IPL - Auction

Delhi, Gujarat, Pune likely to be biggest players in IPL Auction

Last updated on Friday, 05 February, 2016, 06:13 PM

© Cricbuzz

It's that time of the cricket season when players' price tags assume an equal or even higher importance than the numbers raked up on the field. Yes, the IPL Auctions will take place on February 6 in Bangalore. This time around there are a total of 351 players set to go under the hammer. A total of 116 will be picked by the eight teams. A mind-boggling Rs 198.28 Crores are there to be spent on the players. Each team can spend a maximum of Rs 66 Crores. The amount that can be spent tomorrow will also depend on the players retained/acquired already. There will be strategies in place for each team. Coaches and captains will be assisted or even dictated by the men in suits. Most teams even employ proper financial models aided by software companies to evaluate just exactly how much a player is worth.

And as we've seen in the past, the auctions are not just about picking the players you want. It is also about reducing the purse of an opponent simply by raising the value of a player. There will be plays on egos, smart moves akin to a good poker game and the fattened sums finally paid to a player might not really be worth it but that's just how this beast functions. And so we can expect more of the same tomorrow.

Delhi Daredevils:

Delhi Daredevils squad so far © Cricbuzz

The GMR-owned franchise has the highest spending power in the auction. With 37.15 Crores in their kitty, Delhi are likely to be the biggest movers tomorrow. They paid a hefty amount for Yuvraj Singh in the previous auction but this time they will want to re-strategise even if they are going for the same player. They do have a solid core but they will need to back-up this core with a little more firepower in the batting line-up particularly the middle order. They can afford to go for the big buys and might be looking for that one marquee player as well.

Kings XI Punjab:

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Virender Sehwag will be mentoring the KXIP side this time around. His absence as a batsman opens up the void to look for a power-hitter at the top of the order. An Indian would be doubly useful for KXIP. They will also be looking for more spin options definitely and will also need back-up wicketkeeper along with an Indian fast bowling option.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

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The Gamhir-led side have retained the core of the side that has helped them perform well over the last few seasons. They have pretty much all the bases covered but will be looking to fill in one more slot to get a full squad. Again, an Indian fast bowling option could be one of their priorities along with a wicketkeeper batsman as a back up for Robin Uthappa.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

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Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Mitchell Starc in the same team. Any T20 team would love to boast of such a line-up. RCB have 21.625 Crores in their purse. That could be well spent if they could beef up their bowling attack, with Starc under an injury cloud. They will need a back-up wicketkeeper and a good spinner for sure. They could well surprise everyone by going for a big name and bidding big.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

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Another team that looks good on paper but SRH's problems stemmed from striking a balance between their foreign players and the Indian ones in the final eleven. They desperately seek an Indian batsman who could beef up that middle order as well. They don't have a good wicketkeeping optiong and someone like Dinesh Karthik could be a good buy for them. They same holds good for a quality Indian pacer as well, rare as they may be.

Gujarat Lions:

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One of the two freshest teams and a team to watch out for. The Gujarat Lions have to bid big and smart to come up with a full squad. They have the all-rounders bases covered with three smart picks in Dwayne Bravo, James Faulkner and Ravindra Jadeja. Suresh Raina and Brendon McCullum add the batting prowess with the latter doubling up as a wicketkeeper as well. They have a solid core. They will be looking to build supporting characters for each of the aforementioned players to build afully rounded squad.

Rising Pune SuperGiants:

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The other new entrant has built a squad heavy with batsmen. MS Dhoni is the complete T20 package as a batsman, keeper and captain. Ashwin will be the bowling pivot but they still have a lot of gaps. Mainly the all-rounder's slot and fast bowlers. Add a Shane Watson to this line-up and it will look a very threatening unit. Maybe a Dale Steyn as well. Their strategy will be the most interesting to see on the auction day.

© Cricbuzz

The defending champions have more than a full squad available already. They will be playing game-changers at the auction. A sly bid here and there to spice things up or they might just remain quiet throughout the auctions. This will be one rare occasion where the mighty Mumbai Indians slip to just a supporting character.