IPL 2020 Auction: Strongest possible XI of all eight teams

#4 Kolkata Knight Riders

Cummins will be back in KKR colours

Squad

Batsmen: Shubman Gill, Siddesh Lad, Rahul Tripathi, Tom Banton (wk), Nikhil Naik, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rinku Singh, Eoin Morgan.

All-rounders: Andre Russell, Nitish Rana, Chris Green, Sunil Narine

Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, M Siddharth, Pravin Tambe

Fast bowlers: Harry Gurney, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Pat Cummins

Kolkata Knight Riders made the biggest bid of the day as they signed the services of Australian quick Pat Cummins for a whopping sum of ₹15.5 Crore. Kolkata Knight Riders were on a hunt for an impact pacer and did a good job in sealing the deal for Cummins, who can offer a little bit of batting lower down the order as well.

Eoin Morgan's signing was also a notable addition to the KKR roster, with the Englishman certain to add some solidity to their middle order. Apart from these stalwarts, KKR also made a couple of bargain buys in Chris Green and Tom Banton, with both these players making a name for themselves in their short T20 careers.

KKR also drafted in Varun Chakravarthy for a stellar amount of ₹4 crore, and the 48-year-old Pravin Tambe at his base price of ₹20 lakh.

Strongest XI: Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik (C and WK), Rahul Tripathi, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

#3 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Can fresh signings change RCB's fate?

Squad

Batsman: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Parthiv Patel (wk), Aaron Finch, Joshua Philippe (wk), Shahbaz Ahmad (wk), Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Pavan Deshpande

All-rounders: Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana.

Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Pawan Negi.

Fast bowlers: Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Kane Richardson, Dale Steyn.

Royal Challengers Bangalore were one of the few teams who made the most buys from the auction and look well-rounded ahead of the upcoming season.

Unlike last year, the RCB management opted to bank on experience this time around. By signing quality players in Aaron Finch, Chris Morris, and Dale Steyn, RCB have ensured that lack of experience will not be an issue in IPL 2020.

Aaron Finch, who did not participate in IPL 2019 due to national commitments, will add teeth to RCB's top-order, and his inclusion could see Virat Kohli coming in at No.3. RCB have also invested heavily in Chris Morris, who has done decently in the IPL and will be expected to contribute both with the bat and ball. With a strong squad, RCB fans can expect a better performance from their side.

Strongest XI: Aaron Finch, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal.

#2 Chennai Super Kings

CSK will be relying on the tried and tested

Squad

Batsmen: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, N Jagadeesan (wk), M Vijay, Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni (c & wk)

All-rounders: Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Mitchell Santner, Monu Singh, Sam Curran

Spinners: Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Ravi Sai Kishore

Fast bowlers: Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif, Josh Hazlewood

Chennai Super Kings made only four purchases in Sam Curran, Piyush Chawla, Josh Hazlewood, R Sai Kishore at the auction since they yet again stuck to their tried and tested core of players and released only a handful of players. Although, these purchases could prove to be of huge significance for the Super Kings.

Piyush Chawla can be a replacement for Imran Tahir, who occupies an overseas player's spot in the side. Sam Curran's all-round abilities might come in handy for the Super Kings. Also, Josh Hazlewood can prove to be a smart buy as he is known for his immaculate line and length.

The Super Kings are well aware of the fact that the conditions in Chennai are more conducive for spinners, and thus they have packed their side with spinners.

Strongest XI: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar.

#1 Mumbai Indians

Lynn's happy that he won't have to face Bumrah in IPL 2020

Squad

Batsmen: Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (wk), Aditya Tare (wk), Anmolpreet Singh, Chris Lynn, Ishan Kishan, Sherfane Rutherford, Saurabh Tiwary

All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Prince Balwant Rai

Spinners: Rahul Chahar, Jayant Yadav, Anukul Roy

Fast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga, Trent Boult, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Mohsin Khan, Digvijay Deshmukh

The defending champions had the task of improving their bench-strength at the auction, which they seem to have done quite well. In Chris Lynn, they have bought a dynamic opening batsman.

Lynn has decimated bowling attacks in the IPL in the past and will form a deadly opening combination with Quinton de Kock, which also means that skipper Rohit Sharma might have to shift to No.3.

Another big buy for the Mumbai Indians was Nathan Coulter-Nile. The Australian quick might be out of contention for a place in the national side but has much to offer in the IPL. And even though Mumbai Indians might begin the tournament with Lasith Malinga as their overseas pacer, they might bring in Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile at some stage of the competition.

Strongest XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Chris Lynn, Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah.