It’s back. The biggest T20 league in the world is finally coming to town. The Indian Premier League, inaugurated in 2008, has captured the imagination of millions across this world. Despite a few controversies, the quality of cricket and the star value that it provides is second to none. The excitement of a new season is heightened several notches due to the progressive success of the preceding editions. Over the years, the tournament has witnessed moments of consummate joy, unfathomable heartbreaks, outstanding individual performances, and enigmatic gaffes. This edition of the IPL, the eighth, promises to be another spectacular spectacle for all the players and fans across the globe.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Arguably the most consistent of all the teams, CSK have experienced a lot of success in the IPL as well as the Champions League. They have won both tournaments twice each and going into this IPL, they are once again favourites to lift the title. It is a little surprising that their last IPL triumph was in 2011, so they will be looking to set things straight and emerge victorious this tournament. It can’t be ignored that they have set elevated standards for teams in the IPL. They have made the last four in each of the last seven seasons, including four straight final appearances.

2014 performance:

After a terrific start that included six wins on the trot, the Super Kings’ form dipped towards the end of the league stages, but it was still good enough to take them to the second qualifier, where they lost to Kings XI Punjab in a runfest.

Key Players:

Brendon McCullum was absolutely exhilarating to watch throughout the World Cup and this IPL provides him a chance to repeat some of his heroics. His starts will be crucial for CSK and he will have an important role to play at the top of the innings.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been CSK’s best bowler. His subtle variations and innovations have made him Dhoni’s go-to man for CSK. Coming off a very impressive World Cup, he will be looking to continue his excellent performances.

Likely first XI

1. Dwayne Smith 2. Brendon McCullum 3. Suresh Raina 4. Faf du Plessis 5. Dwayne Bravo 6. MS Dhoni (captain and wk) 7. Ravindra Jadeja 8. Irfan Pathan 9. R Ashwin 10. Ashish Nehra 11. Mohit Sharma

Availability

Brendon McCullum will miss the latter stages of the tournament with New Zealand touring England for a bilateral series in May.

Predicted finish A top two finish looks very likely. If not, CSK have every reason to be disappointed.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

The last time the IPL followed a World Cup in 2011, the Royal Challengers had one of their best ever seasons in the franchise’s seven-year history, finishing on top of the table and eventually finishing runners-up to a red hot CSK in the final. They have always been the most flamboyant and glamorous team of the IPL, having superstars in all departments of their lineup, but have been perennial underachievers. With some astute additions, they have a batting line up to die for and their bowling attack is not too far behind either. The lack of a quality spinner could haunt them, however. All in all, they look the best side on paper.

2014 performance

They ended up a measly seventh last time around, with only five wins. They were below average all through the tournament and never seemed to play to their full potential.

Key Players:

Virat Kohli did not do himself justice in the World Cup. He was not too bad either and had an average hovering around 50, which might be deceptive. He would like to do well this IPL and lead the team from the front as a captain, as well as a batsman.

Ab De Villiers is part of this lethal batting lineup and is a vital cog in this set up. Along with Gayle, he will want to set the Chinnaswamy Stadium on fire, and there is no reason why he can’t do it.

Likely first XI

1. Chris Gayle 2. Mandeep Singh 3. Virat Kohli (captain) 4. AB de Villiers 5. Dinesh Karthik (wk) 6. S Badrinath 7. Darren Sammy 8. Varun Aaron 9. Yuzvendra Chahal 10. Ashok Dinda 11. Sean Abbott/ Mitchell Starc.

Availability

Everyone seems to be fit, except Mitchell Starc and Adam Milne. Both suffered injuries during the latter stages of the World Cup and are likely to miss a few initial games.

Predicted finish They seem to have all bases covered and look a daunting team on paper. They are very likely to finish in the play-off spots. This might well be their year, finally.

