IPL 2023: Rating Teams based on their auction performance

Cricket, in the Indian Premier League (IPL), is not just played on the ground but on the auction table as well. Franchises spend millions every year while players all across the globe show massive interest to feature in the cash-rich league. However, not everyone gets the opportunity to be a part of this grand festival of T20 cricket. The 15th edition of the tournament saw two of the most successful franchises - Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings finishing at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, the newly formed teams, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans did reasonably well as the latter even bagged the title in their maiden season. Meanwhile, two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders finished seventh in the table while the former winners Sunrisers Hyderabad finished eighth. Thus, like every season, franchises wanted to fill in the holes while in the case of Punjab Kings and Hyderabad, it was all about a restart. So, the question arises, how did all the teams do in the mini-auction and what are their chances of making it to the finals of the 16th edition of the competition? Without further ado, let’s jump straight to the topic. Rating Teams based on IPL mini-auction 10. Royal Challengers Bangalore - 5/10 The Faf du Plessis-led side by far had the worst IPL auction. Every year the franchise goes after a few big names but so far, hasn't been successful in winning the prestigious trophy. To everyone’s surprise, the Bangalore franchise remained relatively quiet this year as they signed seven players this season but eventually it will be difficult for either of them to make it to the playing XI. The franchise bought the English duo Will Jacks (INR 3.2 crore) and Reece Topley (INR 1.9 crore) but they will relatively act as backups of Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood respectively. It was expected that they will sign a backup of Hasaranga but that hasn’t been the case. The franchise also didn’t make a move to sign an impact player ahead of the next season. Who can replace Dinesh Karthik if he gets injured is also a question that went unanswered. Now, even though RCB has a good solid playing XI, certain gaps could have been addressed. Like every other team, Bangalore can once again fight for the title but when it comes to their auction performance, Bangalore looked pale. 9. Punjab Kings - 6/10 Despite having the second-highest purse going into the auction, Punjab Kings couldn’t deliver as per expectations. They have signed English all-rounder Sam Curran for a record-breaking fee of INR 18.5 crore and that indeed will solve their issue in the death overs but there still remain a lot of gaps they didn’t address in the IPL auction. The likes of Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma and Shahrukh Khan are yet to prove their class in big matches. Thus, they needed an experienced Indian batter in the middle but didn’t sign any. Now, even though the franchise has Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar in the team, their spin bowling attack looks average, especially, when Chahar doesn't deliver at his best. Overall, their playing XI looks dangerous with Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh in it but will have to depend a lot on individual brilliance rather than a collective team performance. 8. Sunrisers Hyderabad - 6/10 The Hyderabad-based franchise came to the auction with the biggest purse. They released their skipper Kane Williamson along with Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd and many others ahead of the auction. Thus, Hyderabad wanted to start fresh but looking at their auction performance, one cannot be extremely happy. With Ben Stokes, Sam Curran and Cameron Green available, it was expected that the franchise would be gunning for either of the three. However, they spent a huge chunk of money on Harry Brook, who hasn’t played a game in India so far. Their back-ups for each player too look pale at the moment. With the amount of money they had and the kind of players that were available, Hyderabad could have done much better but that hasn’t been the case. Again, like all the other teams, the first XI looks more or less sorted. However, they are yet to name their skipper for the next season. Interestingly, Aiden Markram is currently leading the race but he is again someone with very less experience of leading in franchise cricket. 7. Kolkata Knight Riders - 6/10 The two-time champions made some key signings ahead of the next season but aren’t looking like a side that can challenge for the title. They have once again got their hands on Shakib Al Hasan but lately, his performance in white-ball cricket hasn’t been convincing enough. The same can be said for David Wiese who managed to score only 114 runs in eight T20Is this year. Litton Das can be a valuable addition but as per initial reports, Bangladesh cricketers will not be available for a major part of the tournament. Thus, signing these two Bangladesh cricketers makes little sense at the moment. On top of that, the franchise lacks a dependable Indian middle-order batter. Now, in case Rinku Singh fails to light up the tournament, the boys in Purple and Gold will be in deep trouble and may have to change their combination. On paper, they have a strong XI lined up but back-ups aren’t convincing enough. They could have gone after players like Vidwath Kaverappa and Akeal Hosein but chose otherwise. Overall, it can turn out to be an incredibly difficult season for the Knight Riders. 