IPL 2018 Auction: Team Preview

The IPL auction is now closer than ever and everyone from the team owners to the players and the fans is ready to see the franchises fight it out to secure the services of the best T20 players in the world.

The teams were allotted a purse of Rs 80 crore for this year's auction, a sum which has since been adjusted following the player retention by each franchise on January 4, 2018.

The franchises also have the Right to Match cards at their disposal. The RTM cards allow a team to match the offer made by another team for a former player of theirs from the previous season. Each team has either 2 or 3 RTMs based on the number of players they retained.

Some of the biggest names will go under the hammer this Saturday and Sunday and fans cannot wait to watch the action unfold.

Here is a look at how each team might approach the auction:

Chennai Super Kings:

IPL's most successful team is back after serving a two-year suspension. The Chennai Super Kings won the IPL twice, in 2010 and 2011, while finishing runners-up three times, in 2012, 2013 and 2015. They will look to continue the trend with some solid buys in the 2018 auction.

Who have Chennai Super Kings Retained?

Chennai Super Kings' retention policy went according to the script as they retained India's most successful captain MS Dhoni, IPL's highest run-getter Suresh Raina and one of the most dynamic all-rounders in world cricket, Ravindra Jadeja.

According to the new guidelines for IPL 2018, Dhoni has a salary cap of Rs 15 crore, Raina Rs 11 crore and Jadeja Rs 7 crore. So, Chennai Super Kings now have INR 47 crore or $7.36 million left in their auction purse. They also have two RTM cards in their possession which they can only use on overseas and uncapped players as they have retained their maximum quota of three capped Indian players.

Who will Chennai Super Kings look to use their RTM card on?

Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Smith, players who have played a major role in Chennai Super Kings' success over the past few seasons, are in the auction and the side will be looking to use their RTM card on two of these 3 players.

Bravo is one of the most successful all-rounders in the IPL with 1,238 runs and 122 wickets in 106 matches while McCullum and Smith form one of the most destructive opening pairs in the IPL.

Delhi Daredevils

Rishabh Pant

Delhi Daredevils are one of the least successful teams in the IPL and are the only team in IPL history to have never made it to the finals of the tournament. With Ponting at the helm this year, though, the Daredevils will look at this year's auction as a chance for redemption.

Who have Delhi Daredevils Retained?

Delhi Daredevils put their faith in a mix of youth and experience by retaining Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Chris Morris. Pant and Iyer are two of the most talented youngsters in the IPL while Morris is one of the leading all-rounders in T20s.

As Delhi Daredevils retained a total three players, a sum of INR 23 crores was subtracted from their auction purse of INR 80 crores, leaving them with INR 47 crores for the big day. They have two RTM cards with them which they can use on either an overseas player, a capped Indian player or 2 uncapped Indian players.

Who will Delhi Daredevils use their RTM card on?

Quinton de Kock, Sanju Samson, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra and Kagiso Rabada are some of the RTM targets for the Delhi-based franchise.

De Kock and Samson are two very talented and explosive wicket-keeper batsmen while Shami and Rabada are two of the most feared fast bowlers in world cricket. Amit Mishra is one of the most successful spinners in IPL history.

Mumbai Indians

Jos Buttler

Last year's triumph made Mumbai Indians the only side in IPL history to have won the tournament three times. They were also runners-up in the 2010 edition of the IPL. Mumbai will look to keep their winning run going with a strong showing in the auction.

Who have Mumbai Indians Retained?

Like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians' retention plan too went according to the script as they retained their core group of players in captain Rohit Sharma, hard-hitting all-rounder Hardik Pandya and death-overs specialist Jasprit Bumrah.

Mumbai had to part with Rs 23 crore from their auction purse of Rs 80 crore, leaving them with a total purse of Rs 47 crore or $7.36 million on auction day. They have 2 RTM cards in their possession which they can use on 2 overseas players or 2 uncapped Indian players.

Who will Mumbai Indians look to use their RTM card on?

Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jos Buttler, Nitish Rana and Lendl Simmons are some of the players the team will be looking to use the RTM card on.

Pandya and Pollard are two of the most destructive all-rounders in the IPL while Buttler and Simmons can shred opposition bowlers to bits with their power hitting. Rana is an up and coming youngster who had a very successful IPL 2017.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

With a line-up boasting the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson, Royal Challengers Bangalore were the team to beat in the IPL for the past few seasons on paper, but, unfortunately, they were unable to lift the trophy even once despite making it to the finals in 2016. They had a disappointing IPL 2017, finishing bottom of the table.

Who have Royal Challengers Bangalore Retained?

Royal Challengers Bangalore had one of the easiest jobs on retention day and they did not have to think twice to retain Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, two of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket. However, they also had a massive surprise in store for all of us, opting to retain Sarfaraz Khan, a highly talented youngster who barely featured for Royal Challengers Bangalore the past two seasons.

