assembled one of the strongest units of IPL 2022, with a well-rounded bowling department. The batting, which includes Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, and Shahrukh Khan, with Odean Smith down the order, packs a punch. The death bowling, with Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh, is quite a treat.

Gujarat Titans – GT

Shubhman Gill
Matthew Wade (wk)
David Miller
Vijay Shankar
Hardik Pandya (c)
Gurkeerat Singh Mann
Rahul Tewatia
Rashid Khan
Lockie Ferguson
Mohammad Shami
Sai Kishore

Gujarat have three world-class bowlers in their line-up, but the batting is a touch worrisome. Shubman Gill does not have the best strike rate in the competition, while Vijay Shankar and Gurkeerat Singh Mann have blown hot and cold in the past in the IPL. Hardik Pandya’s fitness remains a concern as well.

Lucknow Super Giants – LSG

KL Rahul (c)
Quinton de Kock (wk)
Evin Lewis
Manish Pandey
Manan Vohra
Deepak Hooda
Krunal Pandya
Dushmantha Chameera
Ravi Bishnoi
Avesh Khan
Ankit Rajpoot

Lucknow will not have the services of Marcus Stoinis and Jason Holder for the first game due to their respective international commitments, which makes the middle-order slightly vulnerable. Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi are promising picks, but lack of support could be a worry.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – SRH

Kane Williamson (c)
Aiden Markram
Rahul Tripathi
Nicholas Pooran (wk)
Abdul Samad
Washington Sundar
Shreyas Gopal
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Marco Jansen
T Natarajan
Umran Malik

On paper, SRH have a formidable top five, but the franchise’s biggest nemesis has been their own management in the last few seasons. The bowling, especially the fast bowling, looks promising too if both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan can remain fit.

Rajasthan Royals – RR

Jos Buttler (wk)
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Devdutt Padikkal
Sanju Samson (c)
Shimron Hetmyer
James Neesham
Riyan Parag
R Ashwin
Prasidh Krishna
Trent Boult
Yuzvendra Chahal

Rajasthan Royals do not have to worry about unavailabilities, with almost a full-strength squad at their disposal. The bowling is one of the strongest in the competition, and if the likes of Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler can play to full potential, they will be the team to watch out for.

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