IPL 2024 Auction: Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans look settled on paper; Kolkata Knight Riders lack death bowling options. Team wise auction report and how team looks after.
All 10 franchises have purchased every player they desired in the auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 to cover the bases of their team. Most of them look settled, while a few still have headaches going into the tournament. Let’s take a look at how Rajasthan Royals (RR), Gujarat Titans (GT) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have shaped themselves after the auction.
Rajasthan Royals: A settled side with perfect backups for every department
The inaugural champions of the IPL, Rajasthan Royals have strengthened themselves in the auction, purchasing some of the great India and overseas players for their side. Their foremost job going into the auction was buying backup players, and they did that job brilliantly.
Players RR bought in the auction: Rovman Powell (INR 7.40 crore), Shubham Dubey (INR 5.80 crore), Tom Kohler-Cadmore (INR 40 lakh), Abid Mushtaq (INR 20 lakh) and Nandre Burger (INR 50 lakh).
There was no uncertainty about their playing eleven. They hungered for an all-rounder to polish their six-batter-five-bowler theory, which did cost them a few games in the previous season. They tried Jason Holder in 2023 but didn’t get desired results. So, Rovman Powell’s inclusion will be a huge bonus for them, who could play as a finisher.
Shubham Dubey can always come as an impact sub if needed. Their brilliance in the auction table came in choosing the back-ups. If Jos Buttler looks down in form or picks up an injury, they have Tom Kohler Cadmore as a good back-up, who has 4606 runs in 169 T20 innings at a strike rate of 142.2. If something happens to Trent Boult, the like-to-like replacement is the South Africa left-arm pacer, Nandre Burger, who has 17 T20 wickets at an economy of 8.02.
They are a team that goes hard and believes in aggressive batting throughout the 20 overs. If they somehow manage the middle-order conundrum, it’s going to be another successful year for them.
Probable starting XI: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c) (wk.), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Read More: IPL 2024 Auction: Starc, Cummins, Mitchell, Harshal top bids; MI, RR, SRH look settled on paper
Gujarat Titans: A settled side with dangerous finishing trio
The champions of 2022 and the runners-up from 2023, Gujarat Titans had a big shoe to fill for Hardik Pandya, going into the IPL auction. They tried to add various options and somehow have managed to have a few back-ups to help their newly made captain Shubman Gill.
Players GT picked in the auction: Shahrukh Khan (INR 7.40 crore), Umesh Yadav (INR 5.80 crore), Sushant Mishra (INR 2.20 crore), Kartik Tyagi (INR 60 lakh), Azmatullah Omarzai (INR 50 lakh), Manav Suthar (INR 20 lakh), Spencer Johnson (INR 10 crore), Robin Minz (INR 3.6 crore).
In the first half of the auction, the only player they got was Omarzai, who can be used as a backup option for David Miller. When Mitchell Starc got out of their hand, they picked Umesh Sharma as the backup option for Mohammad Shami.
Spencer Johnson may play the same role as Josh Little played for them in the previous edition. He may not play all the games but in the faster tracks, he could be valuable. With the inclusion of Shahrukh Khan, their lower-order batting looks ominous. Their only choice in the overseas slot will be between Kane Williamson and Matthew Wade. If Wriddhiman Saha struggles in the tournament, then they could offer Robin Minz a place in the eleven, but is he the best option to keep against Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed?
Their biggest issue will be their new untested young captain, Shubman Gill and how he manages the pressure. A lot will depend on how he performs.
Probable starting XI: Shubman Gill (c), Wriddhiman Saha (wk.), Sai Sudharsan, Kane Williamson, David Miller, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Spencer Johnson, Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma.
Kolkata Knight Riders: A solid batting side with a lack of death bowling resources
When one thinks of the champion side of 2012 and 2014 in the auction, the first thing that comes to mind is their purchase of Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 crore. It’s a mixed-bag auction for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), where they also got a few cheap deals.
Players KKR bought in the auction: KS Bharat (INR 50 lakh), Chetan Sakariya (INR 50 lakh), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (INR 20 lakh), Ramandeep Singh (INR 20 lakh), Sherfane Rutherford (INR 1.5 crore), Manish Pandey (INR 50 lakh), Sakib Hussain (INR 20 lakh), Mujeeb Ur Rahman (INR 2 crore), Gus Atkinson (INR 1 crore).
They had no question in the batting department, which looked solid even in the previous season. They picked Mujeeb as the backup of Sunil Narine. The interesting thing to see will be the tracks of Eden Graden, and whether it favours the spin bowlers. If so, then they have enough quality in that department.
If Rahmanullah Gurbaz plays as a keeper, then they can’t have Jason Roy as an opener. Their main problem in the previous season was their death bowling, which still looks to be out of balance. Starc is a good option, but who will give him backup from the other end? Gus Atkinson can’t play with Andree Russell and Sunil Narine being their certain overseas players. Are Chetan Sakariya and Vaibhav Arora good options for death bowling?
Probable starting XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk.), Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Mitchell Starc, Suyash Sharma, Varun Chakaravarthy.
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