IPL :New Franchise dominant in the season opener

The addition of two teams led all teams through the path of mega-auctions which meant every team got a chance to re-define and restructure their teams and brand image with new players.

Before mega-auctions, existing teams got a chance to retain four players (domestic and overseas combined), and new franchises were too allowed to draft the same number of players before auctions. Following the retention of their best players, many teams had to lose the stability built over the years. The franchises then got onto the bidding table to pool the talented overseas and domestic cricketers to their side. The owners attempted to build strong squads and overcome the previous season's weaknesses.

What points table looks like after 12 matches of the IPL?

Since 2015, only three teams have won the IPL title: Mumbai Indians (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020), Chennai Super Kings (2018, 2021), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (2016); and none of these teams have opened a winning account in IPL yet. The defending champions Chennai Super Kings and five-time IPL winner Mumbai Indians have lost all their games and are at the bottom of the table. Rajasthan Royals are on top endearing all their games so far. Apart from Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Punjab Kings have found a spot in the top 4, followed by Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore among old franchises. Sunrisers Hyderabad is still at the bottom of the table.

A fresh start for all the existing franchises.

Every franchise spent big to create a stable team for them, which would be strong in all departments,batting, bowling, and all-rounder. Rajasthan Royals took the best of Mumbai Indians (Trent Boult), Royal Challengers Bangalore (Yuzvendra Chahal, Devdutt Padikkat, and Prasidh Krishna), and Delhi Capitals (Ravichandran Ashwin). Delhi Capitals, after a great season last year made sure to checkmark all the weaknesses they had last season. They roped in Chennai Super Kings' Shardul Thakur as their most expensive buy, David Warner and Rovman Powell as the power hitters for them this season. Royal Challengers Bangalore also got the services of Faf Du Plessis as their captain, Dinesh Karthik as a finisher. Punjab also roped in power hitters like Liam Livingstone, Shikhar Dhawan, and Oden Smith. 

New teams establishing themselves

The new franchise, Lucknow Super Giants grabbed the best parts of Punjab Kings (KL Rahul, Deepak Hooda) and Avesh Khan from Delhi Capitals to create a super stable team for the league. The new franchise Gujarat Titans have not lost a single match and sit third in the table whereas Lucknow Super Giants had lost one game against fellow newbie but won the next two matches to be at 5th place in the table. Lucknow Super Giants won two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings owing to good batting by Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, and wicket-taking spells by Avesh Khan, Jason Holder, and Krunal Pandya. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, defeated Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals quite comfortably as the team was led by their bowlers Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and Lockie Ferguson.

Overall, for this year, every franchise has done its job in creating a sturdy and stable team, be it an old or a newly added team. Still few teams can deliver the results while some are yet to capitalize on their strength. It is just about finding the right balance and momentum for the team and victory will follow. So far in the tournament, Rajasthan Royals has done a terrific job, and Sunrisers have failed miserably.