IPL Auction Review
It’s back. The Indian Premier League, an event symbolic of the singular national obsession. That cricket is a religion in India has become a touch cliched but it still remains true, and that love of the game manifests itself in the quality of the competition. A multi-billion dollar brand, the IPL has continued its expansion, reaching ten teams for the upcoming edition, and now holds an unshakeable grip over two months of the cricketing calendar, a time period which will only get longer in the coming years. Here, I review the two-day auction, highlighting strengths and weaknesses for each franchise, along with predictions for the tournament :
Chennai Super Kings
Strengths :
Even after years of domination, the yellow machine still rolls back into town. The blueprint remains the same : strong opening pair, a varied attack and ridiculous batting depth, important now more than ever as Dhoni enter his 40’s. CSK managed to retain the core of last year’s championship run, and will therefore remain firmly in the running this time around.
Weaknesses :
Despite their continuity, Chennai have been forced to make some changes in the overseas department, bringing in Devon Conway to replace Faf du Plessis, and Adam Milne for Josh Hazlewood. Although both Kiwis are excellent players, they lack the experience of their predecessors. Conway has played just a handful of T20s in Asia, a concerning fact considering their lack of a back-up overseas batter.
Prediction : 2nd
Delhi Capitals
Strengths :
That top four. Shaw, Warner, Marsh and Pant are all proven performers at both domestic and international level, balancing high-strike rates with excellent consistency. Delhi also have a depth in the overseas department, with four strong competitors for the fourth overseas spot in Rovman Powell, Lungi Ngidi, Tim Seifert and Mustafizur Rahman while Anrich Nortje’s blistering pace will play a prominent role.
Weaknesses :
For all their overseas strength, Delhi’s domestic contingent are not quite at the same level, so whether they choose the extra overseas batter or bowler, they will sacrifice quality in the other. DC have also rested their hopes largely on Kuldeep Yadav as an attacking spinner to complement Axar Patel; a potentially risky move considering recent form.
Prediction : 3rd
Chennai were crowned 2021 champions and have returned many key players
Source : espncricinfo.com
Gujarat Titans
Strengths :
The power of a reinvented Jason Roy combining with Shubman Gill’s innate class holds promise at the top of the order and will be supported by an explosive lower middle-order, including Hardik Pandya and world-cup hero Matthew Wade. Gujarat also boast a strong core of international standard bowlers as Lockie Ferguson, Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami form a fearsome triumvirate.
Weaknesses :
Despite the potential of their opening partnership, the batting as a whole is inexperienced with Roy having played just 13 IPL games, and no obviously strong candidates to bat at numbers 3 and 4. This, combined with concerns over Gill’s striker-rate may result in leaving too much for that middle-order to overcome.
Prediction : 7th
Kolkata Knight Riders
Strengths :
Kolkata will again look primarily to spin in this tournament, as the mystery of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy can befuddle the best. The lower middle-order is also a strength as Narine and Russell remain some of the world’s most destructive players.
Weaknesses :
Their domestic batting, however, may be a concern as Rahane and Shreyas Iyer have both primarily played in the anchor role, and their lower strike-rates may put excessive pressure on others in the line-up. A potential solution to this may involve Alex Hales coming in to open the batting with Rahane shifting down he order. KKR’s fast bowling stocks may also be a bit thin as Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi have both proven expensive at points in previous tournaments.
Prediction : 10th
Lucknow Super Giants
Strengths :
The second new franchise will be extremely happy with how their draft has turned out. LSG have a strong claim to the best opening partnership in the competition as the consistency of KL Rahul joins Quinton de Kock’s firepower. Their bowling attack is also varied, boasting the pace of Mark Wood, Jason Holder’s height and Avesh Khan’s skill along with two high quality domestic spinners in Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya.
