With just a month (and a day!) left for the phenomenal IPL2020 to kick off, there have been feverish discussions all over the internet about the best bowling side, the best batting side, best fielders etc. Well how about a discussion on the Par Score and the teams that are capable of making a PAR SCORE.
Par is a term that has been borrowed from the game of golf. In cricket, it is a figure, a realistic score, that the team batting first is expected to arrive at on a particular ground considering all the factors involved. Many a time it has been confused with a “winning total”. That is not correct as no particular number can be treated as a winning score, it would be unrealistic to do so.
A par score helps teams to plan and propagate towards a win. Basically, it is that score that gives a team more than 50% chances of winning, more particularly, a 66.67 chance of winning the match!
The Par score depends on certain factors:
THE WICKET
A better (smooth, dry and firm) wicket allows the batsmen to score well because the ball will neither bounce too much nor will it keep low. It comes on to the bat. Thus, better the wicket -higher is the par score.
The UAE wickets are less bouncy due to hot weather, hence helpful to the batsmen.
THE DIMENSION OF THE FIELD
The smaller the field, more the boundaries and sixes. In bigger grounds the outfield becomes slow and hence big shots get difficult to make. Huge grounds allow for more catches to be taken in the outfield. Batsmen will have to slough it off with singles and twos. In general smaller fields will result in higher totals.
The UAE cricket grounds are big, the batsmen have to put in more power to get the big shots.
The CONDITIONS
Hot conditions result in high totals and wet, overcast conditions hinder the batsmen. They find it difficult to score as the ball swings. A wet outfield does not let the ball race to the boundary easily.
THE PLAYERS
The side having better strikers of the bat in the form of specialist batsmen and allrounders are at an advantage. Also having a strong batting line up to the lower end can result in higher totals.
Here is a list of the batting strength of each team keeping in mind the Openers, Middle order batsmen and the Tail enders.
OPENERS
1. Chennai Super Kings : A.Rayadu, Murali Vijay, Shane Watson
2. Mumbai Indians : Rohit Sharma, Quinton De Kock, Chris Lynn
3. Delhi Capitals : Shikar Dhawan, Jason Roy, Prithvi Shaw.
4. Kings X1 Punjab : Chris Gayle, K.L.Rahul, Mayank Aggarwal.
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad : David Warner, W.Saha, Jonny Bairstow.
6. Rajasthan Royals : Jose Butler, Sanju Samson, R.Utthappa
7. Royal Challengers Bangalore : Parthiv Patel, Aron Finch
8. Kolkata Knight Riders : Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Naraine
MIDDLE ORDER
1. Chennai Super Kings : Suresh Raina, Duplessis, M.Dhoni
2. Royal Challengers Bangalore : Virat Kohli, De Villers, Moin Ali
3. Delhi Capitals : Shreyas Iyer, Hetmyer, Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane
4. Mumbai Indians : Surya Kumar Yadav, Keiron Pollard, Hardhik Pandya
5. Kings XI Punjab : Glen Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, Mandeep Singh
6. Sunrisers Hyderabad : Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, W.Saha
7. Rajasthan Royals : Steve Smith, Manan Vohra, Ben Stokes ( doubtful participation)
8. Kolkata Knight Riders : Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Nitesh Rana
LOWER ORDER
1. Chennai Super Kings : R.Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Kedar Jadav
2. Mumbai Indians : Krunal Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford, Jayanth Yadav
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore : Pavan Negi, W.Sunder, Chris Morris
4. Sunrisers Hyderabad : Mohammad Nabi, Vijay Shanker, F.Allen
5. Rajasthan Royals : D.Miller, S.Gopal
6. Kolkuta Knight Riders : Andrew Russel
7. Kings XI Punjab : Krishnappa Gowtham, Sarfaraz Khan.
8. Delhi Capitals : Axar Patel
The first 14 overs we expect the openers and middle order to score 130 to 140 runs and the last 6 overs is when the lower order are expected to get a chance to bat and can score 30 to 40 runs against the best bowlers who will come back to bowl 2 overs each.The Par score would be expected at 150 to 180 runs. But stronger batting line ups and terrific hitting might push a few teams to 200 plus scores. This analysis will also help to play Dream11 IPL 2020.
Accordingly, The final 6 teams that have a chance of scoring 180 plus runs Par Score are:
1. Chennai Super Kings
2. Mumbai Indians
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore
4. Delhi Capitals
5. Sunrisers Hyderabad
6. Kings XI Punjab
7. Rajasthan Royals
8. Kolkata Knight Riders
But, as we all know, big totals are only half the contribution. The other half by bowling and fielding department will decide which team wins the match!