The IPL 2014 auction is over ! This year had a new concept with 314 uncapped players also going into the auction. It was a great move by the IPL Governing Council as these fringe players got their dues and also franchisees with no good players in their catchment area had a chance to build a strong Indian base.
Overall 518 players went into the auction, 314 of whom were Indians. A total of 154 players were brought by the teams with 50 of them being overseas players.
Over the two days franchisees had their consultants making strategies for them, shaping up their team for the next 3 years with lots of permutations and combinations going on. Now that all is done let's see how the squads line up at the end of the auction.
Chennai Super Kings
Squad strength: 20 (Indian 12, overseas 8)
Squad cost: INR 59.80 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: Faf du Plessis (INR 4.75 crore), Mithun Manhas (INR 30 lakh), Suresh Raina (retained)
Allrounders: Dwayne Smith (INR 4.5 crore), John Hastings (INR 50 lakh), Vijay Shankar (INR 10 lakh), B Aparajith (INR 10 lakh), Dwayne Bravo (retained), Ravindra Jadeja (retained)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Brendon McCullum (INR 3.25 crore), MS Dhoni (retained)
Spinners: Samuel Badree (INR 30 lakh), Pawan Negi (INR 10 lakh), R Ashwin (retained)
Fast bowlers: Mohit Sharma (INR 2 crore), Ashish Nehra (INR 2 crore), Ishwar Pandey (INR 1.5 crore), Ben Hilfenhaus (INR 1 crore), Matt Henry (INR 30 lakh), Ronit More (INR 10 lakh)
Most expensive player at auction: Faf du Plessis (INR 4.75 crore)
Bargain buy: B Aparajith (INR 10 lakh)
Strengths: They have retained 5 players from their previous squad with the additions of Faf and McCullum. The India contingent is strong with 4 national team first XI players and 2 players on the fringes. The spin duo of Ashwin and Jadeja will prove to be effective on the Chennai tracks.
Weaknesses: The bowling does not look as strong as it did in previous seasons and they will miss the ever so dependable Michael Hussey. The overall squad looks a bit weak compared to other teams.
Probable first XI: 1 Brendon McCullum/Dwayne Smith 2 Faf du Plessis 3 Suresh Raina 4 Dwayne Bravo 5 Mithun Manhas/B Aparajith 6 MS Dhoni(C) 7 Ravindra Jadeja 8 R Ashwin 9 Mohit Sharma 10 Ishwar Pandey 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.
Kings XI Punjab
Squad strength: 23 (Indian 16, overseas 7)
Squad cost: INR 55.90 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: George Bailey (INR 3.25 crore), Virender Sehwag (INR 3.2 crore), Shaun Marsh (INR 2.2 crore), Cheteshwar Pujara (INR 1.9 crore), Gurkeerat Singh (INR 1.3 crore), Mandeep Singh (INR 80 lakh), David Miller (retained), Manan Vohra (retained)
Allrounders: Glenn Maxwell (INR 6 crore), Rishi Dhawan (INR 3 crore), Thisara Perera (INR 1.6 crore), Akshar Patel (INR 75 lakh), Karanveer Singh (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Wriddhiman Saha (INR 2.2 crore)
Spinners: Murali Kartik (INR 1 crore), Shivam Sharma (INR 10 lakh)
Fast bowlers: Mitchell Johnson (INR 6.5 crore), Beuran Hendricks (INR 1.8 crore), L Balaji (INR 1.8 crore), Sandeep Sharma (INR 85 lakh), Parvinder Awana (INR 65 lakh), Anureet Singh (INR 20 lakh), Shardul Thakur (INR 20 lakh)
Most expensive player at auction: Mitchell Johnson (INR 6.5 crore)
Bargain buy: Virender Sehwag (INR 3.2 crore)
Strengths: They have an explosive middle order and the opening combination looks settled too. Mitchell Johnson adds that X factor to their team. They have a good set of all-rounders to choose from in Rishi Dhawan, Glenn Maxwell and Thisara Perera.
Weaknesses: The spin department looks weak and although Murali Kartik is experienced, he is not a wicket taking option. They might have problems in the fast bowling department if Rishi Dhawan fails to fire as they needed someone to complement Mitch Johnson. They could have also gone in for another wicket-keeper.
Probable first XI: 1 Virender Sehwag(C) 2 Mandeep Singh 3 Cheteshwar Pujara/Shaun Marsh 4 George Bailey 5 Glenn Maxwell/Gurkeerat Singh 6 David Miller 7 Wriddhiman Saha, 8 Rishi Dhawan 9 Mitchell Johnson 10 Murali Kartik 11 L Balaji.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Squad strength: 21 (Indian 13, overseas 8)
Squad cost: INR 59 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: Robin Uthappa (INR 5 crore), Manish Pandey (INR 1.7 crore), Chris Lynn (INR 1.3 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 70 lakh), Gautam Gambhir (retained)
Allrounders: Jacques Kallis (INR 5.5 crore), Yusuf Pathan (INR 3.25 crore), Shakib Al Hasan (INR 2.8 crore), Ryan ten Doeschate (INR 1 crore), Andre Russell (INR 60 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Manvinder Bisla (INR 60 lakh), Debabrata Das (INR 20 lakh), SS Mondal (INR 10 lakh)
Spinners: Piyush Chawla (INR 4.25 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 40 lakh), Sunil Narine (retained)
Fast bowlers: Vinay Kumar (INR 2.8 crore), Morne Morkel (INR 2.8 crore), Umesh Yadav (INR 2.6 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 1 crore), Veer Pratap Singh (INR 40 lakh)
Most expensive player at auction: Jacques Kallis (INR 5.5 crore)
Bargain buy: Morne Morkel (INR 2.8 crore)
Strengths: The squad looks strong and complete in all departments. There has been a vast improvement in the number and quality of Indian players with the likes of Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav coming in. This was always one weakness of the previous KKR teams. The bowling department looks very good and is probably the best among all the sides.
Weaknesses: They could have added another quality foreign batsman like Ross Taylor(however poor his IPL record be) or George Bailey instead of Pat Cummins or Chris Lynn.
Probable first XI: 1 Robin Uthappa 2 Jacques Kallis 3 Gautam Gambhir(C) 4 Manish Pandey 5 Suryakumar Yadav 6 Yusuf Pathan 7Shakib Al Hasan(home)/Andre Russel(away) 8 Piyush Chawla(home)/Umesh Yadav(away) 9 Morne Morkel 10 Vinay Kumar 11 Sunil Narine.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Squad strength: 21 (Indians 14, overseas 7)
Squad cost: INR 60 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: Nic Maddinson (INR 50 lakh), Vijay Zol (INR 30 lakh), Tanmay Mishra (INR 10 lakh), Virat Kohli (retained), Chris Gayle (retained)
Allrounders: Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 crore), Albie Morkel (INR 2.4 crore), Yuzvendra Chahal (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Parthiv Patel (INR 1.4 crore), Yogesh Takawale (INR 10 lakh), AB de Villiers (retained)
Spinners: Muttiah Muralitharan (INR 1 crore), Shadab Jakati (INR 20 lakh)
Fast bowlers: Mitchell Starc (INR 5 crore), Varun Aaron (INR 2 crore), Ashok Dinda (INR 1.5 crore), Ravi Rampaul (INR 90 lakh), Harshal Patel (INR 40 lakh), Abu Nechim (INR 30 lakh), Sachin Rana (INR 20 lakh), Sandeep Warrier (INR 10 lakh)
Most expensive player at auction: Yuvraj Singh (INR 14 crore)
Bargain buy: Ravi Rampaul (INR 90 lakh)
Strengths: What can you say about the top 4 ! Simply fabulous !! Albie Morkel will fill in the allrounder's spot which they were so badly missing in the previous editions.
Weaknesses: The fast bowling is filled with too many mediocre options. They are severely lacking in the spin department despite having Murali.
Probable first XI: 1 Chris Gayle 2 Parthiv Patel 3 Virat Kohli(C) 4 Yuvraj Singh 5 AB de Villiers 6 Vijay Zol 7 Albie Morkel 8 Mitchell Starc 9 Shadab Jakati 10 Ashok Dinda 11 Varun Aaron.
