The much-anticipated 16th season of the Indian Premier League will commence on March 31, fighting all ten franchises against one another in a thrilling race to the desired title. Only seven teams have successfully become champions in the past 15 years of IPL, with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings being the most prominent. Four teams have won the IPL title once: Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, and the inaugural champions Rajasthan Royals. The Royals almost won the IPL for the second time last year. On the other hand, no IPL trophy has been grabbed by Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants, the four active teams in the league. So, who may win this year's IPL? Let’s find out some of the former players’ predictions and our predictions about the probable winner of IPL 2023. Read More: IPL 2023: Schedule, Fixtures, Venues, Team List Top Favorite Teams Who Can Win IPL 2023 As the tournament progresses, predictions can no longer remain the same. We may take an educated guess based on a team's performance, but nothing is certain. With that note, we have come out with four teams with a great chance of winning the IPL 2023. Gujarat Titans The Gujarat Titans, the winner of IPL 2022, had a very consistent roster, using fewer players than any other side. They had one of the toughest and most well-rounded bowling squads in the tournament, with a variety of options to choose from in any situation. Their death-overs economy rate was the lowest of the competition, at an astonishing 9.6. Hardik Pandya, David Miller, and Rahul Tewatiya provided invaluable assistance to the team, their persistence in difficult moments earning them victories in unlikely circumstances. These players will be an asset for Gujarat this year. In addition to that, they have bought some highly skilled players such as Shivam Mavi, Joshua Little, and Kane Williamson. Read More: Four Bangladeshi Cricketers to Compete in IPL 2023 Auction Kane Williamson was drafted in by the Gujarat-based side to boost the top order, although questions regarding his health and run rate remain. Gujarat’s possible starting lineup may look like this: Shubhman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Matthew Wade, Abhinav Manohar, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatiya, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammad Shami, Alzarri Joseph Gujarat players who can change the momentum: Shivam Mavi, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Jayant Yadav. At the Wankhede Stadium, where bowlers can take advantage of the swinging and seaming conditions in the early stages, Gujarat Titans may be drawn to utilize Mavi, Dayal, or Sangwan as influential individuals based on the competition. Meanwhile, Jayant could be a great help on pitches that are slower, particularly in the Powerplay, as he could provide economical overs. Read More: ‘More experienced’ Chandika aims to find own game plan Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians supporters would likely prefer to put last season aside when they finished at the bottom of the standings. However, they have been able to acquire the services of two very promising players, Dewald Brevis, and Tilak Verma. The IPL auction 2023 saw a strong bidding war for Cameron Green, who was eventually acquired by Mumbai Indians for 17.50 crores. With Jofra Archer back in the team and forming a bowling partnership with Jasprit Bumrah, Mumbai Indians have a strong attack that can challenge any batting lineup. Mumbai Indians’ possible starting lineup may look like this: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Cameron Green, Jofra Archer, Hrithik Shokeen, Kumar Kartikeya, Jasprit Bumrah, and Jason Behrendorff. Read More: IPL 2023: Schedule, Fixtures, Venues, Team List Mumbai players who can change the momentum: Piyush Chawla, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshad Khan, and Vishnu Vinod. The fact that MI re-signed Piyush Chawla in the auction pointed to one thing: the desire to use his leg-spin for four overs as a game-changing element, something that might not have been possible otherwise. Arjun and Arshad could be of great benefit when encountering right-arm fast bowlers or batting orders vulnerable to left-arm bowlers. Vishnu Vinod, a powerful hitter, can be employed in close matches where teams are required to bolster their batting. Read More: BAN vs ENG Series 2023: Bangladesh ODI Squad Analysis Chennai Super Kings Apparently, it is Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last IPL. So, he will surely try to make it memorable by winning the tournament. Chennai, four-time IPL title holders, had a disastrous campaign last year, limping to a ninth-place finish with only four victories. Chennai supporters are eagerly anticipating the return of the traditional home-and-away format this year, hoping their team will be stronger in their home ground Chepauk, restoring its former glory and making it a solid stronghold.  