HOW WOULD THE OUTLAWS FARE IN THE IPL?

After three years of failing to progress past the quarter finals, the star-studded Outlaws will hope for a more successful T20 campaign this time round, but just how would this year's squad compete with the very best in world cricket?

Few would question that Notts Outlaws are one of the most powerful one-day outfits in the country these days. Despite a lack of success in the recent T20 competitions, they have dominated the group stages, and will take heart from their 2013 Yorkshire Bank 40 glory. With six players having been selected for England's provisional T20 World cup squad, and even though overseas signing  Peter Siddle is unlikely to feature too often in the shortest format, there are few English sides that really compare.  

"A combination of youth and experience is essential to success, and this Outlaws side certainly possesses that."

As for the IPL, the events of previous years have proved that a combination of youth and experience is essential to success, and this Outlaws side certainly possesses that. Seasoned campaigners such as Chris Read would compliment the flamboyance and youthful flair of players such as Harry Gurney and James Taylor. Solidity is also a must if a team has any serious ambition to succeed in such competitions, and the opening partnership between Michael Lumb and Alex Hales provides just that. Two players with impeccable techniques, as well as a good amount of international experience would certainly not be affected by the different conditions the IPL has to offer, nor would they find facing the more unorthodox bowlers, such as Lasith Malinga or Sunil Narine, especially daunting.

With players such as James Taylor and Samit Patel due in after two of the best opening batsmen in the business, it is difficult to think of too many IPL sides that this top order couldn't compete with. While Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli might hit a longer ball than the likes of Taylor and Patel, IPL sides are always chopping and changing due to the re-auctioning of players. This, inevitably, leads to a lack of understanding which is otherwise present in the Outlaws' ranks. 'Gayle and Kohli can hit the ball 120 metres though!', I hear you cry. Not if they've already been run-out, they can't.

In terms of the workhorses of the tournament, those poor souls who can only watch as the ball they've just bent their backs to send down disappears forty rows back, the Outlaws' bowling line-up isn't too bad either. Harry Gurney and Jake Ball provide excellent options with the new ball, and Peter Siddle, Samit Patel and Ajmal Shazhad have all proved their worth throughout the innings at international level. The pessimists amongst those reading this would likely question the Outlaws' strength in the spin-bowling department, and whether the likes of Patel would be effective enough on a raging turner in Mumbai. However, although not especially glamorous, the spin bowling department offers solidity, one that performs consistently to a good level and is reliable when called upon to make it tough in the middle overs.

Individually though, can promising youngsters like Gurney match the unquestionable ability of a bowler like Dale Steyn? Or does Chris Read's experience compare to that of the level-headed Mr. Cricket, Mike Hussey? If you were to compare the records of the Outlaws players with their 'opposite numbers', you would probably find that the figures would not favour the men of Trent Bridge. Compare them however to their county counterparts and their relative achievements impress considerably.

Cricket, however, is not a game played on paper or behind a computer screen, nor is it ever won by brilliant batsmen, stunning fielders or even the most skilled of death bowlers. Cricket is a game won by consistently good, all-round performances. Every member of the team has to step up to the plate and contribute in pretty much each aspect of the game. Jake Ball might not quite match the pace or accuracy of Dale Steyn just yet, nor does James Taylor have the delicate touch, maturity or nous of AB De Villiers, but each member of the Outlaws squad understands one another, and that is what sets them apart from any other side in the competition. There is no point in having fantastic individuals if they don't know how to play as a team, and this Outlaws side knows exactly how to do that.

Watch Notts Outlaws take on Lancashire Lightning for £10 on Friday 16 May.