Players to watch out for this IPL Season 6:
Virender Sehwag
Out of favor in all 3 formats, this jamboorie season of IPL will provide a strong platform to repeat 2012 heroics and win back his ODI place for the upcoming Champions Trophy. He is no longer the captain, so he should find the ways back to play the way he has always done for the last 13 years and God Willing will continue to do for next few years.
Gautam Gambhir
Captain of SRK's defending champion franchisee and out of favor Test opening batsman. His ODI form remains decent, but like Sehwag he will need to find form very soon ahead of Champions Trophy in England. He almost made a comeback in 4th test against Australia, but jaundice pulled him down. Fit again, he will need to find ways to get runs in his bank rather than focussing on retaining the IPL silverware.
Virat Kohli
He is RCB captain this year and all eyes will be on the next batting sensation of India to see how he moulds in the captain's role. Many in India see him as a natural successor to Dhoni in Tests and ODIs, so it will be very interesting to see how he leads the beleaguered Vijay Mallaya's franchisee and on the other hand how many runs does he make and if the captaincy affects his silken and crispy batting...
Shikhar Dhawan
So called next batting sensation and supposedly a loud mouth, a Jat and of course the fastest century maker on Test debut. All eyes will be on him, if he continues his Test form in IPL and wins back his place in ODIs as well. A patchy IPL might not earn him a ODI recall, but a half decent to a successful one will be enough to make him the 3rd opener in the squad and will compete against Virender Sehwag (form and fitness permitting)... He plays for the worst team of past 2 seasons -- SunRisers and his run of luck will also define the fortunes of his IPL franchisee.
Ravinder Jadeja
Unexpected success of Australia Test series and most expensive buy of 2012, I wish he flops too badly and so much that he never finds a way back to the Indian test team. 24 wickets in 4 Tests would not make him an overnight great allrounder, for his batting and bowling are too one-dimensional..He surely enjoys strong backing of the men that matter in Indian cricket, so any rants like this don't matter much in his showing. He should fail sincerely.
Murali Vijay
Born on fool's day he had been looked in the Indian cricket as a fool until the Chennai Test vs Australia. And after that, he never looked behind. Top scorer of Australian test series, he has been successful in IPL for past several seasons. Unfortunately for him and luckily for the fans, his IPL success has not converted to limited overs success internationally. Another strong show in this IPL and he will be a strong contender to the opener's spot in the upcoming Champions Trophy and the Caribbean tri-series to follow next.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Stereotyped as a test batsman, Pujara has not really set IPL on fire in his stints with RCB. He was injured last year and has missed several games due to form and fitness. He has been a member of India's ODI team vs England, but never got a chance to play. He is a fluent stroke maker and when the need be, he can often switch gears. And delightful to watch, are his classical text book boundaries. Not long back he accelerated on his way from 150 to 200 vs England and that got him a ODI call. One long run and successful at that will make him strong contender in the middle order for the ODIs as well.
Yuvraj Singh
The prince of Indian cricket after DADA, he is back to full fitness after the health issues he battled last year. He missed out 2012 IPL and doesn't have a very good memories of 2011 version as he first encountered the gigantic issue he faced in that IPL. All of that is now thing of past. He has made a successful comeback in ODIs and T20 for India. His good run with the bat and ball will play a crucial role in deciding how far Pune Warriors go in this version after 2 very bad seasons. Snubbed in the captaincy by an annoying Sri Lankan, he shall be committed to prove the team management of Pune Warriors wrong by putting up a very strong show.