DELHI DAREDEVILS

DD have finished bottom of the table three times out of the seven seasons so far and have made it to the play-offs only twice; both times they went out with a whimper. They always tinker too much in the auctions and lack balance. They have spent a lot yet again this time around and have a lot of new players, and their biggest challenge will be finding the right combination and settling on a playing XI. Led by JP Duminy, they have a lot of big names like Yuvraj Singh, Angelo Mathews and Zaheer Khan, who will look to coordinate well and put in a spirited performance. The Daredevils struggled with their openers last season, and they didn’t really sort out that problem much at the 2015 auction. There is more bowling depth this time around, mainly in the spin department, with the likes of Amit Mishra, Imran Tahir and Shahbaz Nadeem all at their disposal.

2014 performance

Having ended 2013 bottom of the table, Delhi Daredevils began 2014 a little more encouragingly, winning two of their first five games. They didn’t win a single game after that and finished with just four points.

Key Players

Yuvraj Singh was bought for a whopping Rs.16 Crore at the auctions. Last season, Yuvraj made 376 runs for Royal Challengers at an average of 34.18 and a strike rate of 135.2. He needs to step up this time around, for both himself and the team. Being a big ticket player, crowds will be flocking in to see him launch those big hits once again.

Mohammad Shami and Nathan Coulter-Nile have a crucial role to play as far as the pace bowling department is concerned. Shami has been in brilliant form as of late and Coulter-Nile is well known for his exploits with both bat and ball.

Likely first XI

1. Quinton de Kock (wk) 2. Mayank Agarwal 3. Yuvraj Singh 4. JP Duminy (captain) 5. Angelo Mathews 6. Kedar Jadhav 7. Manoj Tiwary 8. Amit Mishra 9. Nathan Coulter-Nile 10. Mohammed Shami 11. Zaheer Khan

Availability

There seems to be no injuries at the moment and everyone is available. Angelo Mathews will have to sit out the first game vs CSK at Chennai, as Sri Lankan players have been barred from playing in Chennai due to political issues.

Predicted finish Until and unless they find their best XI early in the tournament, it looks a rather tough task for them to qualify for the play-offs.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Korbo, Lorbo, Jeetbo Re (Will do, will fight, and will win). That is the anthem of Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, owned by the Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. Of course, he is the biggest star of the team. SRK is the real “Big Show” of the IPL, but his team has been threatening to rob him of that title in recent times, with two titles in the last three seasons. In the first three editions of the tournament, the Kolkata Knight Riders were pathetic, to say the least. They finished sixth, eighth and sixth respectively in those three years and were left with no option but to say goodbye to their captain and crowd-puller Sourav Ganguly. A change in regime followed and since then, they have turned a corner and tasted success. With Narine leading the way, they have enough fuel in their slow bowling stocks to be able to surprise their opponents. Gambhir’s aggressive captaincy is one of the main reasons for this team’s good showing. It will once again play a vital role in their season.

Key Players

Robin Uthappa was the leading run scorer of the tournament in the last edition, by tallying 660 runs including ten consecutive scores of 40 or more. He was a vital cog in their run to the finals and they will hope he performs again as the team looks a little lightweight as far as the batting is concerned.

Sunil Narine was the player of the tournament on both occasions when KKR won the title. He has been exceptional for them and coming into the tournament, he has not played much cricket recently. There controversy around his bowling action and although he successfully underwent the test, umpires will be keenly looking at him. His performance will once again play a major role in determining how far KKR go this time around.

Likely first XI

1. Gautam Gambhir 2. Robin Uthappa 3. Manish Pandey 4. Shakib Al Hasan 5. Yusuf Pathan 6. Andre Russell 7. Suryakumar Yadav 8. Piyush Chawla 9. Sunil Narine 10. Morne Morkel 11. Umesh Yadav

Availability

Shakib Al Hasan will be available only for the first two games after which he will go to play for Bangladesh in a series against Pakistan. The rest of the squad looks fit and available.

Predicted finish

They over-dependence on Sunil Narine and India discards like Gambhir, Yusuf, Uthappa and youngsters like Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav could prove to be their undoing this time around. It does not look like a top four finish is on the cards.