After two exciting days of bidding and millions of dollars spent on over 200 players, here are how the ten Indian Premier League teams stack up after the 2022 IPL auction.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Biggest buys: Deepak Chahar (INR 14 crore), Ambati Rayudu (INR 6.75 crore)
Chennai have got the band back together from last season’s title-winning campaign and could possibly start the new season with eight players who featured in the 2021 IPL final. Once again, Chennai have filled their side with plenty of all-rounders, with Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and even Deepak Chahar giving MS Dhoni plenty of options with bat and ball. The Men in Yellow also replaced Josh Hazlewood excellently with Kiwi speedster Adam Milne while Chris Jordan provides a good backup option.
Weaknesses: Chennai will sorely miss Faf du Plessis at the top of the order and have replaced last season’s second-highest run-scorer with Kiwi opener Devon Conway, who is yet to play a T20 in India.
DELHI CAPITALS
Biggest buys: Shardul Thakur (INR 10.75 crore), Mitchell Marsh (INR 6.5 crore), David Warner (INR 6.25 crore)
Delhi have built a formidable top four with the addition of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh at bargain prices alongside Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw to go along with some varied bowling options such as Mustafizur Rahman and Chetan Sakariya.
Weaknesses: The Capitals’ bowling attack is significantly weakened compared to last season, with Shardul Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed now partnering Anrich Nortje instead of Avesh Khan and Kagiso Rabada. Delhi also don’t have too many Indian options in the middle order, potentially forcing them to play Rovman Powell at number five and move away from their successful two-overseas seamer dynamic.
GUJARAT TITANS
Biggest buys: Lockie Ferguson (INR 10 crore), Rahul Tewatia (INR 9 crore), Mohammed Shami (INR 6.25 crore)
The Titans left it late to buy a wicket-keeper but eventually added Matthew Wade and Wriddhiman Saha in the final round of bidding at the auction. On the plus side, Gujarat have compiled a strong bowling line-up with retention pick Rashid Khan well-complemented by pacers Lockie Ferguson and Mohammed Shami.
Weaknesses: The Titans overpaid for all-rounder Rahul Tewatia at 9 crores and are incredibly thin in the batting department, with Shubman Gill as the only recognised Indian batter in their team. Moreover, if Hardik Pandya’s injury issues persist, the team could run short of bowling options considering the track record of Vijay Shankar and Rahul Tewatia in recent years.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Biggest buys: Shreyas Iyer (INR 12.25 crore), Nitish Rana (INR 8 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 7.25 crore)
The Kolkata Knight Riders added three players from their 2021 IPL squad on day one of the auction in Nitish Rana, Shivam Mavi and Pat Cummins and also found a new potential captain in the form of Shreyas Iyer. On day two, KKR were able to find plenty of bargain buys in the accelerated auction as they picked up Alex Hales, Chameeka Karunaratne and Umesh Yadav for their base price.
Weaknesses: KKR don’t have an established Indian wicket-keeper in their squad and might be forced to start with Sheldon Jackson, who has only played four IPL matches, as the starting keeper. There are also some doubts whether Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer can play Brendon McCullum’s style of attacking cricket, and the reigning finalists are also short in terms of backups and could run into trouble if Andre Russell’s well-documented injury issues resurface.
LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS
Biggest buys: Avesh Khan (INR 10 crore), Jason Holder (INR 8.75 crore), Krunal Pandya (INR 8.25 crore)
The Lucknow Super Giants supplemented their draft picks of KL Rahul, Marcus Stoinis and Ravi Bishnoi with some excellent bargain buys in their first IPL auction. Lucknow added keeper-batsman Quinton de Kock at an excellent price of 6.75 crores and have also added plenty of all-round options in the form of Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder and Krishnappa Gowtham to solidify their middle-order.
Weaknesses: Although Lucknow don’t have a glaring weakness, the fitness and availability of Mark Wood is always a concern, and the only bowler in the side with a good record at the death is uncapped pacer Avesh Khan.
MUMBAI INDIANS
Biggest Buys: Ishan Kishan (INR 15.25 crore), Tim David (INR 8.25 crore), Jofra Archer (INR 8.5 crore)
Mumbai brought the most intriguing strategy to the IPL auction as they completed the most expensive buy of the auction to retain the services of Ishan Kishan as a keeper-batsman. The five-time champions also kept their powder dry for most of day one before going hard during the accelerated auction on day two with the purchases of Tim David and Jofra Archer, despite the latter being unable to play in 2022.
Weaknesses: The current Mumbai line-up lacks star power compared to previous seasons, and they are short on power-hitters after the departures of Quinton de Kock and the Pandya brothers. Rohit Sharma’s side also don’t have a quality spin option this season, while their pace battery looks a little light in 2022 with Archer unavailable.
PUNJAB KINGS
Biggest Buys: Liam Livingstone (INR 11.25 crore), Kagiso Rabada (INR 9.25 crore), Shikhar Dhawan (INR 8.25 crore)
After a string of disappointing auctions, Punjab have one of the strongest sides on paper in 2022, with an exciting side packed with six-hitting options such as Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith. Shikhar Dhawan also gives the team an experienced, reliable opener alongside Mayank Agarwal, while Kagiso Rabada is one of the best death bowlers in T20 cricket.
Weaknesses: Punjab have taken a massive gamble on Shahrukh Khan in the middle order at nine crores, and the team are also short on new-ball wicket-taking options in the powerplay.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
Biggest Buys: Prasidh Krishna (INR 10 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (INR 8.5 crore), Devdutt Padikkal (INR 7.75 crore)
Rajasthan have done some astute business in the IPL auction and have formed a dangerous top five with the additions of Devdutt Padikkal and Shimron Hetmyer alongside their three retentions. The Royals also have arguably the best spin duo of the IPL in Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, who cost a combined 11.5 crore.
Weaknesses: Rajasthan are without any marquee Indian all-round options in the middle order, potentially forcing them to use an overseas spot and play Jimmy Neesham at number seven. The Royals have also left themselves short at the slog overs with the ball and don’t have any standout death-bowlers in the squad.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
Biggest Buys: Wanindu Hasaranga (INR 10.75 crore), Harshal Patel (INR 10.75 crore), Josh Hazlewood (INR 7.75 crore)
With Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga, RCB have one of the most potent bowling attacks in the competition that covers all bases. Bangalore also have some excellent overseas backups in Jason Behrendorff, David Willey and Finn Allen, along with some batting depth with the likes of Harshal Patel and Shahbaz Ahmed coming down the order.
Weaknesses: Virat Kohli is the only recognised Indian batter in the team, and they could be forced to field uncapped batsman Mahipal Lomror and Anuj Rawat in the middle order, adding extra responsibility on the likes of Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik.
SUNRISERS HYDERABAD
Biggest Buys: Nicholas Pooran (INR 10.75 crore), Washington Sundar (INR 8.75 crore), Rahul Tripathi (INR 8.5 crore)
SRH have one of the better bowling attacks in the competition with an excellent stock of Indian pacers such as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kartik Tyagi, T Natarajan that complement their promising all-rounders Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar and Romario Shepherd.
Weaknesses: While the Sunrisers have a well-rounded squad with some useful rotational pieces, Hyderabad don’t have any star players that are considered game-changers and have failed to adequately replace David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Rashid Khan.
[All Images Credit: IPL – Indian Premier League]
Shivaan Shah