Delhi Daredevils
Squad strength: 23 (Indian 16, overseas 7)
Squad cost: INR 60 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: Kevin Pietersen (INR 9 crore), M Vijay (INR 5 crore), Manoj Tiwary (INR 2.8 crore), JP Duminy (INR 2.2 crore), Ross Taylor (INR 2 crore), Kedar Jadhav (INR 2 crore), Mayank Agarwal (INR 1.6 crore), Saurabh Tiwary (INR 70 lakh), Milind Kumar (INR 10 lakh)
Allrounders: Laxmi Ratan Shukla (INR 1.5 crore), Jimmy Neesham (INR 1 crore), Jayant Yadav (INR 10 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Dinesh Karthik (INR 12.5 crore), Quinton de Kock (INR 3.5 crore)
Spinners: Rahul Sharma (INR 1.9 crore), Shahbaz Nadeem (INR 85 lakh)
Fast bowlers: Nathan Coulter-Nile (INR 4.25 crore), Mohammad Shami (INR 4.25 crore), Jaydev Unadkat (INR 2.8 crore), Wayne Parnell (INR 1 crore), Siddarth Kaul (INR 45 lakh), Rahul Shukla (INR 40 lakh), HS Sharath (INR 10 lakh)
Most expensive player at auction: Dinesh Karthik (INR 12.5 crore)
Bargain buy: Jimmy Neesham (INR 1 crore)
Strengths: A strong batting line up all the way down to number 7. The bowling also looks alright with both the fast bowling and spin bowling departments well covered. KP should provide them with the much needed boost by being available for the whole season.
Weaknesses: They depend on a few players who have a very bad track record in the IPL or who haven't played in India at all.
Probable first XI: 1 M Vijay 2 Quinton de Kock 3 Kevin Pietersen(C) 4 Dinesh Karthik 5 Jimmy Neesham/Ross Taylor 6 Manoj Tiwary 7 Kedar Jadhav 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile 9 Rahul Sharma 10 Mohammad Shami 11 Jaydev Unadkat.
Rajasthan Royals
Squad strength: 25 (Indian 17, overseas 8)
Squad cost: INR 54.45 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: Brad Hodge (INR 2.4 crore), Karun Nair (INR 75 lakh), Unmukt Chand (INR 65 lakh), Ajinkya Rahane (retained)
Allrounders: Steven Smith (INR 4 crore), Rajat Bhatia (INR 1.7 crore), Abhishek Nayar (INR 1 crore), Ben Cutting (INR 80 lakh), Kevon Cooper (INR 30 lakh), Rahul Tewatia (INR 10 lakh), Shane Watson (retained), Stuart Binny (retained), James Faulkner (retained)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Dishank Yagnik (INR 30 lakh), Ankush Bains (INR 10 lakh), Sanju Samson (retained)
Spinners: Iqbal Abdullah (INR 65 lakh), Ankit Sharma (INR 10 lakh), Pravin Tambe (INR 10 lakh)
Fast bowlers: Tim Southee (INR 1.2 crore), Dhaval Kulkarni (INR 1.1 crore), Kane Richardson (INR 1 crore), Deepak Hooda (INR 40 lakh), Vikramjeet Malik (INR 20 lakh), Amit Mishra (INR 10 lakh)
Most expensive player at auction: Steven Smith (INR 4 crore)
Bargain buy: Tim Southee (INR 1.2 crore)
Strengths: They have the biggest squad with the least amount of money spent. Keeping in touch with their tradition, the squad is full of unknown and utility players. Also have T20 specialists in Bhatia, Faulkner and Hodge.
Weaknesses: The bowling might be a problem if their all rounders or slow bowlers don't perform well. They have no quality spinner in their team and the longevity of Tambe has to be questioned.
Probable first XI: 1 Unmukt Chand 2 Ajinkya Rahane 3 Shane Watson(C) 4 Sanju Samson 5 Steven Smith 6 Brad Hodge 7 Stuart Binny/Abhishek Nayar 8 James Faulkner 9 Rajat Bhatia 10 Dhaval Kulkarni 11 Pravin Tambe/Iqbal Abdullah.
