Gujarat Titans

■ Strengths

Champions last time, this year too Gujarat Titans appear to be one of the strongest sides in the league. Led by Hardik Pandya, they have an air of confidence around them and that helps in a high-pressure tournament like the IPL. Gujarat’s main strength lies in the fact that in every department, they have one of the best professionals in the world who can turn out to be a match-winner. In Shubman Gill they have an opener who is young and in rich form. Having acquired Kane Williamson in the auction, they have ensured a strong hand in the middle order, something they missed last season. In Hardik and David Miller, they have two of the best finishers in contemporary cricket. And Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami happen to be warhorses who can turn games with the ball.

■ Weaknesses

Gujarat rely heavily on their all-rounders and there are a host of them in the side, from Hardik to Rahul Tewatia to Vijay Shankar to Odean Smith. While many of them can bat, they are not specialist batters. Gujarat have a lack there, they do not seem to have sufficient Indian batters. Besides Gill, there’s Abhinav Manohar and Sai Sudarshan, but not much beyond them.

■ X-factor

Hardik, who else? The 29-year-old can give so much to every team that he plays for that it is difficult to ignore his presence. Hardik, the all-rounder, is definitely precious, but to Gujarat, one thinks Hardik, the captain, is even more important. As the skipper, Hardik has a unique approach, a smile hanging on his face at all times and a hand on the shoulders of his teammates always. Even losses don’t seem to rattle him too much.

■ Key signings

Kane Williamson, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma

■ Last year: Champions

■ Best finish: Same as above

Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler, a key cog in the Royals’ wheel. File photo

■ Strengths

If Rajasthan manage to flex their muscle in the batting department, no total would be too big, no target will be too steep for them. They do have a royal batting line-up, one that helped them reach the final last year, before bowing to the Titans. This time too, they will hope to soar on their batting wings. Jos Buttler will lead the show and Shimron Hetmyer is there to finish it in style. In between, they have Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal and captain Sanju Samson to get them runs. Joe Root is a new addition to the squad and if he can combine his class with some T20 smartness, no one is better than him. And yes, they have a deadly spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal and Adam Zampa to back up their batters.

■ Weaknesses

While their batting and spin bowling are taken care of by very efficient men, the same cannot be said about their pacers and all-rounders. Injury to Prasidh Krishna might leave Trent Boult with a huge burden in the pace department unless the Navdeep Sainis make an impact. And Jason Holder looks to be the only good all-rounder on their roster.

■ X-factor

Buttler, as usual, will play a very important role at the top of the order. The world knows his power with the bat and once he gets going, few bowlers can stop him. However, it’s important that he has a good opening partner with him. You would not want your best batter to be under pressure from the very first delivery.

■ Key signings

Jason Holder, Donovan Ferreira, Adam Zampa, Murugan Ashwin, Joe Root

■ Last year: Runners-up

■ Best finish: Champions (2008)