The team invested 16.25 crore in acquiring Ben Stokes, who will bring both tangible and intangible benefits to the squad. There is even speculation that MS Dhoni might be handing over the captaincy reigns to Stokes. Read More: BAN vs ENG Series 2023: Key ODI Records, Who Holds Advantage in Records So Far Chennai Super Kings' possible starting lineup may look like this: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ben Stokes, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dubey, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Mahesh Theekshana, and Mukesh Chaudhary Chennai players who can change the momentum: Simarjit Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Prashant Solanki, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar. It should not come as a surprise if Dhoni opts to replace Prashant Solanki as a game-changer, even though Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja are already in the XI at Chepauk, where spin is often used to attack batsmen. On the other hand, Simarjit and Deshpande are likely to be taken out of the game if any of the bowlers give up too many runs. Hangargekar is likely to serve as a pinch hitter, willing to sacrifice his wicket for the team's benefit and swing his bat hard when needed. Read More: Bangladesh vs England ODI Series 2023 Preview: Schedule, Fixtures, Team Rajasthan Royals IPL’s first-season winner and IPL 2022’s runners-up, Rajasthan Royals, will certainly put their best to bring the trophy back after 15 years. Nevertheless, they were very close last year. Despite their amazing performance last year, there was a definite imbalance on their side. To accommodate five true bowlers, they were always lacking a batting contributor. In order to address the problem, the Royals acquired Jason Holder, whose presence alongside Trent Boult is sure to have a substantial impact on bouncy surfaces. His powerful hitting also makes him an integral part of the team. Rajasthan Royals' possible starting lineup may look like this: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Paddikal, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmeyer, Jason Holder, Ravi Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Read More BAN vs ENG Series 2023: England Squad Analysis Rajasthan players who can change the momentum: Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Murugan Ashwin, and Akash Vashist. Considering Kuldeep's speed and the shortage of competent choices in their team, Rajasthan may decide to utilize him as a lethal death bowler through the Impact Player rule. Rajasthan will be able to keep the middle overs in check if they call on Navdeep or Murugan Ashwin, depending on the nature of the pitch; the former as a hit-the-deck bowler and the latter as a spinner. Vashist is a left-hander; he will be especially useful in countering the opposition's strategies. So, among the four teams, who do you think has the best chance to take the IPL trophy to their home? Well, it is tough to predict this very early. But, considering the facts and their players' profile, Gujarat may keep the title to their home this year. Read More: England Men's Cricket Team Arrives Dhaka for White Ball Series

By the time Mustafiz got the wicket of Jos Buttler in the final ball of the final over after he had scored a century and Rajasthan Royals (RR) collected 222, the match was already over. It was nice to see Mustafiz get a wicket, one of the 2 in the match though he gave 43 runs in his 4 overs. The other wicket-taker was Khaleel Ahmed who gave 47 runs. It wasn’t just that the Delhi Capitals (DC) bowling was lacking bite but that RR batting was way out with Buttler leading the march. Buttler, scoring his third century justified his price and put everyone to the sword, lasting from an obscenely high scoring beginning till the high scoring very end over. One wonders if the IPL needs a bowling fix or not. The batter-bowler balance is threatening to be upset more than a bit. Except for cameos – like Chahals in a previous match though not today – the batters are the ones who seem to decide the way. Too much for DC  RR beat the hell out of DC and everyone had double-digit run rates against their overs. Only 2 wickets fell and Paddikal (54)and Buttler(116) made 155, the highest first wicket partnership this season. Captain Sanju Samson made 46 too and the team got to 222, a double Nelson. The target was more than 11 runs per over and that DC could reach 207 with the loss of 7 wickets shows that the match didn’t really pick up till the end and that really means the last over. As the asking rate went beyond 12, early on, victory became remote. DC lost Warner, the man supposed to lead the chase by the 4th over after scoring 28 only and Sarfaraz went a ball later. No one stood up to be counted and all had motored along. Risabh Pant scored the highest 44 runs. The match actually did start picking up a bit in the 17th over as the asking and current run rate rubbed shoulders but Lalit Yadav, the last hope was boxed in the 18th (37) and the DC lights began to dim. In came Rovman Powell and there was drama. It was 36 runs to get in the final over and Rovman hit one, two and three sixes in a row. DC could make it only if he hit a 6 in every ball and after the first three, the fans believed it was not just possible but coming. Sadly the next three were 0/2/W. DC lost by 15 runs after a good deal of drama in the final over. Fittingly, the two players who didn’t come out to bat were Mustafiz and Khaleel, the two wicket-takers. The story was there.

Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan and pacer Mustafizur Rahman are set to leave their IPL teams – Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals – to join the national side ahead of the T20 World Cup. The Tigers are now in Oman, and they were scheduled to travel to the UAE Saturday to play two warm-up matches against Sri Lanka and Ireland. However, the fixture has been changed, and the national team will travel to the UAE Sunday. In this season of IPL, Shakib played only five matches and scored 38 runs, and bagged five wickets while Mustafiz played 14 matches and scalped as many wickets. Read: IPL 2021: Who will play whom in the playoffs? Mustafiz's Rajasthan ended their IPL campaign as the seventh team, winning only five out of 14 matches. Shakib's Kolkata managed to secure a play-off place. They will now play Rajasthan Royals in an eliminator match on October 11. On Friday, the Tigers played a practice match in Oman against the Oman A team and won the match by 60 runs. Read: IPL 2021: Delhi secure Qualifier 1 with 3-wicket win against Chennai Bangladesh will travel back to the Gulf state on October 15 to take part in the first round of the World Cup, which will begin on October 17. In this round, Bangladesh will take on Scotland, Oman and Papua New Guinea.

Kolkata Knight Riders are ahead of Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021 round-robin league points table. Kolkata Knight Riders resumed their campaign with a thumping win over Royal Challengers Bangalore, moving them into fourth place in the points standings. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals resumed with a narrow victory against Punjab Kings before losing three consecutive matches. Any defeat from this stage onward will be a huge setback for both teams. Let's have a look at who has the best chance of making it to the next round.   Read: IPL 2021: Will Shakib Al Hasan Play in a crucial MI vs. KKR match? IPL 2021 Playoffs Race: Kolkata Knight Riders vs. Rajasthan Royals Kolkata Knight Riders have accumulated 10 points in 11 games. While Rajasthan Royals have 8 points in the same number of matches. Among others, Mumbai Indians have 10 points, but Kolkata have better run rates than Mumbai. On the other hand, Punjab Kings have 8 points, and Sunrisers Hyderabad have only 4.   Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata Knight Riders were behind Rajasthan Royals in the points table before the IPL 2021 resumed in mid-September in UAE. However, they made an encouraging start in the UAE phase, winning three of their past four league games. They are now in fourth place, ahead of the defending champion Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. Kolkata defeated Bangalore by a crushing 9-wicket margin on September 20. They defeated Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets on September 23. However, they were defeated by Chennai Super Kings by a mere 2-wicket margin on September 26. Kolkata fought back strong against Delhi Capitals, winning by three wickets on Tuesday (September 28). Read:IPL 2021: Scenarios of Playoffs Qualification for Eight Teams Kolkata's current team combination has looked solid, and they are on track to maintain their domination over their opponents. Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has yet to play a match in the UAE phase, and he is unlikely to do so before the end of the round-robin league. So far, Rahul Tripathi has scored the most runs (315 in 10 innings) for Kolkata with a strike rate of 144.49. On the other hand, Prasidh Krishna has 12 wickets in 10 innings at a strike rate of 19.2 for the Knight Riders. Kolkata Knight Rider’s remaining fixtures: 01/10/2021: Punjab Kings (at Dubai) 03/10/2021: Sunrisers Hyderabad (at Dubai) 07/10/2021: Rajasthan Royals (at Sharjah)

