JOE WILLIAMS dives into all 10 franchises ahead of the 2023 Indian Premier League season
Captain: MS Dhoni will captain CSK after returning to the role midway through the 2022 season.
Coach: Stephen Fleming remains at the helm, with CSK sticking the captain-coach partnership which has delivered four titles.
Headliners
Ben Stokes: CSK paid £1.6million to secure Stokes' services and they will be hoping he is at his barnstorming best. This promises to be the England Test skipper's first full IPL season since 2020.
Ravindra Jadeja: Their former captain returns to the team after a disappointing 2022 in which he stepped down from the captaincy and withdrew from the squad. A star allrounder with over 2,500 runs and 130-plus wickets in the IPL and arguably the best fielder in the competition.
Devon Conway: The New Zealand enjoyed a productive maiden IPL campaign, scoring 252 runs at a strike rate of 145.66 in just seven outings, but he'll be determined to go bigger and better this year.
One to watch
Shaik Rasheed was the star of India's Under-19 World Cup-winning squad and has shown he has the temperament for the big matches. This year may be too soon for him to make a big impact but remember the name.
Why they'll win the IPL
After a disappointing 2022 season, CSK will be looking to bounce back to their trophy-winning ways and they have the stars to do it. Their squad boasts some of the best allrounders in the world, with Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube among the players who can change the course of a match with bat or ball. Though he's unlikely to contribute with the ball, a fit and firing Stokes is another proven match-winner.
Why they won't win the IPL
The main issue for Chennai could be fitness. Stokes has a niggling knee injury while overseas quick Kyle Jamison has been ruled out of the campaign with a stress fracture in his back. He added a lot of pace and aggression to the bowling attack and the pressure will be on Mukesh Chowdhary, Maheesh Teekshana and Deepak Chahar to step up in his absence.
Though skipper Dhoni could never be labelled as a weakness, he is getting older and his runs have reduced over the past few years. A top-order collapse could expose a lack of batting depth.
Squad: MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sidhu, Kyle Jamieson (injured, replaced by Sisanda Magala), Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Verma
Possible XI: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ben Stokes, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Teekshana, Mukesh Chowdhary
CSK batter Devon Conway
Captain: David Warner has replaced Rishabh Pant as captain with the India wicketkeeper still recovering from injuries sustained in a car crash.
Coach: Ricky Ponting has been the head coach of the Capitals since 2018.
Headliners
David Warner: The Australian batter returns to Delhi for a second consecutive season. He hit 432 runs in 12 games last year, averaging 48.
Axar Patel: In the past ten years Patel has scored 1,135 runs and taken 101 wickets in the IPL. The left-arm spinner is a consistent performer.
Kuldeep Yadav: The spinner has been a regular for India in while-ball cricket and enjoyed a fantastic IPL campaign in 2022, taking 21 wickets at an average of 19.95.
One to watch
Vicky Ostwal made a big impression at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup for India, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 13.33. Delhi did not hesitate in picking up the left-arm spinner last season, although he is yet to make his IPL bow due to the depth of their spin cartel.
Why they'll win the IPL
Delhi have strength in depth at the top of the order. Warner is always a reliable performer, and he will be supported by Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey and Mitchell Marsh. Big scores should not be an issue.
Their bowling line-up is also dangerous. Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed led the way last year, taking 21 and 16 wickets, respectively, and if Anrich Nortje can rediscover the form he showed in 2020, they could have more than a few batters quaking in their spikes.
Why they won't win the IPL
Delhi Capitals narrowly missed out on the Eliminator last year, finishing fifth. They have kept the majority of their squad and added some extra depth their middle order in Phil Salt and Rilee Rossouw. One potential issue is their lack of allrounders, with Axar Patel cutting a lone figure. They will need their specialists to turn up and if the top order has a bad day, they could find themselves in a pickle.
