Defending champions Deccan Gladiators have not made the start they wanted, sitting fifth with two wins and two defeats, but their batting has enough quality to turn things around. Nicholas Pooran is the heartbeat of the scoring, and a quick 30 or 40 at a strike rate beyond 200 is always possible when he is in. Tom Kohler-Cadmore has led the charts with 151 runs from four games at a strike rate of 199, with two fifties.
Marcus Stoinis and David Wiese provide the late-innings hitting, and Wiese in particular has been explosive, striking at 233.33. In the bowling department Muhammad Jawadullah has four wickets in two matches at about eight an over, with Noor Ahmad, Akeal Hosein and Luke Wood adding variety.
Aspin Stallions have had a hard start to the tournament, with only one win from four games. The bowling has shown promise but the batting has not found rhythm. Rahmanullah Gurbaz leads with 76 runs at a strike rate of 223, and Andre Fletcher and Avishka Fernando have both passed 70 runs and can add 20 to 30 more at a rate above 180. Sam Billings and Ben Cutting offer power at the death. Zohair Iqbal has carried most of the bowling load with nine wickets at an economy of 12, with Binura Fernando, Hafeez ur Rehman and Tymal Mills supporting him.