The 14th edition of the IPL was postponed to the end of April due to a massive outbreak of epidemic coronavirus in India. The BCCI had to take that decision as several cricketers were infected with the coronavirus. The rest of the postponed tournament will take place in September in the UAE. Bangladesh will be playing multiple international series at the same time, that's why the BCB does not want to give a no-objection certificate to Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman. This article discusses why Shakib and Mustafizur will not be given NOC for playing in the remainder of IPL 2021. The probable reason why BCB is reluctant to give NOC to Shakib and Mustafizur The much-anticipated seventh edition of the ICC T20 World Cup will take place in the months of November and December. To put it another way, this ICC mega-event will take place in five months. India is the host nation of this year's event, but due to the Corona crisis, it might be staged in the United Arab Emirates or any other country in the Middle East. Read: ICC announces major changes to cricket world cup format The BCB is serious about the ICC T20 World Cup. Bangladesh will play a number of international series both at home and overseas to prepare the cricketers well in the next four months. Besides, the Dhaka Premier League T20 Cricket League is being held in June and the cricketers will be busy with this domestic league. Therefore, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has determined that players will not be permitted to partake in any other franchise league outside of Bangladesh at this time. Several Bangladeshi cricketers have been picked to play in the Pakistan Super League, Indian Premier League, and Caribbean Premier League. No Bangladeshi cricketer will participate in the PSL which will resume on June 7. There is no possibility of any Bangladeshi cricketer participating in the Caribbean Premier League in August-September and the rest of IPL 2021 in September as well. The world's best all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan has got the opportunity to participate in all of the franchise tournaments. But he will not play in these franchise leagues owing to a simultaneous international schedule. In this year's IPL, Shakib played only three matches for Kolkata. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman has been one of the best performers for Rajasthan Royals in the 12th season of the IPL. Mustafiz played in every match for Rajasthan before the IPL was postponed. No doubt, the Rajasthan team will be dissatisfied if they don't obtain this left-arm quick bowler. The second phase of the unfinished IPL 2021 may resume on September 19, and the final may be held on October 10. Read: DPL T20 2021: Shakib Al Hasan Shines in First Round The BCB president recently informed a private TV channel why he is hesitant to provide Shakib and Mustafiz a no-objection certificate. Given Bangladesh's hectic international cricket schedule in the next few months, NazmulHasanPapon believes it is not reasonable to allow these two players to participate in the IPL. Because, in his opinion, every series leading up to the World Cup is crucial. Prior to the T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh national cricket team will tour Zimbabwe next July to play a series consisting of Test, ODI, and T20I. After that, they will play ODI and T20 series against England, a five-match T20 series against Australia, and a three-match T20 series against New Zealand. Bottom Line The Bangladesh Cricket Board intends to properly prepare the national team for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The cricket board hopes to improve the cricketers both physically and mentally in the following four months. In that circumstance, it's important to keep an eye on the cricketers at all times. Because a slight mistake might lead to serious injury to players. So even if there is an opportunity, the BCB does not want to allow the players to play in any outside franchise league at the moment. Read: Top 5 Most Followed Athletes Across Social Media Platforms 

Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman are the two best cricketers in Bangladesh. Shakib has been one of the best all-rounders in the world over the past several years. In 2015, he became the first cricketer to top the ICC all-rounder rankings in all formats at the same time. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman stunned the cricketing world in 2015 with impressive performances against Pakistan, India, and South Africa. These two cricketers are regular participants in IPL tournaments. This article analyzes the performances of Shakib and Mustafizur in the cash-rich franchise league to identify who is the most successful player in IPL? Shakib and Mustafiz's IPL performances based on stats Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman have been key players for their respective teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in recent years. Mustafizur made his IPL debut in 2016 for Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Shakib made his debut in 2011 for Kolkata Knight Riders. Both players have also won IPL titles with their respective teams. Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka: Key ODI Records IPL Trophy Shakib Al Hasan has won the IPL trophy twice in his 9-year career. Shakib won the IPL trophy with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2012 and 2014 seasons. Shakib was also a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team that finished second in the Indian Premier League in 2018. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman won the title for Sunrisers Hyderabad in his first season, in 2016. He was a member of the Hyderabad franchise in the 2017 season as well. Mustafizur also played for the Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians in 2018 and the Rajasthan Royals in 2021. Batting & Bowling Record Shakib Al Hasan Batting Performance in IPL Match Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 6s 66 784 66* 20.63 124.84 0 2 21 Shakib Al Hasan Bowling Performance in IPL Match Wkts BBM Ave SR Econ 5W CT 66 61 3/17 28.40 22.75 7.49 0 12   Mustafizur Rahman Batting Performance in IPL Match Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 6s 31 01 01 1.00 14.28 0 0 0 Mustafizur Rahman Bowling Performance in IPL Match Wkts BBM Ave SR Econ 5W CT 31 32 3/16 28.40 22.15 7.69 0 04 Sources: https://www.iplt20.com/ Shakib Al Hasan had his best IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018. In 17 matches, he scored 239 runs at a strike rate of 121.31. Shakib also took 14 wickets at an economy rate of 8. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman had his best IPL season with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. The Fizz took 17 wickets with an average of 24.76 and a 6.90 economy rate.  When comparing the figures of the two players, it can be seen that Mustafizur Rahman's contribution in bowling is relatively better than Shakib's. On the other hand, Shakib has scored some runs with the bat since he is an all-rounder. But Shakib has not been as aggressive as a T20 batsman in the Indian Premier League. Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka Test Series 2021: Bangladesh Team Report Card Performance in the championship matches Shakib Al Hasan was a crucial player for Kolkata in both the 2012 and 2014 finals. Kolkata reached the target with 3 balls to spare after chasing 200 runs in 2012 final against Kings XI Punjab. In that match, Shakib scored 12 runs off 7 balls. But it was his balling that thrived in the championship match. Shakib was the most economical (4 - 0 - 26 - 0) among the Kolkata bowlers. Two years later, all-rounder Shakib played an important role once again in the final against Chennai in 2014. Batted first, Chennai scored 190 runs for the loss of three wickets. Shakib bowled three overs and took one wicket for 25 runs. Shakib contributed to Kolkata's victory by playing an unbeaten innings of 11 * off 7 balls after losing the wicket of Yusuf Pathan at the crucial moment. On the other hand, in 2016, Sunrisers Hyderabad batted first and scored 208 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. In reply, Royal Challengers Bangalore only managed to score 200 runs for the loss of seven wickets. Mustafiz didn't bat in the final. He took the wicket of Shane Watson in his 4 overs spell and gave away 36 runs. Read: BAN v SL ODI 2021: How Bangladesh Can Rank Top in ICC ODI Super League Verdict Shakib Al Hasan is believed to be ahead of Mustafizur Rahman in terms of having an impact on a team's success. Shakib has just two half-centuries and has yet to complete a thousand runs despite appearing in more than 50 IPL matches. He has also 61 wickets at an economy rate of 7.49. On the other hand, Mustafizur Rahman has appeared in five IPL tournaments and has taken 32 wickets in 31 matches with an economy rate of 7.69. Mustafizur was named the best emerging player in 2016 following a stellar season with Sunrisers Hyderabad. But Shakib should be regarded as the most successful player in IPL since he was outstanding for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 and made an impact in both finals for Kolkata.