Squad: Rishabh Pant (injured), David Warner (c), Prithvi Shaw, Ripal Patel, Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Yash Dhull, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Khaleel Ahmed, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Aman Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Praveen Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Phil Salt, Ishant Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rilee Rossouw
Possible XI: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Manish Pandey, Mitchell Marsh, Rilee Rossouw, Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Anrich Nortje
Hardik Pandya led Gujarat Titans to the title last year
Captain: Hardik Pandya returns as captain after leading the Titans to the title last year.
Coach: Ashish Nehra, the first Indian head coach to win the IPL, returns for a second season
Headliners
Hardik Pandya: The allrounder led the Gujarat Titans to the IPL title last year in the franchise's maiden season. Performing with bat and ball, he starred in the final with three wickets and 34 runs.
Shubman Gill: The 23-year-old opening batter top-scored in last year's final with 45 runs and hit 483 runs throughout the campaign. He is proving himself to be the future of India's batting line-up and comes into the season on good form having hit 126 not out in the T20I against New Zealand.
Kane Williamson: The former Kiwi captain had a frustrating IPL season last year, captaining the underperforming Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was not retained by his old franchise so has something to prove.
One to watch
Bhardwaj Sai Sudharsan is a rising star on India's domestic circuit, which prompted Gujarat to sign him last year. The young opener played five matches for the champions, with a high-score of 65.
Why they'll win the IPL
The surprise winners of the 2022 IPL have retained most of their victorious squad so they will be confident of defending their crown. Their middle order was the main strength last year with a number of runs coming from Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan.
Last year they struggled to find a consistent opening batsman to partner Gill. Williamson has the experience and quality to play this role: while he had a poor season last year, a fresh start slotting into a successful team could see him return to form.
Why they won't win the IPL
History is against Gujarat: only two teams have ever successfully defended their IPL title. Having upset the odds last year with what was considered one of the weaker squads can they do it again? There will be more pressure on them this year with expectations high.
While they appear to have filled their opening partner to Gill, there is no guarantee that Williamson will bounce back from his lean 2022 campaign. They may once again be reliant on their middle order – can Pandya and co. do the heavy lifting two years in a row?
Squad: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Josh Little, Mohit Sharma
Possible XI: Kane Williamson, Shubman Gill, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Odean Smith, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Shivam Mavi, Yash Dayal, Sai Kishore
Nitish Rana will lead KKR in Shreyas Iyer's absence
Captain: Nitish Rana will step in for the injured Shreyas Iyer, who is set to miss at least the first half of the campaign.
Coach: Chandrakant Pandit joined the franchise as head coach in 2022.
Headliners
Shreyas Iyer: Iyer was brought in by Kolkata to captain them last year and topped the run-scoring charts, with 401 runs. However, he is currently sidelined with a back injury so how much KKR see of him is far from certain.
Andre Russell: One of the go-to guys of the T20 franchise circuit. The West Indian allrounder has always had blockbuster billing in the IPL and he has followed it through with consistent performances. Last year he hit 335 runs and took 17 wickets.
Umesh Yadav: The fast bowler rolled back the years in 2022, taking 17 wicket for KKR. His form earned him a recall to India's international plans.
One to watch
Anukul Roy has waited patiently on the sidelines for the last two IPL campaigns and will be hoping to get more opportunities this year. The allrounder has shown his potential in the past with a five-for for India at the Under-19 World Cup.
Why they'll win the IPL
After a disappointing 2022 season where they were judged to have underperformed, Kolkata seem to have focused on versatility to bring success back to the franchise. Russell and Sunil Narine have been important players for them over the last few years with the bat and ball and at December's mini-auction, they brought in Shakib Al Hasan and David Wiese to add further all-round depth.
Why they won't win the IPL
This is largely the same team that disappointed last year and this time round they might not be able to rely on the runs of Iyer. The team has a lot of quality but may be lacking in superstars. To really compete this year, they could have done with another high calibre opening batter and a closing bowler, but they did not have the budget available to do so.
Squad: Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N Jadadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Litton Das, Mandeep Singh, Shakib Al Hasan
Possible XI: Venkatesh Iyer, Litton Das, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarth
***
Captain: KL Rahul continues as Lucknow skipper after leading his side to fourth place in their inaugural season.
