Which franchises have the best chance of winning IPL 2021?

The Indian Premier League is back! It starts on Friday the 9th of April and will finish on the 30th of May. This year’s mini auction has seen a number of franchises improve upon their squad strength. Chris Morris and Glenn Maxwell were the two most expensive buys, fetching 16.25 crores and 14.25 crores respectively. But, have they improved their franchise’s chances significantly enough to be a part of our four teams, that are IPL 2021 favourites?

4. Sunrisers Hyderabad

VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA – MAY 08: Rashid Khan of the Sunrisers Hyderabad celebrates taking the wicket of Axar Patel of the Delhi Capitals during the Indian Premier League IPL Eliminator Final match between the Delhi Capitals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad at ACA-VDCA Stadium on May 08, 2019 in Visakhapatnam, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The Sunrisers Hyderabad had a strong end to IPL 2020 and managed to reach the last four, with Warner and Saha powering them at the top. It is likely that they will stick with this combination as their openers. Bairstow makes a strong case to open but it limits their bowling attack and middle-order.

The purchase of Kedar Jadhav could shore up their middle-order. Despite a poor last season for CSK, he has played some good knocks in domestic cricket this year. The young players Abdul Samad and Priyam Grag showed great potential last year but will need to continue their development.

SRH’s bowling attack is undoubtedly their strength. Rashid Khan is the best T20 spinner in the world and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has recovered well from his injury worries. Should they also play Jason Holder, it would provide a formidable test for opposition.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are number four on our list of “IPL 2021 favourites.”

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3. Chennai Super Kings

HYDERABAD, INDIA – MAY 12: Deepak Chahar of the Chennai Super Kings celebrates taking the wicket of Rohit Sharma of the Mumbai Indians during the Indian Premier League Final match between the the Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on May 12, 2019 in Hyderabad, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

CSK under-performed to such an extent last year, that it was the first season that they did not reach the play-offs. They narrowly missed out, despite winning their last three games. But it is from those victories that they can build from. They look to have found a gem at the top of the order in Ruturaj Gaikwad, who can replace Shane Watson.

The key talking point is the return of Suresh Raina. “The men in yellow” missed their star batsman last season and he will be keen to show that he is still the main man in the side. MS Dhoni will also need to improve on his poor form from last year because his finishing skills are second-to-none in the world.

Chennai Super Kings are number three on our list of “IPL 2021 favourites.”

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2. Delhi Capitals

The Delhi Capitals are one of the favourites to improve upon their IPL record and win the tournament. — VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA – MAY 08: Amit Mishra of the Delhi Capitals celebrates taking the wicket of Martin Guptill of the Sunrisers Hyderabad during the Indian Premier League IPL Eliminator Final match between the Delhi Capitals and the Sunrisers Hyderabad at ACA-VDCA Stadium on May 08, 2019 in Visakhapatnam, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

Missing the services of Shreyas Iyer could be a big blow to the Delhi Capitals’s season. His captaincy and batting prowess has revived the franchise’s fortunes in the last two seasons. In 2019, they reached the play-offs for the first time since 2012 and last year reached their maiden final.

In Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, they have two of the best bowlers in the tournament. They will both miss the first game due to self-isolation but could be crucial to the franchise’s chances of reaching the last four. Both would like to improve their death bowling skills but there is no doubt that they are great wicket-taking options.

The batting line-up is very strong and the addition of Steve Smith should bolster the depth as well. Delhi fans will be happy that Prithvi Shaw has found top form in domestic cricket, after a poor last season. Rishabh Pant has also performed immensely at international level and his game is likely to be improved for that.

Delhi Capitals are number two on our list of “IPL 2021 favourites.”

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1. Mumbai Indians

CHENNAI, INDIA – MAY 07: Rahul Chahar of the Mumbai Indians celebrates taking the wicket of Murali Vijay of the Chennai Super Kings during the India Premier League IPL Qualifier Final match between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium on May 07, 2019 in Chennai, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The Mumbai Indians have won back-to-back Indian Premier League titles. They were dominant in both 2019 and 2020. Hence, there is no reason why they cannot make it a hat-trick. The “Men in blue” have the required personnel to do so. Their core of players remains unchanged from those two seasons. Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard and Jasprit Bumrah are arguably the best group of players in the tournament.

The rest of the cast is also mighty impressive. Quinton de Kock has scored 500 runs plus in both seasons since joining the franchise. Trent Boult had a fabulous IPL last season and their youngsters have played really well. The Mumbai Indians usually start off slow in the tournament but catch up as the season progresses. The last two seasons have been different though, they’ve dominated after losing the first game.

Mumbai Indians are number one on our list of “IPL 2021 favourites.”

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