Hello dear readers!!!
Welcome to the 2023 IPL auction special article of our Parinaama Sports Blog. I’m gonna be sharing a few things that I feel about this year’s auction, which is going to be a mini one. That’s because we had a mega auction last year, and the next mega auction isn’t likely to come up anytime soon.
Ok let’s take a step back.
Mini and mega auctions?! What’s that?!
Well, you see, as I’d mentioned in the previous article, last year saw the introduction of 2 new teams, making IPL a 10-team tournament. That’s when the BCCI said to all teams – guys, mandatory shuffling of teams.
The scenario became similar to primary classes, when the principal instructs shuffling of sections, and existing students cry about missing their friends while new entrants are eager to make new friends.
Existing teams could retain only a maximum of 4 players from their squad, while the 2 new teams could randomly pick 3 players as their initial signings before the auction. For the remaining slots, all teams had to enter the mega auction, that lasted for 2 days.
Now, let’s see what the teams actually had to do in the mega auction. They were given a total amount of 90 crores to fill their squad, the maximum and minimum limit of which would be 25 and 18 players respectively. They could have a maximum of 8 foreigners in their squad. This auction happened successfully, with the teams picking their squads and trying to win battles before the war.
This year’s auction is different, as it’s a mini one. Unlike last time, in a mini auction, it is the teams’ discretion as to how many players they want to release and retain. And so, the 10 teams have submitted their retained and released lists to the BCCI, and with an additional 5 crores being added to their kitty, they’ll have to fill their remaining slots using the money they have left.
It's now time to look at how each team is poised before the auction commences.
1. Chennai Super Kings:
The 4-time champions had a small fallout with long time talisman Ravindra Jadeja, or so was thought by the media, until Jadeja himself took to Instagram to show who’s the boss at CSK. Releasing Uthappa and Bravo due to their retirement has put CSK in a condition to replace them with effective, long-term players who can carry the team forward.
Apart from that, the batting line up seems pretty settled, and the bowling department is strong with Mukesh Choudhary being seen as an impactful support to Deepak Chahar. CSK will be praying that their star players should be out of injury by the time IPL approaches, and would also want to target Sam Curran in the auctions. After releasing a handful of players, CSK can fill a maximum of 7 slots (2 overseas), using their remaining 20.45 crores. Whistle Podu fans must pray that the savoury mixture doesn’t come in the way of CSK’s auction time at the table.
2. Mumbai Indians:
MI retained a large core of their 2022 squad, and their releases comprised of players who mostly didn’t feature in their playing XI. Having traded in Jason Behrendorff during the trading window, they’ll still look to find good pace bowling talent in the auctions to support Jasprit Bumrah, as the availability of Jofra Archer, on whom they spent a fortune last auction, is still unclear.
MI perhaps need a small reminder now and then that the constraints at the auction are not only on slots but also on money, as their initial bids last year seemed to suggest that their owners (hint – India’s second richest man and his family) would be paying for their players from their own money rather than BCCI allotted money. With their remaining purse of 20.55 crores, they’ve to fill a maximum of 9 slots, out of which 3 can be foreigners.
3. Royal Challengers Bangalore:
With the legendary Virat Kohli stepping down from captaincy last year, they performed reasonably well under new skipper Faf du Plessis. They’re currently a well settled squad going from last year’s performance, and they didn’t release any of their important players as well. With a purse of 8.75 crores and 7 slots available (2 overseas), RCB can be expected to remain largely inactive in the upcoming auction, perhaps with the exception of searching for a replacement for Jason Behrendoff whom they traded off to MI.
4. Kolkata Knight Riders:
Now this is one of the few teams that I really don’t know what they’re up to. First, their new captain (Shreyas Iyer) has a public scuffle with their legendary coach Brendon McCullum, who stepped down this year in order to lend his Bazball knowledge to England as their Test match coach.
Next, they release more than half the players from their 2022 squad, with their retained players list looking incapable of even forming a playing XI. Yet, with 11 slots to fill (3 overseas), they have merely 7.05 crores in their kitty!!! Even school kid mathematics is enough to see how bad their scenario is at the auction. It will be a miracle if they’re able to put down a decent playing XI even after the auction.
5. Delhi Capitals:
DC presents a deadly scenario for other teams this year.
They have their legendary bald-paddle-raiser uncle whose mere presence at the
auction table strikes fear in other teams’ hearts. As if that was not enough,
they’ve released only a few players following their good performance last year
under Rishabh Pant, and with only 5 slots to fill (2 foreigners), they sit
happily with a whopping 19.45 crores available, equipping themselves to spoil
the party of any team that tries to buy a good player by just hiking his price
– because they can afford to.
6. Rajasthan Royals:
A team that has gained my respect over the last 2 years. However, this year they aren’t posed too great at the auction, and the fact that their retained squad comprises of their core is the only solace. They’ve freed up some of their important overseas slots, and with 9 slots to fill (4 overseas), the runners up for last year sit with a purse of 13.2 crores, leaving us in speculation how they’re going to pick up players who can support their strong core.
7. Sunrisers Hyderabad:
This is sure shot one of the 2 teams that didn’t understand what to do in a mega auction last year. While they were supposed to build a strong, futuristic core with a good captain, what they’ve done before this year’s auction reflects just the opposite. Releasing captain Kane Williamson along with more than half their core playing XI is what SRH have as auction strategy. Though it has freed up a lot of space (13 slots, 4 of which can be overseas) and money (42.25 crores remaining), it’s yet to be seen if they can achieve what they want from the upcoming auction. They’re also perhaps the only team in this year’s auction going in with the need of buying a captain for their side.
8. Punjab Kings:
Where do I start.
Releasing their captain (who looked in self doubt if he was actually captain last season) and appointing Shikhar Dhawan as captain is perhaps a good move. But they too are going into the auction with 32.2 crores in their purse, without realizing even after umpteen instances that their enhanced activity at the auction table doesn’t mean they’ve done well. The team’s abysmal show in the IPL throughout the years is testimony to this. With Trevor Bayliss taking up the position of head coach, I hope at least this time they’ll let the team management make the decisions at the auction table instead of the owners. They have 9 slots to fill, out of which 3 can be overseas.
9. Lucknow Supergiants:
Despite their success last year, they’ve opted for a major revamp. But they’ve still managed to retain a strong core despite letting go of several big names. Having 23.35 crores and 10 slots to fill (4 foreigners), LSG will be looking to boost their performance in their second season of play by making better buys at the auction table.
10. Gujarat Titans:
The defending champions barely needed changes to their
dominant 2022 squad. Their releases, barring the trade of Lockie Ferguson to
KKR, haven’t been from their core group. Having 7 slots (3 overseas) to fill
with a purse of 19.25 crores puts them in an advantageous situation, where they
can look to reinforce their strong squad with quality talent from the auction.
So, with the 10 teams set to battle it out with their wits and wallets in the auction, the players will go under the hammer today afternoon.
The auction rules are simple, with it being conducted as an open bidding, and with the restriction of only 2 teams being involved in bidding of a player at a time. The battle before the war shall get over today, providing a stage for the tournament to commence next year.
As for the blog, I’ll be back
with a post-auction article a few days after the auction to see how the teams
have fared in it.
Until then, with cheers and whistles as always
Subrahmanyam B R
Sports Blogger