I’ve considered bowling strength and prior to that the ability of each franchise’s powerplay batters.

This blog seeks to show which teams are best placed to score runs outside that initial 6 over spell.

Of course, in an ideal scenario, that top order will continue through the innings and looking at the make up of many of the teams it seems like that will be very necessary. Sides have gone big on powerplay batsmen to get them off to the rapid starts that the likes of KKR and SRH sustained throughout the 2024 while at the same time there are plenty of hitters who are effective in the very late stages of an innings.

However, where there does appear to be a dearth of talent is in those middle order roles at number 4 and 5 which makes me think that the likes of Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Heinrich Klassen and the like might prove to be the key differentials in this year’s IPL.

The below stats specifically look at batsmen’s T20 record over the last 3 year focusing on their head to head versus spin and their striking ability at the death.

Key
RFS = Right Arm Finger Spin
SLA = Slow left are (left are finger spin)
WS = Wrist Spin

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Mumbai Indians (1st)

On paper, this is the best batting line-up in the competition!

Then again, that's what I said last year and they finished rock bottom...

Who knows what was going on in that MI changing room. There were clearly some unhappy cricketers whose individual brilliance was not enough to get them results in a league packed with high quality players.

There are many teams in this tournament who are relying on 2 or 3 batsmen to have substantial seasons in order for them to succeed but this MI side have 5 or 6 batsmen who could win them games.

I'm really looking forward to Tilak Varma truly announcing himself to world cricket because I think this boy is going to be a superstar in all formats for India going forward.

The fact that we're not already taking about him in those terms is probably testament to how quickly he's adapted to this level of cricket and the scrutiny that comes with it - he's looked like he belongs the moment he made his debut as a teenager.

He's been remarkably consistent over his first 3 IPL seasons and since the close of 2024 campaign he's racked up 2 T20 international centuries, scoring 413 runs in 9 innings at the ridiculous average of 103!

Punjab Kings (2nd)

I'm not convinced by the make-up of this PBKS side but the stats suggest that they have a group of players that cover most bases. The real challenge seems like picking the right ones, particularly amongst the international stars, to balance out their team.

They paid big money for Shreyas Iyer and much will rest on his shouders if PBKS are to reach the playoffs for the first time since the Cretaceous period. Glenn Maxwell was part of that PBKS side and it looks like they'll be banking on him to play a key role in the middle order once again.

Wadhera showed glimpses of his talent while at MI but could never get out of the shadow of Sky and Tilak Varma. He looks be set to get more opportunities within this Punjab team and his stats suggest that he has the game to bat number 5.

The fact that he's the only realistic left-hand option in that middle order makes his performance even more crucial especially when you look at the collective record of this PBKS side against slow-left arm spin - I think we know that every opposition team will be looking to take advantage of that match-up!

PBKS do have some firepower at the back end with Stoinis, Shashank and even Marco Jansen able to clear the boundary during the later part of the innings. Can they be given consistent platforms to do so?

Rajasthan Royals (3rd)

The Royals have 2 world class operators in the form of Jaiswal and Samson who are capable of dominating an innings from start to finish.

They have decent options beyond that but not much depth. What you're looking at above could well be their top 7 for the opening match and the rest of the season!

Dhruv Jurel's struggles against Spin mean that he'll either need to come in late or early in the innings. India have seen enough in him to give him 4 x T20i caps since the completion of the last IPL so perhaps the Royals are expecting more from him this season too.

Gujarat Titans (4th)

As alluded to during the powerplay analysis, GT are going to dependent on their top 3 to do a lot of batting this IPL. Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler have the tools to take on all bowlers throughout the innings.

What GT lack is a high quality middle order batsmen to back-up those 3 should they fail. On paper, Glenn Phillips looks like their best bet to play that role and perhaps deserves an opportunity to show that he can step up to the mark. His form over the last few years in white ball cricket across the world has been strong but he's often found himself at IPL franchises with very strong overseas players blocking his route into the team.

Since joining the league, GT have always had strong finishers and this squad is no different with Lomror, Shahrukh Khan and Tewatia all capable of doing some damage later on if they are given the platform to.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (5th)

Is this another RCB squad without sufficient depth in the middle order? To be fair, I'd say it's a trend across the IPL this season and not just a criticism that can be levelled against Bangalore.

Patidar and Kohli will need to do a lot of batting from higher up the innings in order to put them in a position where the big hitters can take over.

On paper, Jacob Bethell looks a better middle order pick than Liam Livingstone but I don't see the left-hander getting a game, at least not to start with. It means that RCB might be banking on the likes of Pandya and Padikkal to fill that role and neither have the stats to suggest they'll succeed.

RCB needed a finisher and Tim David certainly fits the bill. Jitesh Sharma has also shown he's capable of the occasional cameo but the fact that he's not passed 50 in 40 IPL appearances suggests that may be all he's capable of delivering.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (6th)

SRH would be much higher up this list if it weren't for the poor records that many of their batsmen have against off-spin which might well be a match-up that sides look to exploit during the tournament.

