Team-Wise IPL 2021 Auction Strategies of Franchises

IPL has already declared the list of players who will go under the hammer in Chennai on 18^th of February. All franchises will be busy browsing through that list of 292 players to find their exact matches for the upcoming IPL 2021. It will be interesting to see what each and every team requires to complete their squads. In the build-up to IPL Auction 2021, we will draw strategies for every team that they are likely to follow.   

Chennai Super Kings

One of the most successful franchises in the history – Chennai Super Kings struggled in the last edition and missed play-offs stages for the first time ever. They will be looking to rectify some of their lean areas in the squad. After the releases, they are currently having a purse of INR 22.9 Cr. But they only have one overseas slot remaining in their squad. With Shane Watson no longer part of the team, they will be searching for a top order batsman for sure. Dawid Malan and Steve Smith are two prime contenders on whom they can bet upon at the auction.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

With a purse of INR 35.4 Cr remaining, Royal Challengers Bangalore would be very clear of what they want out of the upcoming auction. An Indian wicket-keeper batsman and overseas pace options will be on the radars of Mike Hesson and Co. Kerala keeper Vishnu Vinod is an ideal pick for RCB while they can also target Sam Billings if they are searching for another explosive middle order player. In overseas fast-bowlers, they are likely to go for Chris Morris again to have him at the lower price but that looks difficult keeping in mind auction dynamics. Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis are other notable options in this category.

Read: Players that RCB can Target in IPL 2021 Auction

Kings XI Punjab

With only three overseas imports intact, Kings XI Punjab have plenty of buying to do on the 18^th. And they will have plenty of money too for that, in fact biggest of them all – INR 53.2 Cr. After releasing Glenn Maxwell, they will be searching for a powerful finisher or a middle order batsman. Dawid Malan will be a front runner for them while someone like Colin de Grandhomme or Kyle Jamieson can also make interesting options for KXIP. Apart from these, they are also likely to bid for a couple of domestic spinners. Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh are two names that come to mind that can suit the requirements of KXIP.

Mumbai Indians

Defending champions Mumbai Indians are again quite clear on what they exactly want from this auction. They have cleaned most of their cupboard of overseas pace bowling before the auction. So, quite clearly, they will look to add fast-bowling imports on 18^th. Jhye Richardson, Kyle Jamieson, Riley Meredith and Chris Morris are some of the premium contenders for Mumbai Indians. Apart from that, they will look to add one or two Indian spinners as back-ups to Rahul Chahar.

Read: Indian Players who can start bidding war at 2021 IPL Auction

Kolkata Knight Riders

They struggled throughout the whole of last season to find a partner for Shubman Gill. So, they may look for an overseas opening batsman to accompany young Indian superstar. Alex Hales and Aaron Finch come across as perfect fits while Dawid Malan can also be a safe bet for top-order batsman. Apart from that, they might want to add Indian all-rounders in the lower-middle order. Krishnappa Gowtham and Shivam Dube are two ideal options for Kolkata in that regards.

Rajasthan Royals

With INR 34.85 Cr remaining, Rajasthan Royals have plenty of thinking to do before that hammer goes down. With Sanju Samson at helm of affairs this year, there are high possibilities that his Kerala teammate Mohammad Azharuddeen will join him at Rajasthan Royals. Dawid Malan and Alex Carey are other top-order options for them while they also need 2-3 world-class pace bowling options. They would also try to bring back Krishnappa Gowtham or bid for Shivam Dube who is perfectly capable of winning T20 games if given a platform by top-order.

Read: IPL 2021 Auction Complete Players’ List

Sunrisers Hyderabad

This Hyderabad franchise has only released three players from last year’s squad. With most of their core intact, they have not much to fill at this IPL 2021 Auction. They have INR 10.75 Cr left in their purse for a maximum of three players in their squad. They still might go for Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan to bring him back in the squad. Apart from that, they will be looking to add one more overseas fast-bowler for this year as they have released Billy Stanlake.

Delhi Capitals

Same as SRH, Delhi Capitals also have quite settled squad after last year’s impressive run to the finals. With INR 12.9 Cr in the purse, Delhi Capitals will be looking to add back-ups to their first playing XI. A middle-order back-up for Marcus Stoinis should be their priority this year. Chris Morris and Cameron Green are some of the major options available in the auction. Apart from that, a couple of Indian fast-bowlers should also hold them into a good place before this year’s IPL 2021.

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