Coach: Former England head coach Andy Flower has been in charge of the Super Giants from the beginning.
Headliners
KL Rahul: The skipper hit 616 runs in the IPL last year – the second-most runs in the competition. The hard-hitting India international is always entertaining to watch.
Quinton de Kock: Rahul's partner in crime and another big-hitting wicketkeeper. The South African scored 508 runs at a strike rate of nearly 150 last season.
Mark Wood: The England and Durham quick is untested in the IPL having only made one appearance in 2018 but if he can stay fit though this could be his tournament, he'll be an asset to the Super Giants. He was one of the standout bowler in the 2022 T20 World Cup, taking nine wickets.
One to watch
Ayush Badoni was one of the breakout stars from last year's IPL. Despite not having much experience he impressed with both bat and ball in his 13 appearances for Lucknow, scoring 161 runs and taking two wickets. Can he kick on this year?
Why they'll win the IPL
This will be their second season in the IPL and Lucknow have one of the most balanced teams in the tournament. They have an exceptional batting line-up, which begins with the dynamic duo of de Kock and Rahul before giving way to a number of handy allrounders. For 2023, they've added Nicholas Pooran who, though inconsistent, has the firepower to flip a game on its head.
Why they won't win the IPL
One area of concern for Lucknow is their bowling department. They have invested a lot of money in Wood who, on his day, can be an electric fast bowler. However, fitness is an issue and if he breaks down, the Super Giants could be light on bowlers.
It will also be interesting to see how they react to last year's disappointing exit in the first knockout game. They finished third in the regular season before falling at the first hurdle against RCB.
Squad: KL Rahul (c), Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Nicholas Pooran, Jaydev Unadkat, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Swapnil Singh, Naveen-ul-Haq, Yudhvir Charak
Possible XI: KL Rahul, Quinton De Kock, Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravi Bishnoi, Mark Wood, Mohsin Khan
Lucknow Super Giants skipper KL Rahul
Captain: India captain Rohit Sharma leads the Mumbai Indians.
Coach: Mark Boucher has been brought in following a poor season for the five-time champions.
Headliners
Rohit Sharma: The most successful captain in IPL history with five titles, Sharma shows no signs of slowing down with centuries for India in both Test and ODI games this year. He endured the leanest IPL campaign of his career in 2022 and will be keen to bounce back with a bundle of runs.
Cameron Green: Green became the most expensive Australian in IPL history when Mumbai fought off Delhi Capitals to secure his services. He's a raw talent – he's played fewer than 30 T20 matches – but the allrounder could take the competition by storm with his powerful striking and giant frame.
Suryakumar Yadav: The No.1-ranked T20I batter lit up the 2022 T20 World Cup with 239 runs at a strike rate above 180 and had been similarly impressive for Mumbai Indians a few months earlier. A run machine.
One to watch
Tilak Varma was much sought after ahead of the 2022 IPL. Mumbai Indians won out and young batter had an impressive maiden season for them featuring in 14 matches and averaging 36.09.
Why they'll win the IPL
The five-times champion finished bottom last year and had a lot of problems to address. One thing they did not need to change, however, was their top order. Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Yadav are some of India's most consistent batters and can be relied upon to score runs galore.
The retirement of Keiron Pollard led to acquisition of Green and the pressure is on to see if he can live up to his price tag. If he succeeds, Mumbai will have a dynamic middle order at their disposal with fellow Australian Tim David in their ranks.
Why they won't win the IPL
One of the areas the Indians earmarked for improvement was in their pace bowling. Jofra Archer is back fit, they retained Jasprit Bumrah, and Jason Behrendorff and Jhye Richardson were brought in for additional depth. Unfortunately, before a ball has been bowled both Bumrah and Richardson have been ruled out through injury.
With pace a potential weakness they may have to rely on spin. However, this is another area of concern for them. Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla and Hrithik Shokeen are the main spin bowlers but there is a lack of quality depth in the squad.
