IPL Auction 2020: Grading each franchise based on their performance

With the year 2020 right around the corner, BCCI has already started gearing up for the 13th season of its star-studded T20 league the IPL. They recently held the auction for the upcoming season allowing teams like the Mumbai Indians to iron out any chinks in their armour while giving teams like the Royal Challengers Bangalore a chance to start afresh.

The 2020 IPL auction saw its fair share of big-money acquisitions some of which left cricket fans surprised.

With over 140 crores spent and over 60 players bought by the franchises, there was a lot to analyse as to how shrewd and logical were the teams with their money and purchase of players.

Here is a complete analysis & grading of each team based on their performance in the auction.

#1 Mumbai Indians- Auction Grade: B+

Nathan Coulter Nile

Players bought: Chris Lynn(2 Cr), Nathan Coulter Nile(8 Cr), Saurabh Tiwary(50 Lac), Mohsin Khan(20 Lac), Digvijay Deshmukh(20 Lac), Prince Balwant Rai Singh(20 Lac)

With 4 titles to their name, Mumbai Indians are the most successful franchise in the history of the tournament. The majority of their success can be credited to their scouts and the front office which over the years has unearthed and nurtured the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya into world-beaters.

Such has been the dominance of their core domestic players that new players barely get a chance to feature in the playing eleven. The same narrative may continue in the 2020 season as only 2 of their 6 picks from this auction seemingly have a chance to start from match 1.

Hard-hitting Aussie opener Chris Lynn was the first name out of the bag in the auction and was picked up at his base price of 2 crores. 2 scenarios might play out with Lynn in 2020. First, he opens alongside Quinton De Kock as Rohit Sharma moves down the order or Second, Rohit Sharma stays put as an opener and Lynn replaces Ishan Kishan down the order.

Aussie fast bowler Nathan Coulter Nile was roped in for a hefty sum of 8 crores and like Lynn has 2 scenarios playing out for him in 2020. First, he starts alongside Bumrah and Malinga as Mumbai's 3rd seamer or Second, he replaces Kieron Pollard as an all-rounder in the squad.

Finding faults in this Mumbai side is like nitpicking but if we are to talk about a weakness in the Mumbai side it has to be the lack of an experienced quality spin bowler apart from Krunal Pandya.

#2 Chennai Super Kings - Auction Grade: C

India v England: Group B - 2011 ICC World Cup

Players bought: Sam Curran(5.50 Cr), Piyush Chawla(6.75 Cr), Josh Hazlewood(2 Cr), Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore(20 Lac)

One of the more successful franchises in the IPL, Chennai Super Kings is right behind Mumbai Indians in the list of titles with 3 to its name.

Like Mumbai, breaking into this Chennai team is tough as nails and skipper MS Dhoni rarely likes making changes to his playing 11. The new signings from this auction will have to sweat it out if they ever want to step on the field donning the Super Kings jersey.

English all-rounder Sam Curran will be a breath of fresh air in a team filled with veterans. The youngster though will have the tough task of toppling seasoned campaigner Dwayne Bravo for a spot in the starting eleven. He'll most probably end up as a backup for Bravo.

Piyush Chawla's acquisition by Chennai for a sum of 6.75 Crore is going to take some explaining as they already have 3 starting spinners(Jadeja, Tahir, Harbhajan) one of whom is a leggie. They also have a back-up leggie(Karn Sharma) whose acquisition cost 5 crores in the 2018 auction.

Josh Hazlewood is without a doubt a world-class bowler in the longest format of the game and his acquisition at 2 crores may seem quite shrewd but his purchase for a high-profile T20 event does raise eyebrows when his last recorded T20 match was in 2016.

While their batting line-up may be one of the best in the league, it will be interesting to see if there is any regression in their pace bowling attack which punched way above its weight last season and hasn't been provided with any new upgrades from the auction this year.

#3 Delhi Capitals - Auction Grade: C+

Shimron Hetmyer

Players bought: Jason Roy(1.5 Cr), Chris Woakes(1.5 Cr), Alex Carey(2.4 Cr), Marcus Stoinis(4.8 Cr), Shimron Hetmyer(7.75 Cr), Mohit Sharma(50 Lac), Tushar Deshpande(20 Lac), Lalit Yadav(20 Lac)

A change in the name did bring a change in fortunes for the Delhi franchise which earned its first playoff spot since 2012 last time around. They started of the pre-draft process well by releasing players like Hanuma Vihari and Colin Ingram who they over-paid for in the last auction.

They bolstered the spin department by trading for offie Ravichandran Ashwin from Kings XI Punjab but they also made a puzzling trade by acquiring Ajinkya Rahane from Rajasthan Royals even when they are filled to the brim at the top-order position.