Weaknesses :
Although Lucknow have many bases covered, it is yet to be seen whether those players live up to their promise. Manish Pandey and Krunal Pandya are both striking at below 125 in recent years, which may be a concern with such a strong batting unit. Mark Wood is another potential concern - just one IPL match played in which he conceded 49 runs and took no wickets - and while there are promising signs in his recent performances Wood remains somewhat injury-prone.
Prediction : 4th
Mumbai Indians
Strengths :
The retained domestic trio of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav remain a force at the top of the order while Kieron Pollard continues as the main-stay of their middle-order, now partnered by Tim David in place of Hardik Pandya. Death bowling is also in good hands with the ever-brilliant Jasprit Bumrah joined by Tymal Mills.
Weaknesses :
Although the system remains the same, with many of the same big names and the same coaches, I’m struggling to see a single area in which they are not worse off than last year. As talented as Tim David and Daniel Sams are, they are not upgrades over the Pandyas and the same is true for Murugan Ashwin replacing Rahul Chahar. The loss of de Kock is also massive, heaping the pressure onto Rohit Sharma, who has not been at his best in recent seasons. One thinks they may be playing the long game, awaiting Jofra’s return.
Prediction : 8th
5-time champs Mumbai went all-in on the injured Jofra Archer to partner Bumrah
source : crictracker.com
Punjab Kings
Strengths :
For much of the last cycle, Punjab floundered near the bottom of the table despite an excellent opening pair, but no more. This new-look side is full of explosive hitters and wicket-takers - their top four of Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone may be the best in the competition while the bowling is led by Kagiso Rabada, a perennial purple-cap contender.
Weaknesses :
This ultra-aggressive, six-hitting style does come with it’s risks. For all of Liam Livingstone’s exploits over the past year, he remains unproven in the IPL, as are Benny Howell and Odean Smith. Likewise, the bowling group is strong but may be expensive, with most of them prioritising wickets over economy - an approach that may prove blessing or curse.
Prediction : 1st
Rajasthan Royals
Strengths :
In Jos Buttler and Devdutt Paddikal, the Royals have a quality opening pair who combine consistency with power - although Paddikal has displayed a tendency to get bogged down after the powerplay - while Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer offer six-hitting through the middle. They have also managed to secure two excellent domestic spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Ashwin.
Weaknesses :
Although the bowling has a far more balanced look to it than in the Jofra Archer era, death bowling remains an issue. With Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna all stronger towards the top end of an innings. The Royals also have a young look to their batting so will need Samson to continue his recent consistency.
Prediction : 5th
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Strengths :
Even as the ABD-era ends, RCB have continued their focus on three exceptional top-order batters, now bringing in Faf du Plessis to join Maxwell and Kohli. The difference this year is in their bowling quality, having added Josh Hazlewood - IPL and WC winner - to Mohammed Siraj and last year’s purple cap winner Harshal Patel.
Weaknesses :
Despite going to school with AB, du Plessis isn’t quite the perfect replacement due to his relative struggles against spin. Both he and Kohli are superb against pace but struggle to maintain their high strike-rates against the twirlers, leaving RCB susceptible to getting bogged down post-powerplay. There is also massive pressure on Wanindu Hasaranga to deliver as the primary spinner, despite having never taken an IPL wicket.
Prediction : 6th
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Strengths :
After a last-place finish in 2021, SRH opted for a complete rebuild, moving on from Rashid Khan and David Warner in favour of Kane Williamson. Williamson now forms part of a promising overseas trio at the top of the order alongside Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran. As ever, Sunrisers have an excellent domestic core of bowlers, with T Natarjan and Karthik Tyagi joining Bhuvaneshwar Kumar.
Weaknesses :
Having yet again opted for a bowling-heavy approach, Sunrisers simply cannot match the firepower of some other teams, notably Punjab or Delhi. This places a lot of pressure on Pooran as the main explosive hitter in that lineup, particularly given his struggles last year - registering four ducks in eleven innings on his way to averaging just 7.72.
Prediction : 9th