IPL 2020: Bases that the teams need to cover in the auction

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have probably benefited the most from the transfer window. With Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane. They have a rock-solid Indian core (Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw). What they will now focus upon is their pool of foreign players, with 5 open slots.

Two batting all-rounders and two frontline pacers will provide a great balance to their squad. Don’t be surprised if you see them enter into a bidding war for Marcus Stoinis or Colin De Grandhomme. Stoinis had a very productive year for RCB last year, amassing 533 runs and picking up 14 wickets.

Current Squad: Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, R Ashwin (T), Ajinkya Rahane (T)

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders grabbed the headlines as they decided to let go of two of their most experienced campaigners, Robin Uthappa and Piyush Chawla. Uthappa and Chawla were vital cogs in their winning campaign 2012 and 2014. Another surprise release came in the form of Chris Lynn. The franchise had earlier spent a fortune on the explosive Australian batsman. But all this could very well be a strategy to buy them at a more economical price.

Heading into the auction they will be looking for an explosive opening batsman like Aaron Finch or Shimron Hetmyer. There is no like-for-like replacement for Andre Russell, but last season saw an over-reliance on the Jamaican all-rounder to bail them out of tricky situations. A finisher like David Miller or Marcus Stoinis could help them solve this problem. They would also want to strengthen their fast bowling battery with Mitchell Starc or Jason Beherendorff.

Current Squad: Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Sandeep Warrier, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Siddhesh Lad (T).