Harsha Bhogle on IPL 2025's Top Four

Harsha Bhogle

Pre-Season Predictions Analysis

Reasoning for pick: Too much class, pedigree, talent, experience
Early struggles: Lost 4 games at start, nearly failed to qualify
Turnaround factors:
- Return of Jasprit Bumrah - added bowling teeth
- Trent Boult and Tim David performing well
- Suryakumar Yadav in tremendous form
- Rohit Sharma maximizing powerplay effectiveness
Areas for improvement:
- Tilak Varma needs to find form - sacrificed batting at 5, wheel-jacks at 3
- Tilak likely to bat at 3 for rest of tournament
- Hardik Pandya dual role crucial - finisher + bowling multiple overs
Assessment: If Hardik firing, MI unstoppable

Track record: Made playoffs 5 out of 6 recent seasons
Reasoning for pick:
- Well-structured team, excellent auction strategy
- Virat Kohli well-surrounded by stroke players
- Good role clarity for players
Key performances:
- Rajat Patidar evolution (now out of tournament)
- Different players stepping up when needed
- Will Jacks, Dinesh Karthik, David, Roario, Shephard contributions
Surprise performer: Krunal Pandya - fabulous signing
- Delivers runs when needed
- Fantastic bowling alongside Karn Sharma
Assessment: Won't be surprised if they make final
Team environment: Core group ensuring players "breathing right air" in high-pressure situations

Reasoning for pick: Widely predicted by majority
- Powerful top 5: Head, Abhishek, Ishan, Klaasen, Nitish
- Well-structured bowling attack
- Mohammed Shami after 2 great Gujarat Titans seasons (20+ wickets)
- Harshal Patel, Unadkat as backup
- Pat Cummins as captain
- Expected good season for Adam Zampa
What went wrong:
- Style didn't suit different surfaces
- Nitish Reddy at 4 perhaps season too early
- Should have played Klaasen at 4, Nitish to follow
- Mohammed Shami dramatic decline (20+ wickets previous season)
- Powerplay bowling suffered
Unexpected positives:
- Young Zishan impressed
- Ishan Malinga - will be good IPL player going forward

Reasoning for pick:
- Great batting depth and talent
- Sufficient firepower
- Good bowling if Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana replicated previous season
- Best spin combination: Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy
What went wrong:
- Missing overseas quick (Spencer Johnson, Nqaba didn't deliver)
- Floundered at key moments
- Easy game loss vs Punjab in Mohali - missed chance to go top
- Could have turned season around from that point
Ongoing issues:
- Long-term captaincy question (Ajinkya Rahane duration unclear)
- Rahane been their best batter
- Unresolved issues from season start

Why not predicted:
- Bowling concerns: Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada
- All three could be expensive on good batting surfaces
- Might concede too many runs
- Too top-heavy batting lineup
- Untested middle order
- Rashid Khan at 7 - risky positioning
- Vulnerability if Gill or Sai Sudharsan had off season
What worked:
- Rashid Khan (best spinner in world) had off season but team still flew high
- Ashish Nehra doing something right
- Shubman Gill very calm captaincy
- Shaun Rutherford, Sai Kishore had key moments
- Makes analyst more optimistic about GT

Why nobody predicted: "Got players, don't have team" - annual assessment
What changed:
- Australian coach (Ponting) with less talked about Indian captain
- Shreyas Iyer's leadership underrated
- Team built around fine Indian talents
Biggest achievement: Opening combination discovery
- Priyam Garg and Prabhsimran Singh partnership
- "What a punt that was"
- Priyam Garg - one of finds of season
- Prabhsimran Singh moved up another notch
Key Indian core:
- Shreyas Iyer good season as captain
- Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
- Overseas players in supporting roles
Special mentions:
- Shashank Singh - end-game specialist, doesn't always catch eye
- Jitesh Sharma impact sub moment - highlight of tournament
- Nehal Wadhera rise - good player with MI, now key middle-order position

Ricky Ponting (Punjab) and Ashish Nehra (GT) - two coaches worth discussing at season end

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