Hopes were high after the auction, but fortune has not favoured Mumbai so far.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Tim David, Ramandeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal, Cameron Green, Jhye Richardson, Piyush Chawla, Duan Jansen, Vishnu Vinod, Shams Mulani, Nehal Wadhera, Raghav Goyal, Mohit Rathee
Possible XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Cameron Green, Tristan Stubbs, Tim David, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kartikeya, Piyush Chawla, Jofra Archer
***
Captain: Experienced opening batter Shikhar Dhawan captains the Punjab Kings.
Coach: Trevor Bayliss has been named as head coach for 2023.
Headliners
Sam Curran: The Surrey and England allrounder became the most expensive player in IPL history when Punjab spent £1.85 million to get his services. Curran was man of the match of the 2022 T20 World Cup final.
Kagiso Rabada: The explosive South African fast bowler returns to Punjab for a second season. Last year he took 23 wickets.
Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan led Punjab for the first time last year and carried on with his consistent performances. He finished the season inside the top 10 in the run-scoring charts, with 460 runs.
One to watch
Raj Angad Bawa shone at the 2022 Under-19 World Cup, hitting the highest score in the tournament (162) and taking five wickets in the final. He featured twice in the IPL last season.
Why they'll win the IPL
Punjab Kings suffered another disappointing season last year but went all out at the auction to turn things around.
Curran has been added to an already impressive pace attack, joining forces with Rabada and Arshdeep Singh. Dhawan has experience in bucket loads and a proven track record of scoring runs at the top of the order while Liam Livingstone (fitness permitting), Sikandar Raza and Jitesh Sharma provide the big runs in the middle order.
Why they won't win the IPL
With Jonny Bairstow unavailable, Punjab Kings look light on runs at the top of the order and the pressure will be on a number of supporting players, such as Bhanuka Rajapaksa, to step up in his absence. With Livingstone also recovering from injury, they are probably going to lack a bit of star quality in 2023.
Squad: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Jonny Bairstow (injured, replaced by Matt Short), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh
Possible XI: Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimarn Singh, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
India captain Rohit Sharma is at the helm for Mumbai Indians
Captain: Wicketkeeper Sanju Samson has captained the Royals since 2021.
Coach: Sri Lankan legend Kumar Sangakkara is the head coach.
Headliners
Sanju Samson: The captain and wicketkeeper came within touching distance of steering his team to the title last year, leading from the front with 458 runs.
Jos Buttler: England's white-ball captain was crowned player of the tournament after hitting an imperious 863 runs last season – 247 runs more than KL Rahul in second place.
Yuzvendra Chahal: While Buttler dominated with the bat, Chahal dominated with the ball. The right-arm leg-spinner took 27 wickets in the IPL last year.
One to watch
Yashasvi Jaiswal averaged 25.80 in 10 matches in last year's IPL. The 22-year-old has been in Rajasthan Royals' long-term plan for the last few years and this could be the year he repays their faith.
Why they'll win the IPL
Rajasthan Royals came so close last year to winning last year and have kept the same core group, so they will surely come close again.
Buttler and Chahal topped the charts in their respective disciplines and while there is no guarantee they will reach the same dizzy heights as last year, both players have been consistent performers in the IPL for a number of years.
West Indies allrounder Jason Holder is the big addition and a proven wicket-taker at the death while Adam Zampa has been brought in to bolster the spin attack.
Many teams will be envious of Rajasthan's depth.
Why they won't win the IPL
Pace bowling is a concern with Prasidh Krishna ruled out of the entire campaign through injury. He and Trent Boult formed a key partnership in the powerplay while Krishna also chipped in at the death. The pressure is on Holder to replicate Krishna's bowling in the crunch moments. All in all, however, it is hard to pick too many holes in this side.
Squad: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa, Jason Holder, Donavon Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Adam Zampa, KM Asif, M Ashwin, Akash Vashisht, Abdul PA, Joe Root
Possible XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Butler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, R Ashwin, Prasidh Krishna, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult
Jos Buttler was the player of the tournament in 2022
Captain: Former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis replaced Virat Kohli at the helm in 2022.
