IPL 2020: Areas of concern for each team ahead of the auctions

The auctions for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League are set to take place on 19 December at Kolkata, with 8 teams looking to fill a maximum of 73 spots. The transfer window saw some interesting and strategic trades and releases, some of which were quite shocking.

Teams like Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad did not indulge in any trading and released only a few players, while some others like Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab have released a major chunk of their players.

As we head into the much anticipated auctions, here we look at one major area of concern for each team ahead of the auctions:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB will be looking to buff up their death bowling stocks

Bowling has always been RCB's Achilles' heel and this time it is no different. With the entire overseas pace department released, and the Indian pacers being more of red-ball bowlers, RCB have a huge task on hand to create a good core of pacers, mostly overseas.

The release of Colin de Grandhomme and Marcus Stoinis means RCB now have less firepower in the lower middle order. Shivam Dube is vastly inexperienced and they would love to have someone experienced to finish games.

A backup wicket-keeper will also be a target, keeping in mind Parthiv Patel is the only keeper in the squad currently. Giving keeping responsibilities to Ab de Villiers will increase his fitness concerns.

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR will be looking to improve their bench strength to deal with last-minute injuries

One of the areas to improve might be the experience in the top order. Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine and Siddhesh Lad are the potential top 3 from the current squad. With Lad lacking experience and Narine being a makeshift opener, bringing in a regular opener would be a wise move.

The other major area of concern for KKR is the bench strength. The last two seasons saw them with a formidable playing XI but a weak bench, and that cost them big time in the 2019 season. They did not have anyone else to go to when the regulars under-performed.

With the pitch at Eden Gardens offering more assistance to pace, KKR will be tempted to buff up their pace department. Also, they lack proper death bowling options. Harry Gurney did impress last season, but needs support at the death.

Mumbai Indians

With most bases covered, MI will be looking to get in backups for their main players

Mumbai Indians have most got most of their bases covered. The playing XI looks quite formidable from the list of retained players.

The major focus will be on improving the bench strength, especially in the batting department. With the release of Yuvraj Singh, Evin Lewis and Ben Cutting and the trade of Siddhesh Lad, Mumbai will look to get some better options with the bat who can come in handy when someone from the playing XI gets injured.

The bowling department looks quite strong but they might look to get in a few backups. Overall, Mumbai seem to be one of the very few teams to go into the auctions with no major gaps to fill.

Rajasthan Royals

RR will be looking to get in good Indian pacers to support Jofra Archer

By including Ankit Rajpoot over Dhawal Kulkarni, RR have shown a preference for raw pace. But apart from Varun Aaron, Rajpoot and Jofra Archer, RR do not have any decent pacer in their squad. Fast bowling will be the major area of focus for the Royals.

Despite having stalwarts like Jos Buttler, Steve Smith and Ben Stokes, RR need some good Indian batting to make the bench stronger. Also, after releasing Stuart Binny and trading K Gowtham, they lack firepower in the lower middle order; finishing is one area of concern for RR ahead of the auctions.

Kings XI Punjab

With Miller released, KXIP will be looking to bring in a proper finisher

The top order remains the strongest suit for KXIP. And the middle order, especially with David Miller gone, remains an area to be focused on.

Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Karun Nair and Sarfaraz Khan are options for the middle order, but none of them have the experience of playing the role of a finisher. Miller's lack of form and the dearth of proper finishers has haunted Punjab in crunch games for two years now.

Another major area of concern is the fast bowling. Mohammed Shami did add to the firepower in 2019, but the release of Andrew Tye, Ankit Rajpoot and Sam Curran has left too many vacancies in the pace department.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

SRH will be looking to bring in Indian middle order batsmen to play the finishing role

Known for picking players according to slots and roles, SRH this time find themselves a little short of resources as far as finishing with the bat is concerned. They can try and groom Vijay Shankar and Abhishek Sharma as finishers or try Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan for the role, but they would love to have some reliability down the order.

To avoid a situation like last year, when the team failed when David Warner and Jonny Bairstow did not score, they need to ensure they have the right players for the lower middle order.

Bowling has always been SRH's forte, but this time the concern will be the form of the Indian pacers. All three regulars of last year - Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma and Siddarth Kaul - are on a downward slide.

Billy Stanlake's history of injuries will be a cause of concern for the side too. So fast bowling is an area where the management would look to get in some quality.

Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals will be looking to get in some hard hitters for the lower middle order

The strong Indian batting core holds DC in good stead. And the fast bowling lies in the safe hands of Kagiso Rabada and Ishant Sharma. The spin department meanwhile looks the strongest among all teams.

The only major gap they will be looking to fill is that of a finisher. The lack of good lower order batsmen did cost them a few games last season.

Backups in the pace department will be on the priority list of the management too, considering Rabada's history of injuries.

Chennai Super Kings

Chenai Super Kings

Not often we see CSK going into the auctions looking for a lot of changes. And they will most likely go in with the same strategy in the upcoming auctions.

Having released just six players, CSK hold an almost identical look to the 2019 squad. However, the concerns over the under-performing middle order, which was clearly over-dependent on skipper MS Dhoni last season, still remain.

Unlike most teams, CSK lack an aggressor in their middle order, who can hit sixes at will right from the word go.

The bowling department looks sorted and will only get stronger with Lungi Ngidi available for the next season. But the lack of alternatives if he gets injured might lead them into trouble.