Punjab will spoil everyone’s game in IPL auction: ₹110.5 crore and 4 RTM cards left; 5 teams need captain, 4 need wicketkeeper

1. Kolkata needs captain and wicketkeeper KKR, which became the champion of 2024 IPL under the captaincy of Shreyas Iyer, has the biggest need for a captain in the auction. The team also did not retain the wicketkeeper batsman, last season they had 2 good wicketkeepers in the form of Salt and Gurbaz. The team also released pacers like Mitchell Starc and Vaibhav Arora.

KKR retained 4 all-rounders, 1 batsman and 1 spinner. Therefore he will not have any RTM card in the auction. However, the 6 retained players were also part of the playing-11 in the previous final, hence half of their playing-11 is set. The team’s lower middle order remains stronger than the all-rounders. The team now needs backup players along with top order batsman, pacers, captain and wicketkeeper.

2. Lack of Indian players in Hyderabad Previous runner-up SRH retained 3 foreigners in the form of their captain Pat Cummins, wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen and opener Travis Head. The team also retained 2 all-rounders in the form of Abhishek Sharma and Nitish Kumar Reddy. The team released top class bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar and Wanindu Hasaranga.

Hyderabad kept its top order strong, but the team lacks Indian players along with finishers, spinners and fast bowlers. They have 1 Right to Match card available in the auction only for uncapped players. Now they will have to strengthen their bowling and finishing by buying Indian players.

3. Rajasthan released bowlers Rajasthan Royals, which stood third last season, retained its 6 core players. Most of whom are top order batsmen. The team also did not let finisher Shimron Hetmyer along with captain Sanju Samson and wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel go. However, the team could not retain players like Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Ashwin and Trent Boult.

Due to retaining 6 players, Rajasthan will not get a single RTM card in the auction. Therefore, they will have to strengthen their team through bidding war only. With the presence of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, the team’s top-5 batsmen are set. The team retained only one bowler in the form of Sandeep Sharma. They now need top class spinners and finishers along with pacers.

4. Mumbai needs wicketkeepers and spinners Like every time, Mumbai Indians bet on their Indian players only. These include Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma. The team depends less on foreign players. MI could not retain any spinner including wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan and finisher Tim David.

Mumbai retained 5 capped players, so they will have an RTM card for an uncapped player in the auction. With this, the team can retain players like Nehal Wadhera, Akash Madhwal and Naman Dheer. In the auction, the team will focus on buying wicketkeeper, finisher, fast bowler and spinner.

5. No backup wicketkeeper in Chennai Chennai Super Kings used the uncapped rule to retain former captain MS Dhoni for Rs 4 crore. The team also retained captain Gaikwad, all-rounder Jadeja and Dubey along with fast bowler Pathirana. However, the team could not retain players like Conway, Rahane, Rachin, Mustafizur, Shardul and Deepak Chahar.

Chennai retained 4 capped and 1 uncapped player, so they will have RTM card for 1 capped player in the auction. Chennai retained 1 bowler, 1 batsman, 1 wicketkeeper and 2 all-rounders. That’s why they need supporting players at every spot. The team also lacks pacers along with backup wicketkeepers, batsmen, finishers and spinners.

6. Gujarat’s middle order is weak 2022 champions Gujarat Titans retained 3 capped and 2 uncapped players. These include 2 openers, 2 finishers and a spin bowling all-rounder in the form of Rashid Khan. The team could not retain David Miller, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmed and Mohammed Shami.

After retaining 5 players, the team will have 1 RTM card in the auction, with which the Titans will be able to buy any one capped player. The team’s opening and finishing is strong, but they need middle order batsmen, spinners and pacers.

7. Lucknow needs captain and opener Lucknow Supergiants released their captain KL Rahul and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. The team has two top class T20 players in the form of wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran and leg spinner Ravi Bishnoi. At the same time, Lucknow also gave a chance to 3 young Indian players.

After retaining 5 players, LSG will have 1 RTM card in the auction, from which the team will be able to buy any one capped player. The team’s bowling is strong, but they will have to buy players for openers, captain and batting order. They also need backup bowlers, because Mohsin Khan and Mayank Yadav are often injured.

8. Delhi also needs a captain Delhi Capitals released wicketkeeper and captain Rishabh Pant. However, there is a chance that the team may include him back in the auction with an RTM card. Capitals retained the wicketkeeper pair of Tristan Stubbs and Abhishek Porel along with all-rounder Axar Patel and spinner Kuldeep Yadav. However, Delhi released Harry Brook and Enrique Nortya.

After retaining 4 players, the team has 2 RTM cards left in the auction. Due to which the team can buy 2 capped players. The team’s spin bowling and finishing look strong, but they need top order batsmen, captains and fast bowlers.

9. No big foreign players in Bengaluru Royal Challengers Bangalore, which has not won a single title in 17 years, retained only 3 players. These include batsman Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar along with fast bowler Yash Dayal. The team released previous captain Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Will Jacques and fast bowlers Mohammad Siraj, Alzarri Joseph and Lockie Ferguson.

After retaining only 3 players, Bengaluru will enter the auction with 3 RTM cards, with this the team can retain 3 capped players. With the help of RTM, RCB can buy Maxwell, Jacques and Siraj again. However, they also need pacers along with batsmen, finishers, wicketkeepers, captains and spinners. That means they will have to rebuild their core team.

10. Punjab will rebuild the entire team Punjab Kings followed their old strategy and released 23 players before the auction. The team retained only two players in the form of Shashank Singh and wicketkeeper Prabhsimran Singh. Punjab released players like Sam Curran, Liam Livingston, Jonny Bairstow, Kagiso Rabada and Jitesh Sharma.

Due to retaining only 2 players, PBKS will enter the auction with 4 RTM cards and Rs 110.50 crore. With RTM the team will be able to retain 4 capped players. Due to having more money, the team can easily win the bidding war against big players. However, the team retained only 2 batsmen, so along with the captain and batsmen, they also have to buy spinners and fast bowlers.