Coach: Indian coach Sanjay Bangar was named the head coach in November 2021.
Headliners
Virat Kohli: The Indian legend stepped down as captain of RCB in 2021 but he continues perform consistently for them. Kohli is the leading run-scorer in IPL history with 6,624 runs.
Josh Hazlewood: The Australian bowler was unstoppable last year, taking 20 wickets. If he can recover from injury in time, he will be a huge asset.
Faf du Plessis: The South African had big shoes to fill when taking over the captaincy but he more than rose to the challenge, leading RCB to third place and scoring 468 runs.
One to watch
Mahipal Lomror is steadily establishing himself in RCB's side. Last year, the 23-year-old allrounder made seven appearances, striking above 150 in the middle order.
Why they'll win the IPL
Royal Challengers Bangalore have consistently challenged for the title and this season should be the same. There's quality throughout the side with du Plessis and Kohli in the top four, allrounder Glenn Maxwell and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik in the middle, and Mohammad Siraj and Hazlewood bringing up the rear. Unsurprisingly, they've kept largely the same squad as 2022.
Why they won't win the IPL
It will come down to the fine details again for RCB. They have a competitive team, but will it be enough?
Their main spin bowler, Wanindu Hasaranga, may miss the opening few games due to international duty. Maxwell offers depth with the ball but is currently recovering from a lengthy spell on the sidelines so it may take him a bit of time to get back to his best. Lomror, meanwhile, has shown good potential but he lacks experience.
Squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Will Jacks (injured, replaced by Michael Bracewell), Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, R Sonu Yadav
Possible XI: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
England's Harry Brook cost Sunrisers Hyderabad £1.3m
Captain: Aiden Makram replaces Kane Williamson as skipper.
Coach: Brian Lara has been named as the head coach, taking over from Tom Moody.
Headliners
Harry Brook: The England international has become one of the most sought-after players over the past 12 months. A big-hitting top-order batter, Sunrisers paid £1.3million to secure his services. He is, however, untested in the IPL.
Umran Malik: The young fast bowler shone in 2022, taking 22 wickets in his first full campaign. His impressive performances and pace saw him debut for India in the ODI and T20 formats.
Aiden Markram: The South African batter had his first full season for Hyderabad in 2022, scoring 381 runs. After captaining Sunrisers Eastern Cape to glory in the SA20 and impressing for South Africa, he will arrive in South Africa full of confidence.
One to watch
Abdul Samad has been touted as one of the players to watch for a couple of years, but only made two appearances last season. However, the 21-year-old, a powerful batter, has already chalked up 53 T20 outings in his short career and has a strike rate just shy of 150.
Why they'll win the IPL
This is a new start for Sunrisers Hyderabad with a new captain and coach named for the season and a number of exciting additions.
Brook, of course, is the headline act and has a weight of runs and a big reputation to justify his price tag. He could feature in a top order alongside Markram, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi and Heinrich Klaassen, so runs shouldn't an issue.
Fast bowling was a strength of theirs last year and Umran Malik and T Natarajan have been retained to build upon their successful campaign.
As for the spin attack, Adil Rashid has also been brought into the squad, so there really is quality in all areas.
Why they won't win the IPL
The new additions are bold and exciting, but they are also unproven in India. Brook has no experience of playing in India while Rashid and Akeal Hosein boast just one IPL appearance between them. They could also have a lot of exciting talent on the sidelines – how do they squeeze Klaasen, Glenn Phillips, Brook, Markram, Rashid, Hosein, and Marco Jansen into just four overseas spots? Did they overrecruit in the wrong areas?
There's a lot to like about this side but don't expect miracles. Teething problems and a year of transition should be expected as a new squad attempts to gel.
Squad: Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen, Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Vivrant Sharma, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Upendra Yadav, Mayank Dagar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Anmolpreet Singh, Akeal Hosein
Possible XI: Abhishek Sharma, Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan, Adil Rashid
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