Ponting's players to watch in IPL 2021

Chennai Super Kings – Suresh Raina

"He’s one of the leading run scorers in IPL history and he plays a really important role for Chennai Super Kings in the middle order.

"Just his experience and the partnerships that him and (MS) Dhoni and Faf (du Plessis) and a lot of their senior players have created has been a reason the Chennai Super Kings have been one of the really powerful teams in IPL history. 

"I've had a look at his social media, he looks really fit, he’s been doing a lot of batting … so him as an inclusion in the middle order will be huge for them, he’s one of India’s best fieldsmen as well and can bowl some part time off spin.

"Dhoni probably didn’t have the impact late in games last year that we’ve been accustomed to, so I think they’ll try and strengthen their five, six, seven area with Raina and Dhoni there together."

Kolkata Knight Riders - Varun Chakravarthy

"He actually played his first year of IPL cricket last year and was outstanding against us (Delhi Capitals), then got himself picked in the Indian T20I team to come to Australia but had to pull out with a shoulder injury.

"He's a classic mystery spinner… he bowls an off spinner, he bowls a googly, he bowls a leg-spinner and he bowls a carrom ball that he flicks out the front of his hand.

"So he's got the variations on his deliveries, but he's also got a lot of pace variations as well. So he’ll start in the mid-80s (kph) with his speed and he can push it up to 110kph with the quicker one. 

"He was a real find for them last year.

Image Id: 5A1EDAE390B04F5F931456DFBFD3F80D Image Caption: Chakravarthy and Ponting last season // BCCI

"With the IPL being played in maybe four of five venues this year, by the end of the tournament I reckon the wickets are going to be turning a lot more, so these sort of spinners will probably come into their own and play a bigger part in this year’s IPL than they have before. 

"(But) I think one thing you'll see this year, teams will probably be a lot more aggressive against him and not let him settle early on in his spells. 

"That’s certainly a message I’ll be giving to our boys – don’t let him dictate, get stuck into him, maybe try to throw him off his game. (Bowlers like Chakravarthy) are going to get wickets, so you're better off being aggressive against them.

Image Id: B8B4444E31C6495FA5440D4ED819D223 Image Caption: Eyes on the prize // BCCI

"If you can get into him early and take 10 or 12 or 15 off his first over, if he does strike from there, at least you’ve got some runs off him. 

"So that’s going to be the biggest challenge I think for him – what happens when batsmen come after him really early in the spell?"

Mumbai Indians – Hardik Pandya

"He’s just started bowling again. He had the whole IPL last year with no bowling, (due to injury), playing at predominantly as a six or seven batsman.

"Him and Kieron Pollard out at the back end of the innings last year were just dynamic. Mumbai scored so heavily in their last five or six overs – it was ridiculous, and you couldn’t stop them. 

"He's just an out-and-out power player now and he's probably 75 kilos ringing wet, but he can bowl 140kph and he's one of the best strikers of the cricket ball going around - he’s just a complete all-round package. 

"I'm actually keeping my fingers crossed we get to see more of him at Test level.

"He's got some charisma about him. These young Indian players, they get built up pretty quickly and turn themselves into rock stars. 

"He’s basically come from nothing. His family had no money, we took a real punt on him when I was at Mumbai (as coach) – we got him for base price in the auction and now he’s probably earning as much money as anyone else playing the tournament. 

"His whole life’s changed, as has his brother's (Krunal), they are playing in the same team now and their lives have changed dramatically.

"The way they get around with their tattoos and their chains and their watches and cars – good on them. They deserve it, they’ve worked hard and a lot of good things are happening in their lives.

Punjab Kings – Nicholas Pooran

"He's a very, very good player and someone that will be in huge demand for years to come in these T20 tournaments.

"The Kings XI have done well this year, with him there and their (recently added) fast bowlers Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith both going there, it gives them a huge amount of fire power.

"When you’ve got (a player like Pooran) with that much power and you’ve got a game where you can score 360 degrees, that’s where these guys become worth their weight in gold. 

"If Pooran bats in the top four this year, I won't be surprised if we’re seeing him as one of the leading run scorers in the tournament." 

Rajasthan Royals - Rahul Tewatia

"He’s an interesting story because we had him at Delhi for about three seasons. He's a leg-spinning allrounder and he never got much of opportunity at the Delhi Capitals and we decided to trade him to the Rajasthan Royals.

"They played him from the first game of last season and he did some remarkable things. He’s now found himself picked in the Indian squad (for the T20s against England recently) as well.

"So it really is quite a remarkable rise for him - he was someone that was sitting on the bench in the IPL and 12 months later he’s playing for India.

Image Id: 2D86D4DAACB14052B7E26A3F3D414CD3 Image Caption: Tewatia won't hear any doubters this season // BCCI

"He's not a huge turner of the ball, he’s very consistent with the way he bowls, a very smart bowler, but it’s his batting that he’s worked exceptionally hard on in the last couple of years. He’s worked on his backlift and tried to become much more of a power hitter, which you obviously need to be in those (middle-order) roles in T20 cricket and he’s developed beautifully. 

"He's someone that I take a bit of pride in watching actually, because I did a lot of work with him with his batting - I was a bit disappointed to see him traded.

"But he got an opportunity and he did really well."

Royal Challengers Bangalore - Devdutt Padikkal

"He’s a tall left-hander, a very stylish player, I think he's going to turn out to be a really good player, potentially an international player. 

"He’ll open the batting with (Virat) Kohli this year … and maybe ‘Maxi’ (Glenn Maxwell) at three and AB (de Villiers) at four. I think they’ll go really top heavy and try and score a lot of their runs that way. 

"The thing about Padikkal is, as with most left handers if you give him any width with the fast bowlers he is very strong through the off side, but then if you get a little bit straight he’s got this pick up shot like Shikhar Dhawan and he’ll flick it over mid-wicket, and he actually pulls quite well for an Indian batter. 

Image Id: 6A494A712B1B49CFBFA6A508E50FAA33 Image Caption: Padikkal set to partner Kohli at the top of the order // BCCI

"He just seems to have a bit of class about him. I know he scored a truckload of runs as well in domestic cricket, leading into this IPL, so I think with Virat at the other end that opening partnership will be really important for the Royal Challengers in this year’s IPL.

"Because he's an opener and with a season under his belt, he might find it a little bit more difficult this year because teams have had a look at him last year, but it just seems like he's got enough class to probably overcome that and I'm sure have a good tournament." 

Sunrisers Hyderabad - T.Natarajan

"He's one has come from nowhere really. He’s been around the domestic scene for a long time but he surprised everybody in last year’s IPL with his yorkers. 

"He's not really a noted new ball bowler – the Sunrisers were using him for one over (in the Powerplay), one in the middle overs and then two at the death, executing those yorkers probably as well as anyone in the tournament. 

"He was a real find, a real surprise packet. Natarajan’s going to be a big player for them this year again."