Mumbai Indians
Squad strength: 21 (Indian 13, overseas 8)
Squad cost: INR 59.95 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: Michael Hussey (INR 5 crore), Apoorv Wankhede (INR 10 lakh), Rohit Sharma (retained), Ambati Rayudu (retained)
Allrounders: Corey Anderson (INR 4.5 crore), Jalaj Saxena (INR 90 lakh), Kieron Pollard (retained)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Aditya Tare (INR 1.6 crore), CM Gautham (INR 20 lakh), Ben Dunk (INR 20 lakh), Sushant Marathe (INR 10 lakh)
Spinners: Pragyan Ojha (INR 3.25 crore), Shreyas Gopal (INR 10 lakh), Harbhajan Singh (retained)
Fast bowlers: Zaheer Khan (INR 2.6 crore), Jasprit Bumrah (INR 1.2 crore), Josh Hazlewood (INR 50 lakh), Krishmar Santokie (INR 30 lakh), Marchant de Lange (INR 30 lakh), Pawan Suyal (INR 10 lakh), Lasith Malinga (retained)
Most expensive player at auction: Michael Hussey (INR 5 crore)
Bargain buy: Corey Anderson (INR 4.5 crore)
Strengths: Champions of last year. Very strong middle order with two top class all-rounders in Pollard and Anderson. The spin duo of Harbhajan and Ojha should keep the bowling sorted. Michael Hussey provides stability at the top of the order.
Weaknesses: The 'Indians' in Mumbai Indians which was a major reason for their success does not look that impressive. The fast bowling department looks weak and risky with two injury prone bowlers in Zaheer and Malinga.
Probable first XI: 1 Aditya Tare 2 Michael Hussey 3 Rohit Sharma(C) 4 Ambati Rayudu 5 Corey Anderson 6 Kieron Pollard 7 CM Gautham/Jalaj Saxena 8 Harbhajan Singh 9 Zaheer Khan/Jasprit Bumrah 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Pragyan Ojha
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Squad strength: 24 (Indian 17, overseas 7)
Squad cost: INR 59 crore
Squad composition
Batsmen: David Warner (INR 5.5 crore), Aaron Finch (INR 4 crore), KL Rahul (INR 1 crore), Venugopal Rao (INR 55 lakh), S Anirudha (INR 20 lakh), Manprit Juneja (INR 10 lakh), Ricky Bhui (INR 10 lakh), Shikhar Dhawan (retained)
Allrounders: Darren Sammy (INR 3.5 crore), Irfan Pathan (INR 2.4 crore), Moises Henriques (INR 1 crore), Parveez Rasool (INR 95 lakh)
Wicketkeeper-batsmen: Naman Ojha (INR 50 lakh), Brendan Taylor (INR 30 lakh), Amit Paunikar (INR 20 lakh)
Spinners: Amit Mishra (INR 4.75 crore), Karan Sharma (INR 3.75 crore)
Fast bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (INR 4.25 crore), Ishant Sharma (INR 2.6 crore), Jason Holder (INR 75 lakh), P Parameswaran (INR 30 lakh), Ashish Reddy (INR 20 lakh), Chama Milind (INR 10 lakh), Dale Steyn (retained)
Most expensive player at auction: David Warner (INR 5.5 crore)
Bargain buy: Irfan Pathan (INR 2.4 crore)
Strengths: A top 3 made for T20 cricket. The fast bowling also looks terrific. In Sammy and Irfan Pathan they have 2 very good all-rounders made for the shorter version of the game.
Weaknesses: The middle order looks susceptible. The Indian batsman in the squad apart from Shikhar Dhawan look mediocre.
Probable first XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan 2 Aaron Finch(C) 3 David Warner 4 Naman Ojha 5 Venugopal Rao/Maprit Juneja 6 Darren Sammy/Moises Henriques 7 Irfan Pathan 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar 9 Amit Mishra 10 Dale Steyn 11 Ishant Sharma
Final VIew:
As the number of teams came down to 8, teams had more options to buy. Almost all the squads look balanced. Maybe RCB looks a bit top heavy but hey, on their day they can tear apart any bowling attack in the world. We saw Mr. Mallya lodge a complaint against KKR for the late bid of Yuvraj, but that was more out of frustration as he knew he had been tricked to spend more than the player's value. This left them severely handicapped for the auction on day 2 when they couldn't bid beyond 40-50 lakhs for a good uncapped player. Same was the case with MI and CSK who had spent a large part of their budget on retaining players from their previous squad. As Rahul Gandhi would say, "the fundamental question is after retaining 3 marquee players why did RCB pay over the top for another?". Delhi did what KKR had done at the start of IPL-4 auctions, they sold all their players and went for completely new ones. We also saw the Right to Match cards being introduced in this year's auction which left a few franchisees confused. Again, following past trends the Indian players went for more than their overseas counterparts.
Overall KKR, SRH and RR look like the best squads on paper. But the IPL is never played on paper. It is played on the field and maybe inside Mr. Srinivasan's bedroom. So who do you think is the favourites for IPL-7 ?
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