The IPL of the 2021 season kicked off on April 9th. The final match of the IPL 2021 will be played on May 30 at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad after a month and a half of the competition. Mumbai Indians have won the last two editions of the IPL and they are again a strong contender for the title this year. However, other teams are determined to dethrone Mumbai and win the IPL but which team has more chance to win the trophy? In this article, we discussed who will win the IPL 2021? The favorites, underdogs, and outsiders. Who are the favorites to win the IPL 2021? Mumbai Indians Mumbai Indians are now the most confident team in the league after winning the previous two IPL tournaments.So they were not seen to be very active in this year’s IPL auction. Mumbai have complete trust in their IPL-winning squad in the search for a hat-trick title. There are a handful of match-winning players in the squad who can decide the outcome of a match on their own. Top five players of Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain, batsman), Kieron Pollard (all-rounder), Hardik Pandya (all-rounder), Trent Bolt (pacer), Jasprit Bumrah (pacer) Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata Knight Riders have not won an IPL tournament since 2014. So, Kolkata have put together a very strong team for the 2021 season in order to reclaim the title.After a three-year absence, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is back in the Kolkata squad this season. The squad also has a number of spinners. As a result, Kolkata Knight Riders are the strongest spin-reliant team in this year's IPL. Ian Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders have a genuine chance to win the IPL 2021 if they can stay consistent in the final part of the season. Top five players of Kolkata Knight Riders: Ian Morgan (captain, batsman), Andre Russell (all-rounder), Shakib Al Hasan (all-rounder), Sunil Narine (all-rounder), Pat Cummins (pacer) Read: BAN vs SL Cricket Test series 2021: Expected personal milestones to achieve Royal Challengers Bangalore  Every year, Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore enter the IPL as a tournament favorite. However, they are yet to win an IPL tournament. As always, Bangalore have put together a formidable squad for the 14th edition of the IPL. Australia's Glenn Maxwell has been added to their squad for the 2021 IPL campaign. In addition, the squad contains a number of star cricketers. Let's see if team Bangalore can change its IPL fortune this time! Top five players of Royal Challengers Bangalore: ViratKohli (captain, batsman), Glenn Maxwell (all-rounder), AB de Villiers (batsman), Kyle Jamieson (pacer), YuzvendraChahal (spinner) Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Analysis of Bangladesh’s Test Squad for Sri Lanka Series Sunrisers Hyderabad Sunrisers Hyderabad haven't won the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2016. Sunrisers Hyderabad have been led by Australian David Warner for the past few years and they have consistently made it to the knockout stages of the tournament. Sunrisers have some great t20 format players. As a result, they are one of the favorites of this year's tournament like every time. Top five players of Royal Challengers Hyderabad: David Warner (captain, batsman), Rashid Khan (spinner), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (pacer), Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson (batsman)  Who are the underdogs to win the IPL 2021? Chennai Super Kings Chennai Super Kings have always been considered a favorite, but they are labeled underdogs this season. Dhoni's team has a number of world-class cricketers, but most of them are over 30 years old. With such a team, the odds of winning the IPL are slightly lower than with other teams. So it would not be right to expect much from team Chennai this time. Top five players of Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (captain, wicket-keeper), Faf du Plessis (batsman), Suresh Raina (batsman), Moeen Ali (all-rounder), Sam Curran (all-rounder) Read: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka 2021: Five Things Bangladesh Cricket Team Must Do To win the Test Series in Sri Lanka Delhi Capitals Many people are betting on Delhi Capitals to win the 14th edition of the IPL since they were runner-up in the previous edition. While Delhi have some talented players, their lack of experience may lead them to fall behind other teams. Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant will take over as captain in place of the injured ShreyasIyer. It will be interesting to see how far Delhi will go under his leadership. Top five players of Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant (captain, wicket-keeper), ShikharDhawan (batsman), Marcus Stoinis (all-rounder), Tom Curran (all-rounder), Steve Smith (batsman)  Who are the outsiders to win the IPL 2021?  Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals have a number of outstanding T20 cricketers, among them is South African all-rounder Chris Morris. He was the most expensive player in the 2021 IPL auction. Rajasthan paid $ 2.3 million for Morris at auction. Rajasthan is predicted to do well in this year's IPL under the leadership of CaptainSanju Samson. However, they are currently regarded as one of the outsiders to win the trophy. Top five players of Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain, batsman), Chris Morris (all-rounder), Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Ben Stokes (all-rounder), Mustafizur Rahman (pacer) Read: T20 World Cup 2021: Five Things the Bangladesh Team Needs To Address Before the World T20 2021 Punjab Kings PreityZinta's team will compete in the IPL 14 under the new name Punjab Kings this year. Although the squad has some talented players, it is not particularly strong in comparison to other teams. As a result, dreaming of winning the championship right now would be wrong. Punjab will have to maintain continuity at the league level in order to secure a spot in the top four of the points table. Top five players of Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (captain, wicket-keeper), Riley Meredith (pacer), Jhye Richardson (all-rounder), Chris Gayle (batsman), Mohammad Shami (pacer) Verdict We have analyzed the strengths of the teams to identify who will win the IPL 2021? And also to find out the favorites, underdogs, and outsiders of the tournament. After assessing each team's strengths, it is apparent that the Mumbai Indians are once again the hot favorite. In addition, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Sunrisers Hyderabad all have an equal chance of winning the IPL in 2021. However, teams in good form at the end of the tournament would have a great chance of winning the trophy. Overall, we expect the tournament's best team will win the trophy. Read: How to Become a Cricketer in Bangladesh: An Overall Guideline

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman took 2/29 as his team Rajasthan Royals bounced back with a much-improved bowling performance to score their first points  in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Thursday. Chris Morris hit an 18-ball 36 with four sixes to lead the team to a three-wicket win over Delhi Capitals. In their first outing, Mustafiz returned unflattering figures of 0/45 off 4 overs, as Rajasthan's bowlers were flayed around the park as KL Rahul's Punjab Kings piled on 221/6 off their allotted overs. Rajasthan ended up losing a high-scoring thriller by just 4 runs.  In Thursday's game, Rajasthan won the toss and opted to bowl first again.   As part of a new gameplan that clearly seemed to work better, Mustafiz didn't take the new ball, instead coming on to bowl right after the Powerplay. By then,  Delhi were already rattled, having fallen to 3/36 as Jaydev Unadkat, introduced into the team today as a third left-arm seamer,  ran through the Delhi top order with the new ball. He finished with immaculate figures of 3/15 off 4 overs.  Mustafiz too had an immediate impact,  taking a wicket in his first over - Australian Andrew Stoinis all at sea against an old special, the off cutter, looping an easy catch to mid-off. His second scalp would come at the death, with Englishman Tom Curran playing all over another delivery that seemed to take forever to arrive, beating everything but the stumps.   Delhi were restricted to a sub-par 147/8 off their 20 overs. In a remarkable turnaround from the game against Punjab, no Rajasthan bowler conceded a single 6.  In reply however, Rajasthan lost four wickets for just 36 runs, and looked set to make a meal of the relatively small chase. Chris Woakes removed the openers – Jos Buttler and Manan Vohra – in three balls of the third over. Number five batsman David Miller smashed a 43-ball 62 with seven fours and two sixes to keep the dream alive for Rajasthan. In the last three overs, Rajasthan needed to score 34 runs to seal the game. Tom Curran conceded only seven runs off the 18th over, and Rajasthan needed 27 off the last two overs. That was the cue for Chris Morris to now step up to the plate, which he did with aplomb, facing the next 10 balls and hitting 4 of them for 6.   Kagiso Rabada gave away 15 runs in the 19th over as Morris hit two big sixes. In the last over, Curran failed to defend 12 runs as Morris hit two more sixes to seal the game with two balls to play.  It was a win set up by the bowlers however, and Unakat deservingly got the man of the match award.  

