IPL 2020: Rating The Teams Based On Their Performance In The IPL Auction

Towards the end of a calendar year, the auction for the thirteenth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) was one of the most exciting events to look forward to. The proceedings conducted on the 19th of December in Kolkata involved some high-players that went down the hammer. All the franchises, along with their coaching staff, came together and actively engaged themselves in the auction to boost their chances of claiming the title in the upcoming season.

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It is fair to say that after the auction, some teams looked balanced while some didn’t seem stable. Some of the purchases by the franchises came under suspicion since they splurged big time on players who seemed way out of that league. On the other hand, few franchises failed to go hard at players who could have made a significant difference to their side.

We take a look at the rating received for each team post the IPL 2020 Auction:

Mumbai Indians – 5/10

Defending champions Mumbai Indians entered with a purse amount of INR 13.5 crores. The franchise started with a bang by roping in Chris Lynn for INR 2 crores. Post that; they engaged in a bidding war with their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings over Nathan Coulter-Nile. They signed up the Australian quick for a jaw-dropping INR 8 crores which came as a shock since Coulter-Nile hasn’t had a fulfilling international outing of late.

Left-arm quick Mohsin Khan has a good record in domestic cricket; hence it spells great news since they secured him for a modest INR 20 lakh. Their other signings were Saurabh Tiwary, Digvijay Deshmukh, and Balwant Rai Singh, all of whom could come handy at some stage. Before the auction, they still had the team to win their fifth title; however, their performance in the bidding wars flags a rating of 5/10.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 7/10

The two-time champions unquestionably hogged the spotlight almost throughout the auction with an amount of INR 35.65 crores. If Eoin Morgan wasn’t one blockbuster purchase, they swooped in at the last minute to snatch Pat Cummins from Bangalore and Delhi for a record-breaking INR 15.5 crores. They also gained the services of Chris Green and Tom Banton, both of who look as athletes with high potential as displayed by them in other leagues.

Among the domestic recruits, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Tripathi, Nikhil Naik, and Pravin Tambe all bring in a huge chunk of promises with them. However, they are likely to endure happy headaches. With plenty of high-profile signings and retained players, they could be in a fix with the playing combinations throughout the tournament. But their rendition in the auction receives a rating of seven out of ten.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – 7/10

Ahead of the event on the 19th of December, Sunrisers Hyderabad liberated only three players from their ranks. They had their bases entirely covered in terms of foreign players, especially in batting. All they needed was Indian players in their armoury. Priyam Garg and Virat Singh perfectly serve their purpose with their explosive and calculated batting as the situation demands. However, they would be tested in such a competitive tournament.

The inclusion of Mitchell Marsh raised a few eyebrows; however, Fabian Allen can be a genuine match-winner on his day with both bat and the ball. The Jamaican has a mind-boggling strike rate of 165.70 in T20 cricket. The champions of 2016 had a team excellent enough already; however, they did precisely what they needed to do in the auction. Thus, they secure a rating of 7/10.

Delhi Capitals – 8/10

The Delhi Capitals selected some of the star-studded players but also kept their balance in check. Their availability was of INR 27.85 crores, and it is justice to say they utilized it in a penetrating way. They started off with purchasing Jason Roy and Chris Woakes, both of whom can play their roles to perfection. However, their biggest draw was Shimron Hetmyer, who can bulldoze the opponents single-handedly through his fierce power-hitting.

In Alex Carey, Delhi found a player who can open the innings or play as a finisher and still churn out the runs. They already have qualified domestic personnel in Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra. By choosing a perfect balance, this could be the breakthrough season for them and hence receive a rating of 8/10.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 6/10

Among all the franchises, all the eyes were definitely fixated on Bangalore. Virat Kohli’s men come with a lot of promise every year; however, they fell flat and end up mostly languishing at the bottom half of the table. Aaron Finch comes up as an excellent signing at the top of the order. Nevertheless, shelling out ten crores in Chris Morris could come as a regret later.

The Bangalore-based franchise could have gone heavily for another two proven pace bowlers. Isuru Udana appears like a fantastic addition. On the other hand, Dale Steyn and Kane Richardson are reasonable additions; however, they may be disappointed for not going after Pat Cummins or Sheldon Cottrell. Josh Philippe, Pavan Deshpande, and Shahbaz Ahmed also seem better equipped to support the likes of Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers in the batting department.

Kings XI Punjab: 7/10

Kings XI Punjab strode into the auction with the highest amount available which was INR 42.70 crores. As opposed to the last season, Punjab have made some intelligent buys. Sheldon Cottrell and Chris Jordan can perfectly answer their new-ball and death bowling questions. James Neesham and Glenn Maxwell are the all-rounders or the game-changers in the middle-order they sorely missed in the last season.

One department Punjab could have concentrated is finding an opening batsman as a cover for Chris Gayle. Ishan Porel can aptly support their potential new ball bowlers in Sheldon Cottrell and Mohammed Shami. Overall their squad appears to be one of the strongest and receive a rating of 7/10. Nonetheless, unlike the past couple of seasons, they need to show consistency to go till the top.

Chennai Super Kings – 8/10

The three-time champions can hold their heads high even as they purchased only four players in the auction. Even with their present team, Chennai Super Kings can manage to collect another IPL trophy in their cabinet. Josh Hazlewood’s signing did come under suspicion; however, his nagging line and length can create plenty of trouble for the batsmen.

Sam Curran could be the trump card in both the facets since the likes of Shane Watson, and Dwayne Bravo have been injury-prone of late. Their spin department is undeniably a deadly one comprising of R Sai Kishore, Piyush Chawla, Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, and Mitchell Santner. Their overall performance in the auction gets a rating of 8 out of 10.

Rajasthan Royals – 4/10

The inaugural champions arrived with a price of INR 28.90 crores. However, their squad appears the most podunk of the lot. The franchise’s best buy is Yashasvi Jaiswal who showcased what he could do in the domestic cricket. Instead of David Miller, Rajasthan Royals may regret bowing out of the bid for Shimron Hetmyear, who was snatched by the Delhi Capitals. Looking at Ben Stokes’ ordinary form since the past two seasons, roping in James Neesham could have been beneficial.

The likes of Oshane Thomas and Tom Curran have excelled reasonably well for their national sides. They would be hoping they translate the same in the IPL. By snapping Jaydev Unadkat, they may have committed a blunder for the second successive time. Another department Rajasthan could have focussed on is getting a proven leggie to support Shreyas Gopal. While these low-profile could still spring massive surprises in the tournament like how they did in the first edition. However, until then, their rating stays at 4 out of ten.

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