The IPL auction for the 14th season of IPL (Feel old already?) is scheduled for 18th February, Thursday. This is the last chance for most of these teams to win together with their current core of players, before the mega auction scheduled for the next season, which will see teams built from scratch.
Let’s see how each of the teams stack up, and what their potential targets might look like for this auction!
Mumbai Indians
Three-peat is the golden standard for great teams in sports and that’s what MI will try and emulate with the most settled squad among all the franchisees. Their starting XI almost picks itself. They released 7 players, including Nathan Coulter Nile, James Pattinson and Mitch McClenaghan.
The only slot they need to fill is probably another fast-bowling all-rounder, and Chris Morris is the best candidate. With 15.35 Cr, Morris might be out of reach, but Mark Wood or Adam Milne can be good options, as can be Shivam Dube. K Gowtham can be another surprising pick, as a backup to Krunal Pandya.
Delhi Capitals
The runners up of last season, DC has also a very settled quad. A strong Indian batting core and foreign bowling unit almost pick itself. Possible targets would be a cover for Rishabh Pant, and Mohammed Azharuddeen would be a great pick, a standout performer in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
A backup for Stoinis would be ideal and Morris is a great target. A small purse of 13.4 Cr. might force their hand. Daniel Christian, coming off a great BBL can be a good pick, along with the highly-rated Glenn Philippe. Glenn Maxwell can make a potential return as well in the middle order.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
One of the most settled squads apart from MI, SRH needs to bolster its middle order. The overseas players almost pick themselves with Rashid, Warner, Bairstow and Williamson too hard to drop. With the smallest purse of 10.75 Cr, SRH will ideally target someone like a Shivam Dube, who can act as a finisher. They can also target a Moeen Ali or Shakib Al Hasan to bolster the middle order.
Kedar Jadhav and Mohammed Azharuddeen can be good domestic alternatives for the middle order firepower. They can also try and replace Billy Stanlake with a Jhye Richardson or Kylie Jamieson- both coming off great domestic form.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
As a lifelong RCB fan (feel the pain), the franchise has released players who will definitely be high profile targets for EVERY OTHER FRANCHISEE. Yadav, Morris, Finch, Dube, Moeen are definitely not coming back. With a purse of 35.4 Cr, RCB is trying to shake up a well-settled core.
If Joshua Philipps opens based on BBL form, a middle-order batsman is a must and it MUST NOT be Glenn Maxwell. Ideally, a Shakib Al Hasan would be great. Mohammed Azharuddin is a must-have as a WK batsman to fill the void of Parthiv.
David Malan is the best T-20 player and would be a great replacement for Finch. Corey Anderson can be a left-field choice. Mustafizziur Rahman is a great option to solve their death bowling woes.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Another squad that retained a lot of players, and has the smallest purse alongside SRH at 10.75 Cr. However, KKR has major voids to fill. Russell and Narine are not the galacticos they once were, with Narine’s decline being steep. They would ideally target an opening partner for Gill. Jason Roy is a good buy given their purse.
From domestic circuit, Avi Barot and Mohammed Azharuddin are great choices. Shakib should be a good option if they can bid for him for middle-order stability. Umesh Yadav can be a great buyback. Cameron Green and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman are two left-field choices to plug in the spinner’s role and middle-order hitter role.
Daniel Christian would be a great backup for Russell but KKR would most likely be outbid. Kedhar Jadhav is another potential player they can consider as a backup to Narine.
Punjab Kings
My dark horses to win the IPL this year. They have the largest purse available at 53.2 Cr. but a very well settled squad, with a strong Indian batting core. They should ideally break the bank for Chris Morris, he adds firepower in their finishing and solves death bowling woes. Shakib will be a great spin bowling all-rounder to fill the gap of K Gowtham. Having released Cottrell, they can target Kylie Jamieson or Jhye Richardson to strengthen bowling. Harbhajan Singh can be a shrewd option, knowing the home conditions very well and can be their spinner to fill in for Mujeeb, as can Moeen Ali.
Chennai Super Kings
Coming off their worst IPL season, you’d think CSK would go for a major rejig. But they’ve reposed faith in their team for this year. With a purse of 19.9 Cr, CSK will be targeting a replacement for Shane Watson, in a top-order explosive batsman. David Malan, aged 34 fits the “age” and explosive criteria perfectly for CSK.
Jason Roy and Martin Guptill are other candidates to fill this role. To compensate for the loss of Harbhajan and add some middle-order pinch hitters, Moeen Ali and K Gowtham are good choices. Maxwell also seems a good option for this. It’s tempting to look at Steve Smith, but unless he’s a long term option, he doesn’t fit into their middle order.
It’s important to note that CSK might also be looking for a caption- if not this year, in the upcoming year.
Rajasthan Royals
They finished last and have released a lot of players to end up with a purse of 37.85 Cr. Primary targets would be a pace bowling partner for Archer. Morris, Mark Wood, Richardson and Umesh Yadav are great options.
For middle-order firepower, they can look at Sachin Baby and Shahrukh Khan from the domestic circuit, else target Moeen Ali and Maxwell. Ben McDermott can be a great buy to fill in for Smith. Shakib Al Hasan will also be a great buy, considering he fills in the all-rounder role, adding depth to top-order batting, and middle overs bowling.
Who do you think will be the most expensive buy at IPL 14 Auction?
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