As a start of the article series, I shared with you some overview of the IPL, this year's MEGA auction; IPL Mega Auction: Team Review 01: Gujarat Titans. Out of final 577 players, and retained players 10 teams were created at the auction.
I am presenting how each team did in this year's auction and their team combination. So, after the Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings & Delhi Capitals, let me discuss two more teams.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU
RCB is a well-liked team, especially with the presence of Kohli from the start to the present. Once they had this deadliest combo, Gayle, AB & Kohli, but still couldn't taste the championship. They became Runners-up three times. They were not so good in the auctions, especially when choosing the balling department. Anyway, after retaining just 3 players they came this time to rebuild the team from scratch.
| Squad | 22 Total, 08 overseas |
|---|---|
| Retained Players (INR) | Virat Kohli (21 cr), Rajat Patidar (11 cr), Yash Dayal (5 cr) |
| Players bought(INR) | Josh Hazlewood (12.50 cr), Phil Salt (11.50 cr), Jitesh Sharma (11 cr), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10.75 cr), Liam Livingstone (8.75 cr), Rasikh Salam (6 cr), Krunal Pandya (5.75 cr), Tim David (3 cr), Jacob Bethell (2.6 cr), Suyash Sharma (2.6 cr), Devdutt Padikkal (2 cr), Nuwan Thushara (1.6 cr), Romario Shepherd (1.5 cr), Lungi Ngidi (1 cr), Swapnil Singh (50L), Manoj Bhandage (30L), Swastik Chikara (30L), Mohit Rathee (30L), Abhinandan Singh (30L) |
| Probable XI | Virat Kohli(c), Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(wk), Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal |
Well, everyone was surprised and shocked as they didn't go deep for any of the marquee players. Furthermore, they didn't use the RTM option for Will Jacks/ Maxwell/ Siraj as well. But later I guess they did some great deals to strengthen their squad.
- Phill Salt is a proven destroyer in the last season, and having him at the top of the order with Kohli, following Rajat Patidar, Jacob Bethell will be amazing for them.
- Power hitters - Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya
- Experienced bowling attack - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood
The team has many options, but the unavailability of experienced and proven spinners will hurt him a bit.
My Rating - 8.5/10
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
The defending champions spent a significant amount to retain a strong core. Anyway, letting go of Phill Salt and Iyer was a bit surprising, Starc was reasonable due to the big money involved. They tried to take the same team, and were a bit successful at the auction.
| Squad | 21 Total, 08 overseas |
|---|---|
| Retained Players (INR) | Rinku Singh (13 Cr), Andre Russell (12 Cr), Sunil Narine (12 Cr), Varun Chakaravarthy (12 Cr), Harshit Rana (4 Cr), Ramandeep Singh (4 Cr) |
| Players bought(INR) | Angkrish Raghuvanshi (3 Cr), Quinton de Kock (3.60 Cr), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (2 Cr), Venkatesh Iyer (23.75 Cr), Mayank Markande (30 L), Anrich Nortje (6.50 Cr), Vaibhav Arora (1.80 Cr), Ajinkya Rahane (1.5 Cr), Manish Pandey (75L), Luvnith Sisodia (30L), Anukul Roy (40L), Rovman Powell (1.5 Cr), Moeen Ali (2 Cr), Umran Malik (75L), Spencer Johnson (2.80 Cr) |
| Probable XI | Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anrich Nortje, Varun Chakaravarthy |
Buying Venkatesh Iyer for 23.75 crore was a bold move on their part. With a small purse remaining, they went for it and later were successful in signing some talents to strengthen the squad. Iyer will have to play a significant part here.
- Terrific spin-bowling unit (Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, Mayank Markande)
- Terrific All-rounders unit (Andre Russell, Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Rovman Powell, Moeen Ali)
They have a specific concern about the captain option. As it seems, the squad is more like muscle power and the middle order is not consistent in the last few seasons. So, Iyer, Pandey/ Rahane will have a bigger role to play. And there are a few fast-balling options as well. So, most probably it will be challenging to the current team.
My Rating - 8/10
Until the next time!
Best Regards!