Cricket fans will finally get their annual dose of the most glamorous T20 league – the IPL. The tournament had to be postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But after much debate and planning, the cash-rich league is finally set to raise the curtains on its 13th season.
The tournament is being played in the UAE this year with COVID-19 raging in India. The matches will be held in three locations – Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah with the opening match on September 19 between 2019 champions Mumbai Indians and runners-up Chennai Super Kings.
As we count down to IPL 2020, here’s a ready-reckoner of the eight IPL squads and the players who might prove to be key in their quest for the trophy.
Mumbai Indians
Captain: Rohit Sharma
IPL titles won: 4 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Position in IPL 2019: Champions
Key players: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah
Chennai Super Kings
Captain: MS Dhoni
IPL titles won: 3 (2010, 2011, 2018)
Position in IPL 2019: Runners-up
Key players: MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Captain: Virat Kohli
IPL titles won: 0
Position in IPL 2019: 8th
Key players: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris, Yuzvendra Chahal, Aaron Finch
Rajasthan Royals
Captain: Steve Smith
IPL titles won: 1 (2008)
Position in IPL 2019: 7th
Key players: Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Robin Uthappa, Jofra Archer
Kolkata Knight Riders
Captain: Dinesh Karthik
IPL titles won: 2 (2012, 2014)
Position in IPL 2019: 5th
Key players: Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Kuldeep Yadav
Delhi Capitals
Captain: Shreyas Iyer
IPL titles won: 0
Position in IPL 2019: 3rd
Key players: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma
Kings XI Punjab
Captain: KL Rahul
IPL titles won: 0
Position in IPL 2019: 6th
Key players: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, M Ashwin, Mohd Shami
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Captain: David Warner
IPL titles won: 1 (2016)
Position in IPL 2019: 4th
Key players: Kane Williamson, David Warner, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey
