IPL 2021: Predicting The Four Teams That Will Lurk In The Bottom Half Of The Points Table

The IPL fever is again going to hover over the minds of Indian cricket fans with the forthcoming 14^th edition. IPL 2021 is a much-awaited cricket tournament for Indian cricket lovers as the event will be played in India, unlike the last season which took place in UAE due to Covid 19 epidemic.

Also, fans will also be allowed to enter the stadium to cheer for their teams, something which was missing during the last season. All eight teams will again compete in nerve-wracking cricket matches to entertain fans to the fullest. Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad are the teams that will try to impress their fans with their performances in IPL 2021.

After IPL 2021 auction, there are some minor changes in the teams’ squad. Also, there are a few well-known cricketers who are going to make a debut in IPL 2021. Since IPL comprises a close competition among the teams, there is a nail-biting battle for the top positions on the points table.

Only the top four teams qualify for playoffs and get a chance to reach the finals. The bottom four teams on the points table have to end their journey in the tournament. Here we will predict the four teams that will lurk in the bottom half of the points table in IPL 2021.

IPL 2021: Predicting The Four Teams That Will Lurk In The Bottom Half Of The Points Table

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) managed to fix a spot in the playoffs last season in IPL 2020 after a close competition with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). RCB had a better net run rate which helped the team to grab the 4th spot in the points table. However, they lost the very next Eliminator match to Sunrisers Hyderabad which ended their journey in the tournament.

Also Read: IPL 2021: 5 Reasons Why Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Can Win The Title This Year

In IPL 2021 auction, RCB bought Glenn Maxwell who was a crucial buy. However, the team did not buy some experienced pace bowlers. Kyle Jamieson was one bowler which the franchisee bought during the auction. However, the New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson will make a debut in IPL 2021. Hence, the team cannot put absolute trust in him in the bowling department. RCB do not have experienced pace bowlers in the team which will hamper their performance in IPL 2021. They are expected to lose out qualification to playoffs in IPL 2021.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders did not make many changes to their squad during IPL 2021 auction. The team lost the qualification to playoffs in IPL 2020. Kolkata Knight Riders’ batsmen largely failed in IPL 2020. No KKR batsmen were among the top 10 leading run-scorers in IPL 2020. Shubman Gill was the only big performer with the bat for KKR.

KKR should have bought an experienced batsman to strengthen their squad but they could not do so due to their low budget in IPL 2021 auction. If the KKR batting department does not perform efficiently in the Indian Premier League 2021, they are likely to lie in the bottom half of the points table.

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings is the team with the most changes in their squad after the Indian Premier League 2021 auction. Punjab Kings have inducted well-known players like Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, and Dawid Malan in their team during IPL 2021 auction. They also bought all-rounder Shahrukh Khan in their team.

Also Read: IPL 2021: 5 Players From Punjab Kings Who Will Play Every Match

However, all these players are making a debut in IPL and they are not aware of the pressure of the Indian Premier League. The new players will also have coordination issues in the team which can affect their performance. This might affect Punjab Kings’ qualification for the playoffs in the Indian Premier League 2021.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals evicted Steve Smith from their squad ahead of IPL 2021 and did not buy any worthy replacement for the Australian batsman. The franchisee also promoted Sanju Samson as their new skipper after his astonishing batting performance in IPL 2020. However, the wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson does not have much experience as a skipper as compared to skippers of other IPL teams.

The franchise has great overseas players like Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, David Miller, Mustafizur Rahim and Chris Morris in the team. However, according to BCCI rules, they can only take 4 overseas players in the playing 11. Therefore, choosing a powerful combination of overseas players will be a tough task for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League 2021. These above factors can affect the team’s performance in IPL 2021 and they might again lose the qualification to playoffs like the last season.