IPL 1st Trimester Done: Who Is Title Favourite?

Before the start of the IPL, many people felt that Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad will be three of the top teams to be termed as the title favourites this year. But as it turned out these three teams are rotting at the very bottom of the table. 

With the conventional favourites, putting on a horror, show this year, let us have a look at the best performing teams and who can be termed as the proper title favourite now. This is based on the performances after the first trimester with almost all teams having played 5 games each. 

Gujarat, Delhi, Bengaluru and Punjab are the top four teams in the IPL this year, and they have expectedly be in the most consistent teams. In particular, Delhi and Punjab look very strong this year as they have been playing an aggressive brand of cricket. 

Gujarat is anyway a consistent team and it is a given that they are at the top. Tamil Nadu’s Sudharshan has been breathtaking form this year and he’s keeping Gujarat at the top with his consistent efforts. This is one of the very few teams in the IPL this year that have every box ticked. 

When we have the crowd favourite of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which somehow finds it way at the top, which isn’t something they’re accustomed to do every year. But on a positive note, Bengaluru looks as composed as ever. 

With good punch in the batting and consistent results in the bowling department, Bengaluru has been putting on strong shows till now. They have taken down champion sites like Chennai and Mumbai in tough conditions, which is a very positive sign.

But the issue with Bengaluru historically has been their inability to play on big occasions like knockouts and title games. Nevertheless, there’s good promise this time with experienced players like Kohli and Krunal Pandya delivering when it matters the most. 

As of now, Gujarat and Punjab appears to be the two sides to beat, while Bengaluru is in top form. Delhi is fine for now but they too are historically known to lose momentum at the business end. 

The good thing here is that, except for Gujarat, the other three teams at the top of the table haven’t won the IPL till now. So if they continue the momentum till the end, then there is a very good chance that we could be witnessing a new title winner this year.