With the retention of Kohli, de Villiers and Sarfaraz, Royal Challengers Bangalore are left with a purse of Rs 49 crore or $7.67 million on auction day. They also have 2 RTM cards to work with which they can use on either two capped Indian players, an overseas player or on an uncapped Indian player.

Who will Royal Challengers Bangalore look to use their RTM card on?

Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kedar Jadhav, Avesh Khan are some of the high profile names Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to utilize the RTM card on.

Gayle is the most destructive batsman world cricket has ever seen, Watson is one of the most experienced all-rounders while Rahul, Chahal and Jadhav are an integral part of the Indian T20 side. Avesh is a talented fast bowler with genuine pace.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Since their not-so-long-ago inception in the IPL, Sunrisers Hyderabad have made a huge impact in the tournament and ended the 2016 edition as champions.

Who have Sunrisers Hyderabad retained?

Sunrisers Hyderabad made a couple of smart retentions in hard-hitting opener David Warner and the cunning pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Rashid Khan however was sent back into the pool.

With 2 retentions, Sunrisers Hyderabad have Rs 59 crore or $9.2 million in their kitty for the auction. They also have 3 RTM cards in their possession which they can use to acquire the services of either 2 capped Indian players, an overseas player or 2 uncapped Indian players.

Who Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to use their RTM card on:

Rashid Khan, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Mohammed Siraj, Vijay Shankar are some of the players the Sunrisers Hyderabad think tank will be looking to use the RTM card on.

Shikhar Dhawan and Williamson are two high-calibre top-order batsmen while Rashid Khan is one of the hottest properties in world cricket right now. Siraj and Vijay Shankar are two Indian players who had a solid 2017 IPL season.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Kolkata Knight Riders have one of the best turnaround stories in the IPL. After failing to make it to the knockout stages for the first three seasons in a row, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side have made it to playoffs 5 times in the last seven seasons and have been crowned champions twice, in the 2012 and 2014 editions of the IPL.

Who have Kolkata Knight Riders retained?

Unlike most teams on retention day, Kolkata Knight Riders retained overseas players in the form of mystery spinner Sunil Narine and all-rounder Andre Russell. They were the only team to use the maximum quota of 2 overseas players.

With 2 retained players, Kolkata Knight Riders will have Rs 59 crore or $9.2 million in their purse on auction day. They have 3 RTM cards at their disposal which they can use on 3 capped Indian players or 2 uncapped Indian players.

Who Kolkata Knight Riders will look to use their RTM card on:

Gautam Gambhir, Kuldeep Yadav, Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey, Suryakumar Yadav are some of the former employees that Kolkata Knight Riders will have their eye on for RTM.

Gambhir and Uthappa formed one of the most potent opening pairs in the IPL, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav are some of the better middle order batsmen in the IPL while Kuldeep Yadav is a young chinaman bowler with a bright future.

Kings XI Punjab:

Alongside Delhi, Kings XI Punjab have been one of the most unsuccessful sides in the IPL, having made it to the knockout rounds just twice in 10 editions of the IPL. The Punjab-based outfit will look to move on from their past failures and start a new chapter in this auction.

Who have Kings XI Punjab retained?

Contrary to popular belief, Kings XI Punjab decided not retain any of their 3 big Ms-Maxwell, Miller and Marsh. They instead retained all-rounder Axar Patel, who was their only retention.

With just a solitary retention, Kings XI Punjab have a huge purse of Rs 67.5 crore or $10.57 million for the auction. They also have the maximum number of RTM cards on offer that is 3, which they can use on 2 capped Indian players, 2 overseas players and 2 uncapped Indian players.

Who Kings XI Punjab will look to use their RTM card on:

Hashim Amla, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Sandeep Sharma, Mandeep Singh are some of the options on the table for Kings XI Punjab.

Amla is a class batsman who was in terrific form for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2017, Maxwell and Stoinis are two of the most dynamic and explosive all-rounders from down under. Sandeep Sharma and Mandeep have been the most consistent performers for Kings XI Punjab for the past few seasons.

Rajasthan Royals:

Rajasthan Royals are one of the 2 teams making a comeback to the IPL after serving a ban for two years. They were the inaugural champions of the IPL and will be looking to return in style with a strong showing in the upcoming auction.

Who have Rajasthan Royals retained?

Like Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals retained just a solitary player in the form of Australian captain Steve Smith.

With just one retention, Rajasthan Royals have an Auction purse of Rs 67.5 crore or $10.57 million for auction day. They have a maximum of 3 RTM cards at their disposal, which they can use to retain the services of 3 capped Indian players, 1 overseas player or 2 uncapped Indian players.

Who Rajasthan Royals will look to use their RTM card on:

Ajinkya Rahane, James Faulkner, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rajat Bhatia are some of the options Rajasthan Royals can use their RTM for.

Rahane has been Rajasthan Royals' best batsmen for the past few seasons, James Faulkner is one of the best all-rounders in world cricket while Kulkarni and Bhatia are two of the most consistent Indian performers in the IPL.