🏏TATA IPL 2025, Data, Drama, and Big Bucks: Mega Auction # Th 2🏏 - Page 47

IPL 2025 Auction: How the teams stack up

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

Squad Strength: 20

Indian Players:13

Overseas Players: 7

Retained Players (5): Heinrich Klaasen (23 Cr), Pat Cummins (18 Cr), Travis Head (14 Cr), Abhishek Sharma (14 Cr), Nitish Reddy (6 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (15): Ishan Kishan (11.25 Cr), Mohammed Shami (10 Cr), Harshal Patel (8 Cr), Abhinav Manohar (3.2 Cr), Rahul Chahar (3.2 Cr), Adam Zampa (2.4 Cr), Simarjeet Singh (1.5 Cr), Eshan Malinga (1.2 Cr), Jaydev Unadkat (1 Cr), Brydon Carse (1 Cr), Kamindu Mendis (75L), Zeeshan Ansari (40L), Atharva Taide (30L), Sachin Baby (30L), Aniket Verma (30L)

Probable XII: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Nitish Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar (Adam Zampa/Brydon Carse)

How they fared:Sunrisers Hyderabad largely tried to stick to the DNA of their squad that helped them end a series of bad seasons to make the final of IPL 2024. Having retained the core of that side, they went about trying to adjust similar profiles to the players they lost. The absence of Indian seamers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T. Natarajan have been made up by the signings of Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel.

They also have two legspinners, an Indian (Rahul Chahar) and an overseas (Adam Zampa), who can be swapped around based on the overseas combinations. They also added more firepower to an already strong line-up with the signing of Ishan Kishan with Abhinav Manohar taking over the role that Abdul Samad previously played for them in the lower middle-order.

LUCKNOW SUPER GIANTS

Squad strength: 24

Indian players: 18

Overseas players: 6

Retained players (5): Nicholas Pooran (21 Cr), Ravi Bishnoi (11 Cr), Mayank Yadav (11 Cr), Mohsin Khan (4 Cr), Ayush Badoni (4 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (19): Rishabh Pant (27 Cr), David Miller (7.5 Cr), Aiden Markram (2 Cr), Mitchell Marsh (3.4 Cr), Avesh Khan (9.75 Cr), Abdul Samad (4.2 Cr), Aryan Juyal (30L), Akash Deep (8 Cr), Himmat Singh (30L), M Siddharth (75L), Digvesh Singh (30L), Shahbaz Ahmed (1.9 Cr), Akash Singh (30L), Shamar Joseph (75L), Prince Yadav (30L), Yuvraj Chaudhary (30L), Rajvardhan Hangargekar (30L), Arshin Kulkarni (30L), Matthew Breetzke (75L)

Probable XII: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Nicholas Pooran, David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Avesh Khan, Mayank Yadav

How they fared:The Super Giants made headlines on Day 1 of the IPL auction by securing Rishabh Pant as the most expensive buy ever and adding several quality players to their roster. However, the team ended the day with a crowded middle order and lacked frontline opening options. This gap remained unaddressed on Day 2, leading to indications from team owner Sanjiv Goenka that they may rely on Aiden Markram and Mitchell Marsh as openers at the start of the tournament. The Super Giants' key strength lies in their India-dominated pace attack, supported by sufficient backup options. However, their batting reserves feature many uncapped players, and the lack of proven Indian options in case of injuries could become a significant concern.

Additionally, the team lacks a second frontline spinner to partner Ravi Bishnoi and appears thin when it comes to their fifth bowling option. Starting Day 2 of the auction with a purse of INR 14.85 crore and 13 slots to fill, including four overseas spots, the Super Giants were unable to complete their overseas quota. This, combined with an untested group of backup players, might pose challenges to their squad balance if issues arise with their core lineup.

MUMBAI INDIANS

Current squad strength: 23

Indian players: 15

Overseas players: 8

Retained players (5):Jasprit Bumrah (18 Cr), Suryakumar Yadav (16.35 Cr), Hardik Pandya (16.35 Cr), Rohit Sharma (16.3 Cr), Tilak Varma (8 Cr)

Players bought in auction (15): Trent Boult (12.5 Cr), Naman Dhir (5.25 Cr), Robin Minz (65 L), Karn Sharma (50 L), Bevon Jacobs (30L), Ryan Rickelton (1 Cr), Krishnan Shrijith (30L), Raj Bawa (30L), Will Jacks (5.25 Cr), Mitchell Santner (2 Cr), Allah Ghazanfar (4.8 Cr), Deepak Chahar (9.25 Cr), Reece Topley (75L), Ashwani Kumar (30L), Satyanarayana Raju (30L), Arjun Tendulkar (30L), Lizaad Williams (75L), Vignesh Puthur (30L)