6. Rajasthan Royals - 6.5/10 The finalist of the 2022 season Rajasthan Royals had an average time at the auction table. Surprisingly, they went all out to sign Harry Brook but couldn’t get their hands on the cricketer. Later on, they made some good signings in form of Jason Holder and Adam Zampa but overall, couldn’t fulfil a lot of their targets. Despite having quality spinners like Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, they went shopping for Murugan Ashwin and Adam Zampa - something that wasn’t required a lot. The signing of Joe Root too doesn’t make much sense as he is very unlikely to feature in the playing XI. Now, in terms of quality, there’s no doubt that they have signed some good players who can contribute but do they have room for them? There’s no doubt that the Sanju Samson-led side will once again challenge for the title but as far as the auction is concerned, Rajasthan could have done so much better, especially when their first XI is very much sorted. 5. Gujarat Titans - 7/10 The defending champions had a decent auction as they signed the likes of Kane Williamson, Shivam Mavi, Joshua Little and Odean Smith among others. They didn’t go after any of the top draws like Ben Stokes, Sam Curran or Cameron Green but rather focused on filling the holes. However, they still lack an experienced Indian middle-order batter. There’s enough talent in the squad but in case the young guns misfire, there is no one to cover. Hardik Pandya’s backup was one of the most discussed topics ahead of the auction but GT didn’t prefer to sign any. They have kept their trust in Vijay Shankar - who is yet to prove himself in crunch situations. Overall, they do have a decent squad but it can get a little difficult to repeat the heroics of last season. However, as far as the auction is concerned, the team management has done a relatively good job. 4. Mumbai Indians - 8/10 Despite having a low budget, Mumbai Indians made the most out of their auction. The franchise signed the Aussie sensation Cameron Green and also picked up players like Jhye Richardson, Piyush Chawla and Shams Mulani. When it comes to their playing XI, the side looks as dangerous as any other and interestingly, they have got their hands on Chawla, who can be an impactful player for the upcoming season. Richardson can also be a great backup for Jofra Archer and thus, it can be said with absolute clarity that Mumbai has done well in the mini-auction. Their concern, however, will be the lack of Indian batters in the lower middle order. In case either of Suryakumar Yadav or Tilak Verma rules out, Mumbai can be under a lot of pressure as well. The Rohit Sharma-led side didn’t address the situation and that’s the only concern they will have in the 16th edition of the cash-rich league. 3. Delhi Capitals - 8.5/10 Delhi Capitals had a rather quiet IPL auction but made some really good signings ahead of the next edition. The Rishabh Pant-led side signed Rilee Rossouw, Manish Pandey, Mukesh Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Phil Salt ahead of the next edition and all these cricketers can prove to be valuable from time to time. However, they lack a proper finisher. Rishabh Pant has been a bit shaky in the shortest format of the game and thus, they might struggle to finish games under pressure situations. Other than that, they have a pretty settled squad and should challenge for the title next season. On the contrary, they do have plenty of choices and that can bother them. They also have a good mixture of experience and youth and overall, should be hopeful for a fruitful season. 2. Chennai Super Kings - 8.5/10 The four-time champions Chennai Super Kings have solved the majority of their problems by signing the English international Ben Stokes. He is someone who can bowl well, bat in crunch situations and most importantly, can contribute significantly to Chennai’s success. However, when it comes to other signings, the franchise could have done a bit better. Their budget indeed restricted them from such a move but overall, they will be happy with the signings. They have signed Kyle Jamieson, who can be really valuable in certain conditions. Nevertheless, signing Ajinkya Rahane made very little sense. They could've signed some other Indian opener instead of Rahane as he is not in his best shape at the moment. Overall, the franchise will be happy with how their auction has gone and can be a side to beat in the upcoming auction. 1. Lucknow Super Giants - 9/10 Under the leadership of KL Rahul, Lucknow Super Giants did a reasonably good job in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League. However, they made some bold calls and released the likes of Jason Holder, Evin Lewis and Manish Pandey ahead of the next season. It was expected that the franchise will break the bank and get in either of the three big all-rounders (Stokes, Curran and Green) but they rather played smart and signed a few utility players who can make a difference. LSG also signed the veteran Amit Mishra who has the potential of being an impact player in the coming season. The leg-spinner can be really economical and that can be important for the franchise. Overall, the franchise looks really solid on paper and that can reflect on the pitch. With the kind of talent they possess, LSG will definitely push for the title.

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IPL 2023: Rating Teams based on their auction performance

Sam Curran was the costliest buy in the auction as Punjab Kings signed him for INR 18.50 crore.

1. Lucknow Super Giants - 9/10

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