KOCHI: The 2023 IPL auction was full of surprises, record numbers, all-rounders raking in big bucks and franchises picking the bones out of the players available in the auction.
All the teams went hard for the players they wanted and that saw the player’s price tags skyrocketing. Punjab kings broke the bank for England all-rounder Sam Curran to hand him the tag of the most expensive buy in IPL with a whopping price of INR 18.5 crores, overtaking South African Chris Morris who was brought for INR 16.25 crores by the Rajasthan Royals in 2021.
The record price of Morris was broken twice on December 23 in the IPL auction.
Let’s look at how the 10 teams have shaped up at the end of the auction.
Mumbai Indians
Squad strength – 24 (Overseas 8)
Players bought – Cameron Green (INR 17.5 crore), Jhye Richardson (INR 1.5 crore), Piyush Chawla (INR 50 lakh), Duan Jansen (INR 20 lakh), Vishnu Vinod (INR 20 lakh), Shams Mulani (INR 20 lakh), Mehal Wadhera (INR 20 lakh), Raghav Goyal (INR 20 lakh)
Players retained – Rohit Sharma (c), Tim David, Ramandeep Singh, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Tristan Stubbs, Dewald Brevis, Jofra Archer, Jasprit Bumrah, Arjun Tendulkar, Arshad Khan, Kumar Kartikeya, Hrithik Shokeen, Jason Behrendorff, Akash Madhwal.
Mumbai brought in INR 20.55 crore for the IPL 2023 auction. They used 17.5 of it to buy Cameron Green to take the role of Kieron Pollard. He can bat anywhere and can bowl at a lively pace.
The bowling attack looks incredible if Bumrah and Archer are healthy. If not, there will be problems since Mumbai will not be able to purchase back-ups past Jhye Richardson.
Chennai Superkings
Squad strength 25 players (Overseas 8)
Players bought – Ajinkya Rahane (INR 50 lakh), Ben Stokes (INR 16.25 crore), Shaik Rasheed (INR 20 lakh), Nishant Sindhu (INR 60 lakh), Kyle Jamieson (INR 1 crore), Ajay Mandal (INR 20 lakh), Bhagath Varma (INR 20 lakh)
Players Retained – MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana.
Shivam Dube was employed by Super Kings in a range of roles last season, however, they were unsuccessful in their efforts. With Stokes, they have a dependable big-hitter and, if not a full-quota bowler, at least one who can bowl two to three overs. He substantially covers the gap created by Dwayne Bravo’s retirement. Despite having just returned after a protracted injury layoff, Kyle Jamieson is also a wise investment.
After failing to repurchase N Jagadeesan, they do not have an Indian backup wicketkeeper for MS Dhoni. They also have the choice of Devon Conway or Ambati Rayudu for the gloves.
Apart from Ajinkya Rahane, CSK was also unable to purchase any other experienced Indian batters.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Squad strength: 25 players (overseas 8)
Players bought at IPL 2023 auction: Harry Brook (INR 13.25 crore), Mayank Agarwal (INR 8.25 crore), Heinrich Klaasen (INR 5.25 crore), Adil Rashid (INR 2 crore), Mayank Markande (INR 50 lakh), Vivrant Sharma (INR 2.6 crore), Samarth Vyas (INR 20 lakh), Sanvir Singh (INR 20 lakh), Upendra Yadav (INR 25 lakh), Mayank Dagar (INR 1.8 crore), Nitish Kumar Reddy (INR 20 lakh), Akeal Hosein (INR 1 crore), Anmolpreet Singh (INR 20 lakh).
Players retained – Abdul Samad, Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik.
They have a replacement for Rashid Khan in Adil Rashid. The bowler has been in good form. The final three games of the T20 World Cup, including the semifinal and championship, saw Adil Rashid go 12-1-58-4.
Harry Brook fills the need for an explosive batter in the middle for Sunrisers. If he can reach his full potential, Mayank Agarwal might be a point of distinction at the top to support Abhishek Sharma.
Sunrisers made a total of 13 player bids and received 12. The only one they failed to include was Stokes. They had the cash, knew who they wanted as players and were fully committed to them.
Punjab Kings
Squad strength: 22 (overseas 7)
Sam Curran (INR 18.50 crore), Sikandar Raza (INR 50 lakh), Harpreet Bhatia (INR 40 lakh), Vidwath Kaverappa (INR 20 lakh), Mohit Rathee (INR 20 lakh), Shivam Singh (INR 20 lakh).
Players retained – Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar.
Sam Curran became the most expensive player in IPL history thanks to Punjab Kings, who were tipped to spend big on an all-rounder. Sikandar Raza is a spinning all-rounder and a backup for Liam Livingstone, who is currently recovering from an injury, so getting him at his basic price is a deal.
Punjab released Mayank Agarwal and was unable to acquire a prominent top-order batter from India. Furthermore, they didn’t hire a prominent spinner to bolster their spin attack. Punjab ended up with 12.2 crore INR still left.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Squad strength: 25 players (overseas 8)
Players bought – Reece Topley (INR 1.9 crore), Himanshu Sharma (INR 20 lakh), Will Jacks (INR 3.2 crore), Manoj Bhandage (INR 20 lakh), Rajan Kumar (INR 70 lakh), Avinash Singh (INR 60 lakh).
