KKR, SRH, MI have most balanced bowling attacks

New Delhi, Mar 17: In a tournament that has fans flocking to the grounds to see batters smash everything out of the park, bowlers have gradually established themselves as the cornerstone of success, and the upcoming edition of IPL is going to be no different.

If one looks at the bowling units of various IPL outfits, defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, five-time champions Mumbai Indians, and last year's runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad have the most balanced line-ups.

With all-rounders rendered less useful due to the Impact Player Rule, most teams now look at playing five specialist bowlers. Some even have the luxury of playing the sixth bowler if need be while defending a total.

So, what makes KKR special in terms of bowling?

In Harshit Rana, who has the uncanny ability of taking wickets with sheer pace and extra bounce, they have a potent Indian fast bowling option.

He would be supported by Varun Chakravarthy, who has been India's T20 trump card in recent years.

Add to that mix Anrich Nortje's blistering pace and Sunil Narine's guile, and 16 overs will be sorted for the side on most days.

The uncapped Vaibhav Arora was impressive last year, and there is Andre Russell too, who can always chip in with an over or two. In all of KKR's seven home games at the Eden Gardens, this attack can be expected to be lethal.

In addition, Ramandeep Singh and vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer can chip in with an over or two as per the team's requirements.

In case Nortje doesn't fire, there is the six-foot left-armer Spencer Johnson. On tracks like the one in Chennai, Moeen Ali's off breaks could also be handy.

By the look of things, KKR does have the best bowling attack on paper.

Mumbai Indians have had a torrid last four years even. But they have managed to retain their bowling core. In skipper Hardik Pandya, they have a proper bowler who can win matches with a sharp spell of fast bowling.

But MI's campaign will also depend on how the attack performs till Jasprit Bumrah joins them in April.

The momentum shifts very quickly in IPL, but a fit-again Deepak Chahar could be a handful with his incisive swing bowling during Powerplay overs.

He will have the support of Trent Boult, who can bring the ball back into the right-handers at the start of the innings.

Mitchell Santner has mastered the Indian conditions, although MI would have fancied better quality of Indian spinners compared to lucky mascot for IPL teams Karn Sharma in their squad.

Once Bumrah comes in, the MI bowling will be too hot to handle.

For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the biggest challenge for bowlers is to counter the flatness of the Uppal track.

But in Pat Cummins and Mohammed Shami, they have two smart operators who can assert themselves if the batting unit piles on the big scores.

The third Indian pacer could be a weak link, but Harshal Patel, despite a higher economy rate, is a good death overs bowler.

While they have a wrist spinner in Adam Zampa, it would be difficult to include him in all conditions. In this scenario, Rahul Chahar's and Abhishek Sharma's slow bowling would be handy.

Talking about multiple utility bowlers, Ashish Nehra's Gujarat Titans is also a fine unit with the world's best T20 bowler, Rashid Khan, there to support Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna.

To support Rashid in slow bowling, Tamil Nadu captain R. Sai Kishore and also Washington Sundar will have crucial roles to play.

For Rajasthan Royals, they have got a better spin attack with one among Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theeksana set to play. Riyan Parag's off-breaks are also handy.

But it's the pace department where Jofra Archer might need more support from Indian bowlers.

Sandeep Sharma is good in specific conditions, and young railwayman Ashok Sharma, who recently clocked 146 km/h in the U23 Irani Cup, is the man to watch out for.

Ditto for CSK, where save Matheesha Pathirana and R. Ashwin, others in the bowling unit don't inspire much confidence.

Mukesh Chaudhary was good a few seasons back, and Anshul Kamboj is not bad either, but whether they can deliver consistently is the question.

Khaleel Ahmed has been playing for nearly 10 years, but no team has had faith in him in death overs where he has been profligate, save the one odd season for Delhi Capitals.