IPL 2018: 5 players whom franchises will regret letting go of in the auctions

The IPL auction is viewed differently by different franchises. Some franchises are of the belief that the core of the side should be retained and a team should be built around this core at the auction, while others believe in creating an entirely new team every time an auction takes place.

At the 2018 auctions, franchises packed their squads with superstars going into the 11th edition of the IPL. Even though most teams retained their core, there are few players which were slipped out of the franchises' hands.

These players have been proven match-winners for their franchises in the past. Here are 5 players that the team owners will rue letting go:

#5 Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu has been an integral part of the Mumbai Indians batting line-up.

Ambati Rayudu has been Mumbai Indians' man for all seasons. In his eight seasons with the Mumbai Indians, he has done everything that has been asked of him. Right from playing the role of sheet anchor batting at No. 3 to being the finisher, Rayudu has shown a lot of versatility in handling every task assigned to him.

However, this year, the Mumbai Indians surprisingly let go one of their most trusted middle order batsmen to their rivals, the Chennai Super Kings in a bargain buy. There is no valid answer as to why, but this move could hurt the Mumbai Indians very badly since they are short of an experienced Indian batsman in the top order.

#4 Sandeep Sharma

Sandeep has been one of the very few positives for the Kings XI in their years of title drought.

In a surprising move, the Kings XI Punjab let go their premier fast bowler of the past four seasons, Sandeep Sharma, to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in just Rs. 3 crores. In 56 IPL games, Sandeep has shown great wicket-taking abilities picking 71 wickets, with most of the wickets coming in the powerplay overs.

His ability to bowl yorkers at the death is another value that he brings to the table. In the title-less, dismal years of the franchise, this guy has raised his own battles and has been the lone bright star in the team. With the exclusion of Sandeep, the Kings XI fast bowling attack does not look intimidating now.

#3 Manish Pandey

Manish Pandey's departure leaves a big hole in the KKR's middle order.

Manish Pandey has been the backbone of the Kolkata Knight Riders' batting line-up ever since his inclusion in the side. He has shown the capability to win matches single-handedly. After Gambhir's exclusion from the side, it was expected that Pandey would be his successor and take over the reigns of the side.

Instead, Pandey went to the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs.11 crores. The Knight Riders did not use the RTM and now they may well just regret it. The KKR team does not have an experienced Indian middle-order batsman and Pandey would have fit into this picture perfectly had he been picked.

#2 KL Rahul

Surprisingly, the RCB did not use the RTM on KL Rahul.

The Karnataka batsman is one of the three to score a T20I hundred for India. His record in international T20 cricket has been staggering. Rahul has consistently shown his ability to score the big 70s and 80s by pacing the innings well. He has got good striking power to play the role of the finisher as well.

At RCB, Rahul was a very useful player who used to come in at 5 or 6 and finish the innings. His ability to assume wicket-keeping duties meant the RCB could play an extra bowler. This year, Rahul was bought by the Kings XI Punjab for Rs. 11 crores and the Bangalore franchise opted to not use the RTM on him.

Although 11 crores seems a little out of the budget, Rahul is worth using RTM for at a high price. The RCB franchise without an experienced Indian middle-order batsman now.

#1 Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler going to the Rajasthan Royals from the Mumbai Indians was perhaps the best bargain buy.

Jos Buttler is one of the most destructive T20 batsmen of the modern era. His hitting is not all power and muscles but about delicate grace and elegance. One of the most valuable players of the modern day T20 cricket was let go of by the Mumbai Indians in just Rs. 4.4 crores to the Rajasthan Royals. The move was very baffling since MI were expected to go hard at him or even use the RTM on him if required.

Last season, Buttler was good for the Mumbai Indians, giving them brisk starts at the top. Picking Buttler would not only have enhanced MI's batting strength but would have also given them an additional wicket-keeping option. All in all, it was a blunder made by the Mumbai Indians which they might regret.