The 14th edition of the Indian Premier League will begin on Friday (April 9) and the championship match of this tournament will be held on May 30 at Ahmedabad's Motera Stadium. This year's tournament will feature a total of 8 teams and will be held in six different venues. Last season, no Bangladeshi cricketer participated in the IPL, but this year's edition will feature Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman. Shakib will represent Kolkata Knight Riders, while Mustafizur will play for Rajasthan Royals for the first time. Let's see which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021? Rajasthan vs Kolkata: Who has the upper hand in terms of team strength? It's important to have an understanding of the squad when assessing title contenders. Let's take a look at both squads and examine their overall strength. Batting Rajasthan Royals David Miller, Liam Livingstone, and Jos Butler are the three destructive overseas batsmen for Rajasthan Royals. The only two prominent Indian batsmen in Rajasthan's squad are Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal. They'll have to play with more responsibility since there aren't many alternatives in the Rajasthan squad. On the other side, Kolkata have a slight advantage in terms of batting ability. Also read; Mustafizur gets BCB nod to play in IPL Kolkata Knight Riders In the batting department, Kolkata have England captain Eoin Morgan and New Zealand wicket-keeper Tim Seifert in the foreign quota. These two are very effective batsmen in limited-overs cricket. Besides, Morgan is also one of the best captains in the world right now. Among the Indians, Kolkata have well-known batsmen like Rahul Tripathi, Karan Nair, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, and veteran Dinesh Karthik. Overall, the Kolkata squad has some reliable top and middle-order batsmen. Read How to Become a Cricketer in Bangladesh: An Overall Guideline. Which team is stronger in batting? Kolkata Knight Riders Bowling Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals are considered to have the worst spin attack in this year's IPL as Mayank Markande and K. C. Cariappa are the only two young spinners for the Royals. They do, however, have a potent pace attack led by Bangladeshi left-arm medium-fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, Andrew Tye of Australia, Jofra Archer of England, and local lad Jaydev Unadkat. If Cutter Master Mustafiz gets into his rhythm in the tournament, he could be a trump card for Rajasthan. Bangladesh cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see Mustafiz's bowling prowess in the IPL. Read Bangladesh's five most memorable overseas ODI wins Kolkata Knight Riders Kolkata have formed their pace attack with the inclusion of Australia's Pat Cummins, New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson, and India's Kamlesh Nagarkoti. Considering India's spin-friendly pitches, Kolkata have included four world-class spinners. They are Sunil Narayan, Varun Chakraborty, Kuldeep Yadav, and veteran Harbhajan Singh. Kolkata have arguably the best spin attack in the tournament. Read Mashrafe Mortaza drops a bombshell over his alleged T20 retirement in 2017 Which team is stronger in bowling? Kolkata Knight Riders All-Rounder Rajasthan Royals Rajasthan Royals includes England's best player Ben Stokes. This marquee all-rounder can become a nightmare to opposition teams. Rajasthan Royals have also included solid performers like Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, and Shivam Dube in the squad. Chris Morris is currently one of the best all-rounders in the T20 format. Morris is an all-rounder on par with England's Ben Stokes. Rajasthan will undoubtedly need these two players to perform consistently if they are to progress to the IPL 2021 playoffs. Read Memorable Match Winning Knocks in Tests Kolkata Knight Riders In the all-rounder category, Kolkata Knight Riders have included India's Shivam Mavi, Australia's Ben Cutting, Windies Power Hitter Andre Russell, and world no.1 Shakib Al Hasan. Among them, Andre Russell was Kolkata's best player in the last three seasons. So the Knight Riders will have a lot of expectations from him. On the other hand, Shakib will try to achieve success and showcase his true potential in this year's IPL. Shakib has an amazing ability to shine when the team needs him the most. Kolkata haven't won an IPL trophy after 2014, therefore Shakib and Russell will have to take on a lot more responsibility to reclaim the title for the knight riders.    Which team is stronger in the all-rounder category? Both teams are equally strong Read Shakib's 34th Birthday: 34 achievements to celebrate the no.1 all-rounder Bottom Line   In terms of team strength, the Kolkata Knight Riders are slightly ahead of the Rajasthan Royals. As a result, Shakib Al Hasan's Kolkata are one of the hot favorites to win the 14th edition of the IPL. According to statistics, teams' probabilities of reaching the IPL play-off round increase if they can retain consistency in the middle of the tournament. In that case, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals would want to finish the league stage in top form. So, by the middle of the tournament, it will be clear which team has the best chance to win the IPL 2021? However, Bangladesh cricket supporters will cheer for both teams.   Read How Can Bangladesh directly qualify for the world cup 2023?

Rajasthan Royals picked up Bangladeshi left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the players auction for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.