Their first acquisition of the day was English opener Jason Roy who only added to the crowd that has formed at the opening position and is a back-up option to a back-up.

The Capitals also roped in 2 overseas all-rounders in Englishman Chris Woakes and Aussie Marcus Stoinis. The former is a bowling all-rounder, while the latter is a batting all-rounder.

West Indian batsman Shimron Hetmyer was acquired for a hefty sum of 7.75 Crore, an aggressive batman by nature Hetmyer was a bust in his debut IPL season last year but he did sign off well by smashing a quick-fire half-century against the famed bowling line up of the Sunrisers Hyderabad. If Hetmyer clicks this season opposition bowlers will have a tough task bowling against him and another southpaw in Rishabh Pant.

Aussie wicket-keeper Alex Carey is an able back-up for Risabh Pant and may get some game time if the Capitals decide to go with an extra batsman instead of an all-rounder.

The Capitals pace bowling line-up is still a cause of concern, neither of Ishant Sharma or Mohit Sharma can be called strike bowlers while Chris Woakes will have his work cut out after a disastrous 2018 IPL season which saw him released from the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad. Kagiso Rabada will have to take on some extra workload if his support cast doesn't come to the party.

#4 Sunrisers Hyderabad - Auction Grade: B+

Mitchell Marsh

Players bought: Virat Singh(1.9 Cr), Priyam Garg(1.9 Cr), Mitchell Marsh(2 Cr), Bavanaka Sandeep(20 Lac), Fabian Allen(50 Lac), Abdul Samad(20 Lac), Sanjay Yadav(20 Lac)

One of the more consistent franchises in the IPL Sunrises Hyderabad has made it to the playoffs in the last 4 editions of the tournament.

A formidable outfit led by the likes of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson have on most days has gotten good starts by the above-mentioned names only to see itself falter at the finish due to the lack of a quality finisher. This auction the Sunrisers think tank made sure they invested in proven finishers by picking up Aussie all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and West Indian all-rounder Fabian Allen for sums of 2 Crore and 50 Lakh respectively. Both the all-rounders have proven big-hitting ability at the international level and in leagues around the world.

Sunrisers also snapped up 22-year-old left-handed batsman Virat Singh who was one of the top-10 run-getters in this year's Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 343 runs at an average of 57.16 and a strike rate of 142. He could be the answer to the Sunrisers' long-laying problem of a weak middle order.

With their overseas combination nearly set in stone, Sunrisers have to heavily depend on Indian batsman in their middle order which is a cause for concern as neither of Vijay Shankar or Wriddhiman Saha have shown that they can be relied upon if the famed top-order fails to deliver on a given day.

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders - Auction Grade: B

Pat Cummins

Players bought: Eoin Morgan(5.25 Cr), Pat Cummins(15.50 Cr), Rahul Tripathi(60 Lac), Varun Chakravarthy(4 Cr), Tom Banton(1 Cr), Manimaran Siddharth(20 Lac), Chris Green(20 Lac), Pravin Tambe(20 Lac), Nikhil Naik(20 Lac)

Kolkata Knight Riders made a lot of news when they released IPL veterans Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla, and Chris Lynn, 3 players who had played a pivotal role in the Knight Riders run of 3 playoff appearances in last 4 seasons.

While the emergence of Shubman Gill negated the loss of Chris Lynn, Uthappa's release did leave a gaping hole at the number 3 position. Armed with a purse of 35.65 Cr, the Knight Riders front office didn't waste time as they scooped up England's limited-overs skipper Eoin Morgan for a sum of 5.25 Crore, in a year where he scored 268 in just 9 matches at an average of 44.66 in T20I's, Morgan is a great fit for KKR at the number 3-4 position.

It is a well-known fact in the IPL that Knight Riders have a weak pace attack. While the young trio of Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, and Kamlesh Nagarkoti have shown great potential they have lacked the temperament in crunch situations that a seasoned pacer would have offered. Hence the Knight Riders think tank went all in for tearaway Aussie Pat Cummins, acquiring his services for a mind-boggling figure of 15.50 Cr, making him the costliest overseas buy ever at the IPL Auction.

With Lynn released the opening spot alongside Shubman Gill was vacant which the Knight Riders filled by acquiring the likes of young guns Rahul Tripathi and Tom Banton, both of whom have an aggressive approach to batting and are able replacements for Lynn.

Tamil Nadu mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy who raked in the moolah last year with an 8.4 cr bid was in luck again as the Knight Riders shelled out a huge sum of 4 cr for his services, nearly 14 times his base price of 30 Lakhs. He will join the likes of Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav and bolster the Knight Riders spin department.

