IPL 2022 | James Neesham picks his teams to watch out for this season

New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham has picked Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Shreyas Iyer-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as the two sides to watch out for in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

PBKS have assembled a power-packed batting line-up this season, and it was completely evident when they chased down a 200+ total in their opening game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

They faltered in their last outing against the Knight Riders, but the intent was for everyone to see. With Johnny Bairstow set to join the set-up, it will add a lot more potency to what is already a perfect batting unit.

KKR, on the other hand, have claimed two wins in their first three games, and their powerplay bowling, coupled with the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, is what sets them apart, feels Neesham.

In an exclusive interview with Cricblog, Neesham said:

"I think Punjab Kings have a solid looking line-up. Kolkata as well is another one; they have a high-quality spin through the middle like we do [Ashwin, Chahal] with Chakravarthy and Narine, so I think I look at those two teams and think they have a perfect chance of challenging at the backend of the competition."

RR picked Neesham in the recent mega-auction, and the all-rounder was full of praise for his new skipper and talented batsman, Sanju Samson.

"The thing that strikes me about Sanju is that you can see the quality of batsmen when you play against them in games, and you get a feel for how they strike the ball. But you don't understand until you can watch them train day after day and hit balls. Then, you really get a sense of how high-quality they are," said Neesham.

"Sanju played a couple of shots at training a couple of days ago, and I looked across at Daryl Mitchell, and we just sort of looked at each other and went 'wow', that's a hell of a cricketer," he added.

Neesham on what makes IPL the best tournament in the world 

The IPL is a platform where talent meets opportunity. It is also a platform where the who's who of world cricket come under one roof.

It not only allows young cricketers to rub shoulders with the best in the world but also helps them learn and improve by just observing them.

According to Neesham, this is what makes IPL the tournament that it is.

"The quality of cricket is better than anywhere else in the world. You have four overseas players, and it's the best players in the world [in the tournament],"

"Looking at our Rajasthan Royals, it's pretty ridiculous. Even training in the nets and seeing the talent of guys that aren't even in the playing XI, as far as guys like Navdeep Saini and Kuldeep Sen. Guys that bowl serious pace and struggling even to make the playing XI is a testament to how high-quality the tournament is," he added.

For Neesham, the opportunity to rub shoulders and train with the likes of Samson and Jos Buttler is one of the best things about the IPL.

"One of the best things about the IPL is living day-to-day with these guys that are so high-quality and watching how they train. Sanju is definitely one of those players. Jos Buttler is another I was excited to join when I looked at the team," the all-rounder signed off.

Meanwhile, the Royals have started brilliantly in the 15th season. The Samson-led unit have won both games with comprehensive margins, including a 23-run win over five-time champions Mumbai Indians on Saturday afternoon.