What the franchises would look for in the IPL 2017 Auction

It promises to be one intriguing battle as the 8 franchises go head to head in the IPL 2017 auction in the bid to grab players to strengthen their teams’ balance. The 10th edition of the coveted tournament will witness 351 players on sale. A total of 122 international players will go under the hammer and this time, there are plenty of new names appearing who are already making a buzz before the auction.

There is no clarity about the number of players that the franchises would be allowed to retain in the next season as the players once again are expected to be freed from the squads to be auctioned. The suspended teams of Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings would also make their ways back in the league from the next season and hence it will be interesting to see what the team owners plan considering the future.

The IPL auctions have always involved a lot of studies and predictions. Once again, all the owners would be doing their studies as to which players they need to target to plug the gaps in their teams. Here is an analysis of all the teams’ combinations and what could be expected from their strategies for the auction.

1. Mumbai Indians

The two-time champions and one of the strongest teams in the league, Mumbai Indians have always been amongst the attractive franchises. Having failed to make it to the playoffs last season, they have released 8 players from the squad but the core of the team remains the same. Here are the most prominent players in the squad:

Openers: Lendl Simmons, Parthiv Patel (wk)

Middle Order Batsmen: Rohit Sharma (C), Ambati Rayudu, Jos Buttler

All-rounders: Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya

Spinners: Harbhajan Singh, Shreyas Gopal

Fast Bowlers: Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee, Vinay Kumar

What’s required

Their first and foremost requirement would be to have a backup opening batsman as they have just two in the squad. Having released Alex Hales from the squad, they might look to go for someone like Jason Roy who has done well recently.

The middle order and the all-rounders’ department look quite assured which has been the strength of the team. They have Harbhajan and Krunal to handle the spin segment. Parthiv Patel is the wicketkeeper having Jos Buttler as a backup.

They have INR 11.555 crores in the bag and can afford to spend big for the opener’s slot as they possess a balanced side otherwise. The other selection could be to have an overseas all-rounder having dropped Corey Anderson as they can pick 3 more overseas players. They can look to grab a backup all-rounder by spending a lesser amount.