Reported By:
| Edited By: Greenstone Lobo |Source: DNA |Updated: Sep 29, 2017, 03:40 PM IST
The seventh edition of the Indian Premier League may seem the most open yet but, astrologically speaking, there are favorites and laggards.
For starters, popular and strong teams like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders cannot win this time. MS Dhoni has already reaped all the benefits of his extraordinary horoscope and he simply cannot win such a multi-team event. Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir already have won the IPL and/or the Champions League Twenty20 and one can't expect them to win another tournament with almost the same bunch of players and support staff.
Delhi Daredevils have a strong captain in Kevin Pietersen. They have a reasonably good team too, but the franchise's decision to hire Gary Kirsten as head coach can actually work against them as the South African has achieved greater laurels with the Men In Blue as well as the Proteas. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have a fantastic captain in Virat Kohli who has it in him to win an IPL or a major tournament, but the team seems to be astrologically unbalanced and they may not be able to land the killer punch yet again.
The three best astrologically balanced teams are Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Aussies Shane Watson and George Bailey, who were born in 1981 and 1982, respectively, have very strong horoscopes. In fact, they are as blessed as as the talismanic Dhoni and 2014 is probably their best chance to win a major tournament as captains. Shikhar Dhawan, too, has a wondeful horoscope, strong enough to win a major competition. The captain-coach/mentor combinations of Watson-Rahul Dravid, Bailey-Joe Dawes and Dhawan-Tom Moody are the best in the tournament and the three teams also consist of players who have strong horoscopes to win a tournament of this magnitude. More importantly, these teams also comprise a large number of players who have not exploited the complete potential of their horoscopes.
Hence, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad are my picks. While Bangalore have a reasonably good chance, Delhi have an outside one. Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata are out of contention. Only a change of captain(s) can alter the outcome of this prediction.
—Lobo is a city-based astrologer
