IPL 2021: Rating The Best Alternate Opening Pair Of Each Team

IPL 2021 will witness Virat Kohli opening for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Indian skipper revealed during  India vs England final T20I that he will start the innings for his team RCB in IPL 2021. As a result, Royal Challengers Bangalore will witness an alternate pair of openers in IPL 2021.

Openers are very crucial for a team in the Indian Premier League. They are expected to give a solid batting start to the team and pile up maximum runs as possible during the powerplay overs. As all the 8 teams have released few players and bought few news players after IPL 2021 auction, there can be a change in the opener’s slot in teams.  Here we take a look at different alternate openers for each IPL team in IPL 2021 and take a look at their strengths and weaknesses. We also analyze which alternate openers will be strongest and give them a rating out of 10.

IPL 2021: Rating The Best Alternate Opening Pair Of Each Team

Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana (KKR) – Rating: 5/10

Shubman Gill and Sunil Narine are the regular openers for Kolkata Knight Riders. In IPL 2020, both the players opened the innings in many matches. Other than this pair, Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana will be another good opening pair for Kolkata Knight Riders. However, this pair will be quite weak as compared to the alternate opening pairs of other teams. So Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana get a rating of 5 out of 10 for alternate openers.

Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu (CSK) – Rating: 6/10

Since Robin Uthappa has moved to Chennai Super Kings, he is expected to open the innings for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2021. Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu will be a good alternate opening pair for Chennai Super Kings. Both have good experience in Indian Premier League and have also played as openers earlier. They get a rating of 6 out of 10 as alternate openers.

KL Rahul and Dawid Malan (PBKS)- Rating: 6.5/10

KL Rahul and Dawid Malan can be good alternate openers for Punjab Kings in IPL 2021. Punjab Kings bought Dawid Malan for Rs. 1.5 crore during IPL 2021 auction. However, both the players will not be as powerful as alternate openers of other teams. KL Rahul has been losing on his form recently. Due to his poor form in India vs England T20I series, he was also dropped from the final T20I match. Moreover, Dawid Malan does not have a great experience on Indian soil. In the 5 T20I games he recently played against India, he was able to hit just 1 fifty. So KL Rahul and Dawid Malan get a rating of 6 out of 10.

Marcus Stoinis and Shikhar Dhawan (DC) – Rating: 7/10

Marcus Stoinis and Shikhar Dhawan can be great openers for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021. Delhi Capitals’ regular openers in IPL 2020 were Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan. However, Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will be a great option as an opener with Shikhar Dhawan. The lefty-righty combination will also add an advantage. They get a rating of 7 out of 10.

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav (MI)- Rating: 7/10

Mumbai Indians’ regular openers are Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock. Other than these two, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav will constitute a deadly combination for openers. Both the youngsters are known for their aggressive batting. While Ishan Kishan is left-handed, Suryakumar Yadav is right-handed. Ishan and Surya will be a great alternate option of openers for Mumbai Indians. They get a rating of 7 out of 10 on this list.

David Warner and Kane Williamson (SRH)- Rating: 7.5/10

Talking about alternate openers for Sunrisers Hyderabad, David Warner and Kane Williamson will be a brilliant option. David Warner plays as an opener for Sunrisers Hyderabad and his addition with Kane Williamson will make a strong combination. Both are aggressive batsmen and the lefty-righty combination will as act as an advantage. David Warner and Kane Williamson get a 7.5 rating out of 10 on the list.

Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler (RR) – Rating: 8/10

After the ouster of Robin Uthappa, Rajasthan Royals need new openers for the team in IPL 2021. Rajasthan Royals have two hard-hitting batsmen in the form of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler. Both the players are known for their aggressive batting.

They will make a good couple for the opening slot for Rajasthan Royals. Both of them will also be very powerful than the openers of other teams. Hence, they get a rating of 8 out of 10.

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal (RCB) – Rating: 8.5/10

Virat Kohli has already mentioned that he will open for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021. Hence, the team will get new openers in the form of Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli. Both the batsmen will be a great choice as openers for RCB.

While Virat Kohli has shown his great form in international games, Devdutt Padikkal has impressed everyone with his performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2020-21. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal are the strongest alternate opening pair in IPL 2021 and they get a rating of 8.5 out of 10.