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Top-two finish key
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Giants the holders
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Vipers well-balanced
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Minimum two UAE players in italics
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
2023 finish: 6th
Batting run rate rank: 6
Bowling economy rank: 6
Squad: Ali Khan, Andre Russell, Brandon McMullen, Charith Asalanka, David Willey, Jake Lintott, Joe Clarke, Josh Little, Laurie Evans, Marchant de Lange, Matiullah Khan, Michael Pepper, Ravi Bopara, Sabir Ali, Sam Hain, Sunil Narine, Imad Wasim, Alishan Sharafu
Possible XI: Sharafu, Clarke, Pepper, Hain, Evans, Russell, Narine, Imad, Willey, Little, Sabir
Analysis: With the mark of the devil on the stats above what have Knight Riders done to be nice, rather than naughty? Not much is the short answer. Laurie Evans is a terrific pick-up though that is tempered by an injury to joe Clarke and Sam Hain's dreadful Bash. It's a big ask to get in the play-offs from last year.
Desert Vipers
2023 finish: Runners-up
Batting run rate rank: 2
Bowling economy rank: 2
Squad: Adam Hose, Alex Hales, Ali Naseer, Azam Khan, Bas de Leede, Colin Munro, Dinesh Chandimal, Gus Atkinson, Luke Wood, Matheesha Pathirana, Michael Jones, Rohan Mustafa, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sheldon Cottrell, Sherfane Rutherford, Tom Curran, Wanindu Hasaranga, Nathan Sowter, Dan Lawrence
Possible XI: Hales, Mustafa, Munro, Azam, Hose, Rutherford, Hasaranga, Shadab, Afridi, Naseer, Pathirana
Analysis: Do Vipers lack lower-order power again? They looked light last term deploying Benny Howell. But other teams have bigger issues. They will try to hide their second UAE player with Rohan Mustafa a decent option as opener. Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan will miss the final - if they get there - for the start of the PSL. They look a solid back-to-lay at the very least.
Dubai Capitals
2023 finish: 4th
Batting run rate rank: 3
Bowling economy rank: 5
Squad: Andrew Tye, Dasun Shanaka, David Warner, Dushmantha Chameera, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Max Holden, Mohammad Mohsin, Nuwan Thushara, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Raja Akif, Roman Powell, Roelof van der Merwe, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sam Billings, Sikandar Raza
Possible XI: Warner, Gurbaz, Root, Powell, Raza, Shanaka, van der Merwe, Mohsin, Tye, Wood, Akif
Analysis: David Warner and Joe Root clogging up the top order could put pressure on the rest. And although Roelof van der Merwe is experienced and canny, they do lack top-drawer spin. The good news is that Akif Raja, the UAE quick, is not making up the numbers.
Gulf Giants
2023 finish: Winners
Batting run rate rank: 4
Bowling economy rank: 1
Squad: Aayan Afzal Khan, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordan, Chris Lynn, Dominic Drakes, Gerhard Erasmus, Jamie Overton, James Vince, Jamie Smith, Jordan Cox, Karim Janat, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Rehan Ahmed, Richard Gleeson, Sanchit Sharma, Saurabh Netravalkar, Shimon Hetmyer
Possible XI: Vince, Lynn, Cox, Smith, Hetmyer, Brathwaite, Rehan, Jordan, Afzal Khan, Gleeson, Sharma
Analysis: Giants have lost 18-wicket David Wiese to the SAT20, which could be a blow. Despite retaining much of their batting talent it's hard not to reckon they are over-reliant on James Vince (439 runs last term). Chris Lynn has picked up a niggle, Shimron Hetmyer's form has disappeared and few fancy Carlos Brathwaite on a turner.
BSST 5 top-bat win rates 2023 ILT20
Hales (Vipers) 42%
Vince (Giants) 36%
Russell (Knight Riders) 33%
Powell (Capitals) 30%
Waseem (Emirates) 27%
*Minimum 9 games
MI Emirates
2023 finish: 3rd
Batting run rate rank: 1
Bowling economy rank: 4
Squad: Akeal Hosein, Ambati Rayudu, Andre Fletcher, Corey Anderson, Daniel Mousley, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jordan Thompson, Kusal Perera, McKenny Clarke, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Pooran (c), Nosthush Kenjige, Odean Smith, Trent Boult, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Waqar Salamkheil, Will Smeed, Zahoor Khan
Possible XI: Fletcher, Waseem, Pooran, Rayudu, Mousley, Smith, Akeal, Waqar, Boult, Zahoor, Farooqi
Analysis: Muhammad Waseem, the UAE opener, struck at 138 last term so he is more than holding his own. Medium-pacer Zahoor Khan will be kept out of the firing line as much as possible. Kieron Pollard is a big loss to the SAT20 but a strong Caribbean flavour remains. Up front with bat and ball they are strong. There are worries about what happens after that but they should qualify.
Sharjah Warriors
2023 finish: 5th
Batting run rate rank: 5
Bowling economy rank: 3
Squad: Chris Sole, Chris Woakes, Daniel Sams, Dilshan Madushanka, James Fuller, Joe Denly, Johnson Charles, Junaid Siddique, Kusal Mendis, Lewis Gregory, Mahesh Theekshana, Mark Deyal, Mark Watt, Martin Guptill, Muhammad Jawadullah, Qais Ahmad, Sean Williams, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
Possible XI: Charles, Guptill, Kusal, Kohler-Cadmore, Denly, Deyal, Gregory, Woakes, Theekshana, Siddique, Jawadullah
Analysis: Junaid Siddique is excellent with the ball as a homegrown. That's as good as it gets. There's an awful lot of ground to make up on the metrics and with a batting line-up as uninspiring as this, they are taken to finish bottom.
Ed's predicted finish
Desert Vipers
MI Emirates
Gulf Giants
Dubai Capitals
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
Sharjah Warriors