Probable XII: Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya, Robin Minz, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Allah Ghazanfar

How they fared:Coming into the second day, Mumbai Indians had the second-highest purse and a few gaps to fill. They filled up the wicketkeeper's slot by bagging Ryan Rickelton, Robin Minz and Krishnan Shrijith. The spin combination was bolstered with the additions of Afghanistan's mystery spinner Allah Ghazanfar and Mitchell Santner. With that cover, they also added to their pace attack by getting Deepak Chahar. Mumbai's line-up could hinge on who they pick as their wicketkeeper batter. If Rickelton opens at the top, then there is no room probably for someone like Will Jacks. On the other hand if they start with Jacks to open, they'd have to play either Minz or Shrijith as a wicketkeeper-batter in their starting eleven, which would then allow them to get a foreigner in as an impact sub.

The strong Indian batting core allows them to cover some of their flaws through the Impact Sub rule that could again give them a few options to play with. While it allows for a strong starting twelve, injuries to an Indian middle-order batter or Indian pacer could leave them slightly thin on back-up options and potentially mess with their combinations.

GUJARAT TITANS

Current squad strength: 25

Indian players: 18

Overseas players: 7

Retained players (5): Rashid Khan (18 Cr), Shubman Gill (16.5 Cr), Sai Sudharsan (8.5 Cr), Rahul Tewatia (4Cr), Shahrukh Khan (4 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (15):Jos Buttler (15.75 Cr), Mohammad Siraj (12.25 Cr), Kagiso Rabada (10.75 Cr), Prasidh Krishna (9.5 Cr), Mahipal Lomror (1.7 Cr), Nishant Sindhu (30 L), Kumar Khushagra (65L), Anuj Rawat (30L), Manav Suthar (30L), Glenn Phillips (2 Cr), R Sai Kishore (2 Cr RTM), Gerald Coetzee (2.4 Cr), Jayant Yadav (75L), Arshad Khan (1.3 Cr), Sherfane Rutherford (2.6 Cr), Washington Sundar (3.2 Cr), Gurnoor Brar (1.3 Cr), Ishant Sharma (75 L), Karim Janat (75L), Kulwant Khejroliya (30L)

Probable XII: Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler. Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

How they fared: Gujarat Titans would be fairly happy with how they fared in the auction overall, bagging most of their first eleven players and having a couple of back-ups for some key positions. On the second day, they addressed the gap in picking a frontline spinner bagging Washington Sundar upfront making their job easier overall thereafter. They also managed to use the RTM to get back R Sai Kishore even if it meant letting go of Azmatullah Omarzai.

The bowling department looks stronger on paper with them having a few bases covered in terms of variety. A proven death bowler might be the only aspect they're lacking there. And on the batting front, with Jos Buttler slotting in as a wicketkeeper and opener, they could afford to build around it. They'll be banking heavily on young Indian talent to see them through in the middle order with the likes of Glenn Phillips or Sherfane Rutherford adding some firepower through the middle. The lack of a big-name, proven Indian batter through this phase could be a point to think about but the squad offers a balanced look overall with a few combinations available to suit a variety of conditions.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Current squad strength: 20

Indian players: 14

Overseas players: 6

Retained players (6): Yashasvi Jaiswal (18 Cr), Sanju Samson (18 Cr), Dhruv Jurel (14 Cr), Riyan Parag (14 Cr), Shimron Hetmyer (11 Cr) Sandeep Sharma (4 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (5): Jofra Archer (12.5 Cr), Tushar Deshpande (6.50 Cr), Wanindu Hasaranga (5.25 Cr), Maheesh Theekshana (4.40 Cr), Nitish Rana (4.20 Crore), Fazalhaq Farooqi (2 Cr) Kwena Maphaka (1.50 Cr), Akash Madhwal (1.20 Cr), Vaibhav Suryavanshi (1.1 Cr), Shubham Dubey (80L), Yudhvir Singh Charak (35L), Kumar Kartikeya (30L), Kunal Singh Rathore (30L), Ashok Sharma (30L)

Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma

How they fared: Given that Rajasthan Royals had spent big bucks in retaining six players, they had a rather sober outing at the auctions. Nonetheless, they still managed to pick one of the best fast bowlers (Jofra Archer) and spinners (Wanindu Hasaranga) in T20 cricket. It meant that they were out of contest for the top batters on offer, a department they were rather well supported in with their retentions.