Given they are a left-hand dominant line-up then perhaps that's not surprising but it's actually Head and Abhishek who have better records than most against the finger spinners.

The top 5 pretty much picks itself and looks a very powerful batting unit. Where they might have a weakness is in that engine room at 6 and 7. It might be that whoever bats there isn't needed for a good deal of the season but they'll always be the odd game that you need your lower middle order to come to the party and at the moment it's difficult to see who will play that role for SRH.

Chennai Super Kings (7th)

Again one of CSK's major strengths and the reason that they've been so successful over the years is that they have a clear identity which their players understand and buy into.

As always, they have balance in regards left and right handers throughout the innings and they have a good number of all-rounders which means they have both depth and flexibility to that line-up.

Beyond the opening batsmen, it's always difficult to predict exactly who will bat where in a CSK team! They put a lot of value in the kind of individual match-ups that these stats highlight and they are quite happy to alter their line-up to attempt to exploit those match-ups in game.

You can see quite clearly from the stats above that the real keys to their success this year will be Gaikwad and Dube.

The former has the ability to bat long and his excellent record against spin means that unlike many of the powerplay specialists that you'll see in other teams, his scoring rate often increases as the innings continues.

Dube, meanwhile, is widely feared due to the damage that he can do against spin in those middle overs. The temptation for any opposition team is to bring back your premium quick bowlers to try and bounce him out but at the stage of the innings that Dube usually bats that's a risky move which may leave you short of options at the death.

The 2 big questions for CSK this year are - can they get a good return from the experienced Indian batters in their line-up and what can we expect from Dhoni and Jadeja?

If at least 1 possibly 2 out Hooda, Tripathi and Shankar perform in the way that we know they are capable of but haven't done of late then CSK look like a formidable batting unit. If the dry spell continues for those 3 then CSK look short of quality and options.

A few years back, Jadeja looked like an excellent finisher but of late his numbers have been very disappointing. His inability to hit slower bowling is starting to make him a bit of liability in that batting unit. Dhoni too has his issues against spin and can only be banked on to come in during those last few overs against the returning pace bowlers.

Delhi Capitals (8th)

Tristan Stubbs sailed a little under the radar last season with the likes of Fraser McGurk and Abhishek Porel getting most of the headlines for DC but he played a couple of significant innings and it looks as though he'll be integral to the Capitals again this season. The South African's ability to hit spin and also dominate at the death will make him a dangerous opponent and should compliment their strong top order.

Delhi's primary weakness appears to be against wrist-spin where only Stubbs can boost a really good record. The fact that they only have 2 left-handers probably contributes to that issue.

Captain Axar Patel will take on a huge amount of responsibility with bat and ball. His record against spin is very good but it'd be better if DC used him higher up the order given his lack of power as a finisher.

It'll be interesting to see where KL Rahul bats in this team. His record against spin or at the death doesn't suggest he'll be particularly successful as a middle order player but then neither does Faf du Plessis'. I suspect one of them might find themselves batting at 4 or 5 in the DC line-up this season.

Kolkata Knight Riders (9th)

I feel like KKR have come out poorly in these analysis largely due to a couple of players pulling the average down. Of course, as we saw last year a player like Narine might just come along and blow all these stats out of the water and maybe for KKR to defend their crown that's exactly what needs to happen.

The team's record against spin is collectively poor and there isn't really that one batsmen who you thing they can bank on to take down the slower bowlers. Presumably, in paying such a hefty sum during the auction for him that is precisely what KKR will be asking Venkatesh Iyer to do. The left-hander will almost certainly bat 4 and be tasked with steering his team though those middle overs.

At the same time what we do know is that this is a team with plenty of power at the back end of an innings. Rinku Singh, Andre Russell and Ramandeep all boost frightening records at the death and KKR have Rovman Powell as back-up should Russell's body not last the distance. The difficulty is that they are all better suited to the last third of an innings if not later. If team's can knock the top off this KKR side then they could be asked to do more batting than they're used to.

Lucknow Super Giants (10th)

As highlighted in the powerplay analysis, it's likely that at least one of LSG's left-handed superstars will move up to bat in the top 3 this season. Pooran seems the most likely candidate and while he is plenty capable of doing the job it does rob LSG of that middle order batter who can really take down the spinners The onus then is going to be on Pooran to bat for longer periods of time than he's been asked to do in previous IPL campaigns.

David Miller was very consistent for GT over recent years and brings a wealth of experience with him that LSG will desperately need given that they're once again fairly thin on options within their batting line-up.

Pant's record in T20 cricket of late is really quite poor. Yes, there are mitigating circumstances and he's a much better player than the numbers above show but there will be massive pressure on him if he and his side don't hit the ground running.

Otherwise, LSG are banking on a few Indian players who have shown glimps of their talent but aren't what you'd call match winners. Badoni is 42 matches into his IPL career and has scored 5 fifties at a strike rate of 132. Abdul Samad has 50 games under his belt during which time he's hit a few monster sixes but never really established himself as the finisher that SRH had marked him out to be which probably why he's no longer playing there...

All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible at
T20 head to head
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