This is the second in a two-part feature on all eight teams competing in the latest edition of the IPL. For the first article, click

MUMBAI INDIANS

One of the most followed teams, the Mumbai Indians team is always filled with stars. Every auction, they spend millions on buying a plethora of superstars and possess the most impressive backroom staff. Despite all this, they have tasted success only once in the last seven editions. Ricky Ponting has been appointed coach of the MI team and this year he would want the story to be different with a successful ending. Anderson, Rohit and Pollard have the ability to destroy any bowling attack in the world and on their day, they can change the course of a match in a couple of overs. Lendl Simmons, Ambati Rayudu, Parthiv Patel and Unmukt Chand add more depth to the batting line-up and there appears to be no weak link in the MI batting order. In Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha, MI has the best spin bowling attack in the tournament.

2014 performance

They made it to the play-offs by beating the Rajasthan Royals in a humdinger of a contest. They were beaten comprehensively by the Chennai Super Kings in the eliminator match.

Key Players:

Corey Anderson performed exceedingly well in the World Cup. He has a big reputation and MI will expect a lot of him. When he plays to his potential, he is a world beater.

Harbhajan Singh leads the spin department of the Mumbai Indians. He has been out of the Indian team for nearly two years now, and he will be looking to prove himself on the biggest domestic stage once again.

Likely first XI

Aaron Finch, Unmukt Chand, Rohit, A Rayudu, K Pollard, C Anderson, Parthiv Patel, Harbhajan Singh, L Malinga, Vinay Kumar, P Ojha

Availability

Mitchell McClenaghan will miss out the last stages of the IPL. Others are all fit and available.

Prediction

Most will certainly disagree, but the team looks a bit short of firepower and seem to lack a bit of balance, so reaching the last four once again could be a big challenge, but who can write off a team that boasts Aaron Finch, Rohit Sharma, Pollard, Malinga and Harbhajan?

KINGS XI PUNJAB

For the second season running, Kings XI Punjab goes in as one of the favourites. Last year, the George Bailey-led team won eleven out of fourteen matches to top the league stage and clinched Qualifier 2 against Chennai Super Kings to make it to their first IPL final. For Kings XI Punjab, their main strength will be the top batsmen and in Wriddhiman Saha, they have someone who can perform under pressure. They of course possess world class players like Sehwag, Maxwell, Miller, and the like. The firepower in their batting is unmatched and with the astute addition of M Vijay it looks even stronger. With the tenacity of Rishi Dhawan and Parwinder Awana and most importantly the fiery Mitchell Johnson, their bowling looks competent as well.

2014 performance

Runners-up. They crumbled under pressure in the finals despite putting 199 runs on the board. They were the most consistent team in the tournament.

Key Players:

Glenn Maxwell, known as the “Big Show”, certainly put up a big show in the previous edition and will be brimming with confidence after the World Cup triumph with Australia.

Akshar Patel rose to prominence in the last season and eventually played for India as well. Being the only experienced spinner, KXIP will hope that he comes good with both bat and ball.

Likely first XI

1. Virender Sehwag 2. M Vijay 3. Manan Vohra 4. Glenn Maxwell 5. George Bailey 6. David Miller 7. Wriddhiman Saha (wk) 8. Axar Patel 9. Mitchell Johnson 10. Sandeep Sharma 11. Rishi Dhawan

Availability

Everyone is fit and available.

Predicted finish They would be disappointed if they don’t make it to the play-offs. They have all bases covered and will look to go one step further this time around.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

The Rajasthan Royals are often referred to as the ‘Moneyball’ team of the Indian Premier League and it’s not without reason. They have not been the most successful team after the first edition, but they have certainly made people notice the brand of cricket they play. Their philosophy largely remains the same, keeping a strong core of players, and the rest of the squad plays around them. Rajasthan have the ability to go all the way this time, and having seen the way they play, they will go all out to achieve the same again. Some of the key domestic players in the side are Sanju Samson, Dhawal Kulkarni and Stuart Binny, although none of them can be termed indisputable superstars as of yet. They have made some shrewd choices at auctions and the likes of Steven Smith, James Faulkner, Watson and Tim Southee will be at the Royals this year. They purchased Chris Morris at this year’s auction and one could certainly call it a bargain buy.

2014 performance

Rajasthan Royals displayed a lot of flair in the UAE leg of the tournament, but in the last few games, they made a lot of bizarre changes which ultimately cost them a place in the play-offs.

Key Players:

Do we need to look any further than the new Aussie batting sensation, Steve Smith? He has been playing on a different planet over the last six months and to say that his rise has been meteoric would be an understatement. He will have a key role to play in the strong RR batting line-up.

Stuart Binny and James Faulkner are two integral members of the RR team. Their all-round abilities will be vital and both will be looking to express themselves. Both have the skill to strike the long ball and Faulkner’s death overs skills will be called upon by Watson many times during the course of the tournament.

Likely first XI

1. Ajinkya Rahane 2. Karun Nair 3. Steven Smith 4. Sanju Samson (wk) 5. Shane Watson (captain) 6. Stuart Binny 7. James Faulkner 8. Tim Southee 9. Rajat Bhatia 10. Pravin Tambe 11. Dhawal Kulkarni

Availability

Kane Richardson has opted out of the IPL alluding to personal reasons. Tim Southee will miss the last phase of the tournament with New Zealand touring England in May.

Predicted finish They have always been a side which has worked with its resources exceedingly well and this time around, the side looks well balanced. A play-off finish is likely.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

This team probably possesses the fiercest fast bowling line-up amongst all teams. Dale Steyn, Trent Boult, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma bring international quality to their attack. Sunrisers Hyderabad were one of the few sides that did a major overhaul to their squad, replacing quite a few big names ahead of the eighth edition of the Indian Premier League. They have made some excellent buys this time with the likes of Morgan, Bopara, and Williamson all giving much needed stability to their batting line-up. Captaincy has been given to David Warner ahead of Shikhar Dhawan and it will be interesting to see how he’ll marshal his troops on the field. He has captaincy experience coming from his time in the Big Bash League, but that, in all honesty, was not a positive one. It will be interesting to see their approach in this edition of the IPL.

2014 performance

The IPL season 2014 was blemished by the choices they made during the auction which left the team with plenty of bowling resources and a top heavy batting line-up. First under Shikhar Dhawan and then led by Darren Sammy, they didn’t quite live up to expectations after an impressive season in 2013. They ended up sixth in the table.

Key players

David Warner will double up as a captain as well as a swashbuckling batsman at the top of the order. His performances with bat will make a huge difference and his leadership skills will also be put to the test.

Dale Steyn and Trent Boult form a lethal opening combination with the ball and if they knock down a few early wickets, the opposition will be under pressure immediately.

Likely first XI

1. David Warner (captain) 2. Shikhar Dhawan 3. KL Rahul 4. Naman Ojha (wk) 5. Eoin Morgan 6. Hanuma Vihari 7. Ashish Reddy 8. Dale Steyn 9. Trent Boult 10. Karn Sharma 11. Ishant Sharma

Availability

Kevin Pietersen was their biggest buy in terms of brand name but due to his commitment to Surrey in hope of a recall back to the England team, he will be missing at least until the play-off stages, and his return even then will be very unlikely. Kane Williamson and Trent Boult will join the New Zealand squad for their tour of England and won’t be available after the group stages.

Prediction After rectifying some of their errors as far as the team composition is concerned, they look a strong and well balanced side. They will need their core of international players to fire consistently to make it to the play-offs.