One interesting pick was the 13-year-old Vaibhav Raghuvanshi. At the end of the auctions, while they are well supported in the pace department, there is not enough backup on the batting front. Interestingly, barring Kumar Kartikeya, they didn't pick any Indian spinner, and will have to rely on the Sri Lankan combination of Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana. Nonetheless, they have created a squad which could open up multiple possibilities of XII depending on conditions and opposition.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Current squad strength: 25

Indian players: 18

Overseas players: 7

Retained players (5): Ruturaj Gaikwad (18 Cr), Ravindra Jadeja (18 Cr), Matheesha Pathirana (13 Cr), Shivam Dube (12 Cr), MS Dhoni (4 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (20): Noor Ahmad (10 Cr), Ravichandran Ashwin (9.75 Cr), Devon Conway (6.25 Cr), Khaleel Ahmed (4.80 Cr), Rachin Ravindra (4 Cr), Rahul Tripathi (3.40 Cr),Anshul Kamboj (3.40 Cr), Vijay Shankar (1.20 Cr), Sam Curran (2.40 Cr), Gurjapneet Singh (2.20 Cr), Nathan Ellis (2 Cr), Deepak Hooda (1.70 Cr), Jamie Overton (1.50 Cr), Vansh Bedi (55L), Mukesh Choudhary (30L), Shreyas Gopal (30L), Ramakrishna Ghosh (30L), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (30L), Andre Siddharth (30L), Shaik Rasheed (30L)

Possible XII: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed

Chennai Super Kings once again invested a lot of their money in bringing back their former players in search of continuity. Rahul Tripathi at No.3 is an added spin hitting option alongside Shivam Dube. Their No.5 slot belongs to one of Deepak Hooda or Vijay Shankar - two players who have largely been inconsistent but have the chance to rekindle their IPL careers at a side that tends to offer long ropes.

CSK also brought back Sam Curran for 2.40 Crores, who can play as a floater in their line-up and share death-bowling duties with Matheesha Pathirana. CSK were also aggressive in bringing in the Afghanistan left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad for 10 Crores. As per Stephen Fleming, Noor will be a wicket-taking option for the five-time champions through the middle-overs in Chepauk if pitches take turn. When they don't, CSK can swap him out for Nathan Ellis, who too can bowl at the death. CSK also chased after a lot of Indian pacers on the second day, and ended up bringing in Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh and Kamlesh Nagarkoti who can serve as able back-ups and a route to alter the overseas combinations.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU

Squad Strength: 22

Indian Players: 14

Overseas Players: 8

Retained Players (3): Virat Kohli (21 cr), Rajat Patidar (11 cr), Yash Dayal (5 cr)

Players bought in the auction (19): Josh Hazlewood (12.50 cr), Phil Salt (11.50 cr), Jitesh Sharma (11 cr), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10.75 cr), Liam Livingstone (8.75 cr), Rasikh Salam (6 cr), Krunal Pandya (5.75 cr), Tim David (3 cr), Jacob Bethell (2.6 cr), Suyash Sharma (2.6 cr), Devdutt Padikkal (2 cr), Nuwan Thushara (1.6 cr), Romario Shepherd (1.5 cr), Lungi Ngidi (1 cr), Swapnil Singh (50L), Manoj Bhandage (30L), Swastik Chikara (30L), Mohit Rathee (30L), Abhinandan Singh (30L)

Probable XII: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal

How they fared:Having retained just the three Indian players ahead of the auction, RCB were in for a major rebuild work. Interestingly, they opted to not use their available RTMs on any of Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Maxwell or Will Jacks and that gives them an entirely different look ahead of the next season. Instead of Siraj, they have a two-time Purple Cap winner in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who can operate at either end of a T20 innings. Salt is a PowerPlay enforcer and compatriot Livingstone provides big hitting ability through the middle and match-up flexibility. Jitesh Sharma will be asked to perform Dinesh Karthik's finishing role.

RCB's decision to not go big on one of the 'Big 3' Indian players available left them with enough purse in selecting a different mix of overseas players. They can choose to go 3-1 and select another highly-touted Englishman Jacob Bethell, who will add a left-handed presence to an otherwise right-dominated top-order. Alternatively, they can choose to pair their bounce bowler - Josh Hazlewood - with another overseas bowler like Nuwan Thushara or Lungi Ngidi and therefore playing Devdutt Padikkal at the top. But that would mean having to move Virat Kohli back down to No.3 and may not be the most ideal solution. The trouble for RCB could be having to nail down on their preferred combination and not go through a season with constant tinkering.

