Teams — squads, combinations and venue records
Each IPL franchise, written about honestly. We cover likely XI, role stability, recent combinations, and venue record. No fake standings — what we know, what we don't, and where the combination question is open.
Team desks
Click a team for the full desk — likely XI, role notes, recent combinations, and venue record.
Chennai Super Kings
Spin-led, slow-start, anchor top-order. Death economy 8.4 RPO this season.
MIMumbai Indians
Powerplay driven, middle-overs rebuild. Pace unit the swing factor.
RCBRoyal Challengers Bengaluru
Boundary heavy, flat Chinnaswamy boosts top-order ceiling.
SRHSunrisers Hyderabad
Pace-first, powerplay wickets the single biggest factor.
KKRKolkata Knight Riders
Spin + spin, Eden Gardens conditions suit two tweakers.
RRRajasthan Royals
All-round heavy XI, captaincy complexity rises.
DCDelhi Capitals
Re-build phase, young top-order, swing-bowling focus.
PBKSPunjab Kings
Off-side power hitters, high-variance batting order.
LSGLucknow Super Giants
Spin depth, anchor top-order, disciplined death bowling.
GTGujarat Titans
All-round core, conditions-driven combinations.
How to read a team desk
Each team desk has the same shape: recent combinations, likely XI, role stability, and venue record. Here's what each section covers.
Recent combinations
The last 3–5 XIs the team has fielded, with notes on what changed between them and why.
Likely XI
Our best read of the next fixture's XI, with confidence labels on slots where the combination is open.
Role stability
Which players have a confirmed role across recent matches, and which have seen their role shift.
Venue record
How the team has performed at each venue this season and across the last two seasons.
Open questions
Where the team's combination is genuinely open and what to watch in the next fixture.
For fantasy readers
Where the team's selection fits into captain calls and contest strategy, with risk labels.
Tracking team combinations
For readers following the combination question day-to-day, the match-day desk publishes a probable XI update 30 minutes before toss. Subscribe via the news feed for the team-specific updates.
Open news feedThree signals worth tracking on every franchise
Across a season, every team settles into a pattern. The pattern is the function of the captain's preferences, the conditions the team plays in, and the opposition they face. Tracking the pattern is how you read the combination question before the team announces it.
The first signal is the captain's preference. Most captains have a defined style — powerplay aggression, middle-overs spin, death-overs pace. The team sheet follows the captain. If the captain's preference shifts (an injury, a form drop), the team sheet shifts too.
The second signal is the venue. Each franchise has a home venue whose surface behaviour is known. Some teams build their XI around their home surface; others prioritise flexibility. The home venue's behaviour is the most reliable predictor of the team's XI in any given fixture.
The third signal is the opposition. The combination question changes based on the opposition's strengths. A team that picks the seventh bowling option against a strong batting side might pick the extra batter against a strong bowling side. Reading the opposition is half of reading the combination question.
How squad balance changes across the season
Early season
Teams test combinations. Probable XIs are most uncertain; rotation is high; the captain's preference is being established.
Mid season
Combinations stabilise. The captain's pattern is visible. Role shifts are less common and more meaningful when they happen.
Late season
The playoff race creates pressure. Teams under pressure hold their best players in their expected roles. Teams out of the race experiment.