The two-day IPL mega auction was filled with records and cricket fans could not contain their excitement. Players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer went for immensely large prices bid adieu to their former teams and joined a new team. This season signed contracts for 182 players from ten teams for three years, everything is ready for an explosive struggle for the title. It is now time to look at how the franchises have put their teams together for the new season.
Delhi Capitals
In this year’s particular strategy, Delhi Capitals let go of their captain Rishabh Pant earlier before the auction. The team kept a core of four players and signed 19 new traits including the star blazing batsman of Faf du Plessis. I was able to go through fixed matches for cricket, lately the last season Bangalore captain Du Plessis likely to release the captain of Delhi. The pace partnership in the squad is Mitchell Starc and T. Natarajan; spinners that are also included in the team include Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav. However, the middle-order backup seems a bit weak and may prove fatal during tense competitions.
Lucknow Super Giants
New entrants Lucknow became overnight title contenders after they bought Rishabh Pant for ₹27 crore and indicated his possible promotion as captain. Besides Pant, 19 players joined the team and there could be openings from Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram. But their recent form is a cause of worry and so is the condition of star players like Pant and Nicholas Pooran. The physical condition of pacers, Mayank and Mohsin Khan will also play an important role in the team’s deliverance.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad have retained their regular playing eleven from the previous season, and acquiring players such as Ishan Kishan, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, and Adam Zampa would have had a definite impact if they got a chance to play. Having Rahul Chahar strengthening the spin bowling line up the team seems to be balanced for helping the franchise replicate the same displays that were seen in the previous year.
Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans – purchased 20 players during the auction though they splashed on big names to build up a strong top order. At No. 1, they have Jos Buttler, and at No. 2 now directly they have Shubman Gill so they have a very good batting squad. Their pace bowling lineup with Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Ishant Sharma standing tall is ominous. However, the middle order seems to be unstable and this can be an obvious weakness when in pressure.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
It is either a known fact or at least hard to refute that the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are famous for their explosive batsmen. But therein their bowling is often seen to be lacking. In a bid to avoid this, the team had to splash the cash on Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. It is quite unlikely for Virat Kohli to take up the captaincy role again as the team heavily depends on three English players namely; Liam Livingstone, Bethell, and Philip Salt.
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as expected continued with their trend of picking up released players back into the franchise and signed Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. This season they also reinforced their battlefield with all-rounder Sam Curran and Rahul Tripathi. With Ravichandran Ashwin in the CSK team and MS Dhoni in the final over, the side appears well capable of another successful tournament.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings released only two uncapped players and bought their prime pick Shreyas Iyer for ₹26.75 crore, who might lead the team. Bowling proof is strong with Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, and Marco Jansen. A power-hitting lower-order batsman in Marcus Stoinis and playing an additional all-rounder in Glenn Maxwell are two strong-assets ||While Yuzvendra Chahal strengthens the spin bowling unit, the left-handed Harpreet Brar is also promoted in Rajasthan Royals.
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals retained a bowler-heavy side and their auction strategy involved fetching more bowlers to their team. They bought Jofra Archer for ₹12.5 crore but he suffers from Ash spate more often than not. Teen sensation Wanindu Hasaranga, and experienced Mahesh Theekshana will replace the experienced leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin though their lineup of batsmen lacks the muscle and has a lot of questions unanswered.
Kolkata Knight Riders
KKR invested heavily in Venkatesh Iyer who could very turn out to be the match-winner as the Kolkata-based team aims for the third IPL crown. Along with the six players who have been retained, KKR also included 15 new players and this helped KKR to build most of its team as a new kettle with the new addition. Iyer is also a great candidate for the captaincy position.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians had a slow first day at the auction as they splurged only on their players. But they pulled out the big guns on the last day which was particularly very strategic and high profile when they managed to get Trent Boult for the price of ₹ 12.5 crore and Deepak Chahar for ₹ 9.25 crore. They also signed Will Jacks as a middle-order batsman because Tim David was released by Lucknow Super Giants. However, these representations have remained a lack of Ishan Kukushan in the opening list, which adds pressure to Rohith Sharma and the team.
The Road Ahead
With the wind blowing in the direction of litigation in last year’s mega auction, this year’s IPL 2024 with reshaped teams and new goals is going to be a cracker of a contest. Buoyed by big names moving from one franchise to another and young blood entering the fray, cricket lovers are in for a real treat. Every team is bound to have its potential and areas of weakness thus having its style of struggling in a mission to clinch the IPL trophy.