DELHI CAPITALS

Current squad strength: 23

Indian players: 16

Overseas players: 7

Retained players (4): Axar Patel (16.50 Cr), Kuldeep Yadav (13.25 Cr), Tristan Stubbs (10 Cr), Abishek Porel (4 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (19): Mitchell Starc (11.75 Cr), KL Rahul (14 Cr), Harry Brook (6.25 Cr), Jake Fraser-McGurk (9 Cr, RTM), T Natarajan (10.75 Cr), Karun Nair (50 Lakh), Sameer Rizvi (95 Lakh), Ashutosh Sharma (3.80 Cr), Mohit Sharma (2.20 Cr), Faf du Plessis (2 Cr), Mukesh Kumar (8 Cr, RTM), Darshan Nalkande (30 Lakh), Vipraj Nigam (50 Lakh), Dushmantha Chameera (75 Lakh), Donovan Ferreira (75 Lakh), Ajay Mandal (30 Lakh), Manvanth Kumar (30 Lakh), Tripurana Vijay (30 Lakh), Madhav Tiwari (40 Lakh)

Probable XII: Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma

How they fared:DC would be fairly satisfied with their couple of days at the auction table, having built a squad with a great mix of youth and experience, although they would have wanted a gun spinner as Kuldeep Yadav's backup. That said, they found both a wicketkeeper and an opening batter in KL Rahul at a fairly reasonable price, with Jake Fraser-McGurk (for whom they used RTM) as his possible opening partner and Abishek Porel to follow next.

In Faf du Plessis, they have an overseas back-up for the top-order. Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs and Ashutosh Sharma look solid in the middle order, with Sameer Rizvi another option available within the ranks. Axar Patel and Kuldeep will be flanked by a versatile pace pack consisting of Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma and Mukesh Kumar, for whom they used their other available RTM. Donvan Ferreira is the backup keeper in the squad although both Rahul and Porel can keep, whereas Dushmantha Chameera the backup overseas pacer. Towards the end, DC added a bunch of uncapped allrounders.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

Current squad strength: 21

Indian players:13

Overseas players: 8

Retained players (6):Rinku Singh (13 Cr), Andre Russell (12 Cr), Sunil Narine (12 Cr), Varun Chakaravarthy (12 Cr), Harshit Rana (4 Cr), Ramandeep Singh (4 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (15):Angkrish Raghuvanshi (3 Cr), Quinton de Kock (3.60 Cr), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (2 Cr), Venkatesh Iyer (23.75 Cr), Mayank Markande (30 L), Anrich Nortje (6.50 Cr), Vaibhav Arora (1.80 Cr), Ajinkya Rahane (1.5 Cr), Manish Pandey (75L), Luvnith Sisodia (30L), Anukul Roy (40L), Rovman Powell (1.5 Cr), Moeen Ali (2 Cr), Umran Malik (75L), Spencer Johnson (2.80 Cr)

Probable starting XII:Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora

How they fared:Being the defending champions, KKR's primary target was to assemble the same squad as much as possible. They were quite successful at that as they managed to get back quite a few players including a eye-popping capture of Venkatesh Iyer for 23.75 Cr. They tried to get back Nitish Rana as well to bolster that middle order but were outmuscled and that forced a reunion with Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane.

A backup pacer to Anrich Nortje in the form of Spencer Johnson was also secured on the second day and they also strengthened their overseas options by capturing Rovman Powell and Moeen Ali. While they will be pleased overall, KKR would be wondering how to make the best use of either Pandey or Rahane with one of them expected to feature in the playing XII. Only Rajasthan Royals have lesser players in their squad compared to KKR as the three-time champions have opted for only 21 players.

PUNJAB KINGS

Current squad strength: 25

Indian players:17

Overseas players: 8

Retained players (2):Shashank Singh (5.5 Cr), Prabhsimran Singh (4 Cr)

Players bought in the auction (23):Shreyas Iyer (26.75 Cr), Nehal Wadhera (4.20 Cr), Vishnu Vinod (95L), Marcus Stoinis (11 Cr), Glenn Maxwell (4.20 Cr), Yuzvendra Chahal (18 Cr), Harpreet Brar (1.50 Cr), Arshdeep Singh (18 Cr), Vijaykumar Vyshak (1.80 Cr), Yash Thakur (1.60 Cr), Harnoor Singh (30L), Musheer Khan (30L), Pyla Avinash (30L), Josh Inglis (2.60 Cr), Suryansh Shedge (30L), Marco Jansen (7 Cr), Aaron Hardie (1.25 Cr), Azmatullah Omarzai (2.40 Cr), Priyansh Arya (3.80 Cr), Praveen Dubey (30L), Kuldeep Sen (80L), Xavier Bartlett (80L), Lockie Ferguson (2 Cr)

Probable starting XII:Prabhsimran Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Shreyas Iyer, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak

How they fared:Fair to say, this has been Punjab Kings' best auction in many years. Entering the auction with the biggest purse, they went big on securing their first-choice targets Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh. A reunion with Glenn Maxwell was confirmed on the first day and they have also spent heavily on his Australian teammate Marcus Stoinis, who can be used as an opener as well.

In recent years, PBKS have had an issue with batting depth but that has been addressed this season. They have also acquired uncapped talent Priyansh Arya who made headlines recently and looking at their options in every department, it's fair to say that PBKS are well-stocked.