Players retained – Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep.
Reece Topley was hired by RCB as their backup pacer for Josh Hazlewood. In addition, they purchased off-spin all-rounder Will Jacks to serve as Glenn Maxwell’s backup as he recovers from a serious leg injury.
RCB made bids for Manish Pandey, Mayank Agarwal, Sam Curran, Cameron Green, Harry Brook, and Mayank Agarwal; however, all of them were ultimately acquired by different teams.
Gujarat Titans
Squad strength 25 players (Overseas 8)
Players bought – Kane Williamson (INR 2 crore), Odean Smith (INR 50 lakh), KS Bharat (INR 1.2 crore), Shivam Mavi (INR 6 crore), Urvil Patel (INR 20 lakh), Joshua Little (INR 4.4 crore), Mohit Sharma (INR 50 lakh).
Players retained – Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad.
They needed an overseas pacer to take Lockie Ferguson’s spot, so they purchased Josh Little, the first Irish player ever to be purchased at an IPL auction. They purchased Shivam Mavi because they quickly required an Indian to serve as Yash Dayal’s backup.
Gujarat purchased Kane Williamson at the base price after last season’s dismal top-order hitting was brilliant. The Titans were smart with the buys and covered their boxes.
Rajasthan Royals
Squad strength: 25 (overseas 8)
Players bought – Jason Holder (INR 5.75 crore), Donovan Ferreira (INR 50 lakh), Kunal Rathore (INR 20 lakh), Adam Zampa (INR 1.5 crore), KM Asif (INR 30 lakh), Murugan Ashwin (INR 20 lakh), Abdul PA (INR 20 lakh), Akash Vashisht (INR 20 lakh), Joe Root (INR 2 crore)
Players retained – Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldip Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa.
In the previous IPL, the Royals appeared to be the best team. They lost because they frequently employed four No. 11s, which prevented them from winning.
Therefore, they had to acquire an all-rounder, which they accomplished by acquiring Jason Holder. Purchasing Adam Zampa for base value was also a great deal.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Squad strength 22 players (Overseas 8)
Players bought – Shakib Al Hasan (INR 1.50 crore), N. Jagadeesan (INR 90 lakh), Vaibhav Arora (INR 60 lakh), Suyash Sharma (INR 20 lakh), David Wiese (INR 1 crore), Kulwant Khejroliya (INR 20 lakh), Litton Das (INR 50 lakh), Mandeep Singh (INR 50 lakh).
Players retained ahead of IPL 2023 auction: Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Tim Southee, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh.
KKR now have a backup for Andre Russell thanks to the inexpensive buy of David Wiese. They have two wicketkeepers who can also open the batting in N Jagadeesan and Litton Das.
The one position that KKR hasn’t filled is an Indian fast bowler to replace Shivam Mavi, who they let go and were unable to purchase back.
Delhi Capitals
Squad strength 25 players (Overseas 8)
Ishant Sharma (INR 50 lakh), Phil Salt (INR 2 crore), Mukesh Kumar (INR 5.5 crore), Manish Pandey (INR 2.4 crore), Rilee Rossouw (INR 4.60 crore).
Players retained – Rishabh Pant (c), David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Ripal Patel, Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Yash Dhull, Mitchell Marsh, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Khaleel Ahmed, Lungi Ngidi, Mustafizur Rahman, Aman Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Praveen Dubey, Vicky Ostwal.
A lineup that is already explosive, Phil Salt and Rilee Rossouw add to the firepower. For Rishabh Pant, they also have a backup wicketkeeper in Salt. They were unable to find a replacement for Mitchell Marsh, who is prone to injury.
Lucknow Super Giants
Squad strength: 25 players (8 overseas)
Players bought – Nicholas Pooran (INR 16 crore), Jaydev Unadkat (INR 50 lakh) Yash Thakur (INR 45 lakh), Romario Shepherd (INR 50 lakh), Daniel Sams (INR 75 lakh), Amit Mishra (INR 50 lakh), Prerak Mankad (INR 20 lakh), Swapnil Singh (INR 20 lakh), Naveen-ul-Haq (INR 50 lakh), Yudhvir Charak (INR 20 lakh).
Players retained – KL Rahul (c), Ayush Badoni, Karan Sharma, Manan Vohra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Krishnappa Gowtham, Deepak Hooda, Kyle Mayers, Krunal Pandya, Avesh Khan, Mohsin Khan, Mark Wood, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi.
Lucknow Super Giants needed to find cover for Mark Wood after releasing Dushmantha Chameera. Daniel Sams and Romario Shepherd were signed, adding depth to their pace attack. Since the last IPL, Mohsin Khan, their primary left-arm seamer from last season, has not played any cricket, therefore Super Giants acquired Jaydev Unadkat as a backup.
Last season, they had trouble filling the No. 3 position, so they paid INR 16 crore to Nicholas Pooran to try to solve the problem. (ANI)