Aussie all-rounder Chris Green at 20 lakhs is another shrewd buy and could turn out to be a dark horse with his left-arm spin.

The lack of an experienced Indian fast bowler can hurt the Knight Riders and may lead to several changes in the structure of the team. They will also hope that unlike many before him Cummins doesn't break under the pressure of the price tag. Also, the Knight Riders' failure to sign a backup for Andre Russell may haunt them during the tournament.

#6 Kings XI Punjab - Auction Grade: A

Glenn Maxwell

Players bought: Glenn Maxwell(10.75 Cr), Sheldon Cottrell(8.50 Cr), Deepak Hooda(50 Lac), Ishan Porel(20 Lac), Ravi Bishnoi(2 Cr), James Neesham(50 Lac), Chris Jordan(3 Cr), Tajinder Dhillon(20 Lac), Prabhsimran Singh(55 Lac)

Kings XI Punjab did the one thing this off-season that they have been stalling for over the past few seasons, letting go of the long-time underperforming southpaw David Miller. They also let go of ill-advised big money buys from last year's auction in Varun Chakravarthy and Prabhsimran Singh.

The Kings XI Punjab think tank came in with a clear plan this season as they bolstered their death-overs batting by signing fan-favorite Glenn Maxwell for a huge sum of 10.75 Cr. Maxwell had a great 2019 season with respect to T20I's where he amassed 231 runs in just 4 games at an average of 115.50 including a century against India in India. Coming after KL Rahul, Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, and Nicholas Pooran his big-hitting abilities can boost Kings XI to huge totals.

Last season, KXIP dearly needed someone who could support Shami in the pace department. Enter Sheldon Cottrell, the West Indian left-arm pacer well known for his salute celebration was a pre-draft favorite and is a worthy partner for Shami, in the 6 T20I's he played this year in India, Cottrell snapped 6 wickets at an average of 28.33 while bowling in both the powerplay and death overs.

All-rounders James Neesham and Chris Jordan provide a certain upgrade in the pace bowling department while also presenting the option of big-hitters in the lower order.

Their Indian pace bowling department apart from Shami is a major cause for concern. While budding pacers Arshdeep Singh and Ishan Porel have tons of potential, they will be treading in waters deeper than they have ever have been in their career.

Their spin bowling department which replaced Ravichandran Ashwin with Krisnappa Gowtham will hope that the new acquisition can shun his form slump from last year and lead the line for their franchise or else Kings XI may have to do some tinkering in their overseas lineup to accommodate Mujeeb-Ur-Rehman in their playing XI.

#7 Rajasthan Royals - Auction Grade: C

Robin Uthappa

Robin Uthappa(3 Cr), Unadkat(3 Cr), Yashasvi Jaiswal(2.4 Cr), Anuj Rawat(80 Lac), Akash Singh(20 Lac), Kartik Tyagi(1.3 Cr), David Miller(75 Lac), Oshane Thomas(50 Lac), Aniruddha Joshi(20 Lac), Andrew Tye(2 Cr), Tom Curran(1 Cr)

It wasn't shocking to see that the Rajasthan Royals had released a ton of players before the 2019 IPL auction but it surprised everyone when they traded longtime fan-favourite Ajinkya Rahane to the Delhi Capitals.

While the overseas batting contingent comprising of Steven Smith, Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes is second to none the departure Rahane did leave a void in the batting line up and the Royals think-tank knew they needed to buy an experienced hand in the auction. They did so by snapping former Kolkata Knight Rider Robin Uthappa for a sum of 3 Cr. Uthappa will most probably be asked to open the innings alongside Buttler.

The Royals' strategy of buying 3 overseas pacers whilst also having the retained Jofra Archer in their squad is quite confusing. For a 2nd consecutive year, Rajasthan bought Jaydev Unadkat after releasing him into the auction pool, this time for a much more reasonable price of 3 Crore.

Royals also invested heavily in Indian U19 players acquiring the services of hard-hitting left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal and pacer Kartik Tyagi for sums of 2.4 crores and 1.3 crores respectively.

Apart from the questionable strategy of buying 3 overseas pacers, the Royals have also failed to replace Krishnappa Gowtham with another off-spinner and to add more confusion to their strategy they traded in 2 leg-spinners(Rahul Tewatia and Mayank Markande) while also retaining a couple of them(Shreyas Gopal and Riyan Parag) before the auction.

#8 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Auction Grade: B+

Chris Morris

Aaron Finch(4.4 Cr), Chris Morris(10 Cr), Josh Philippe(20 Lac), Kane Richardson(4 Cr), Pavan Deshpande(20 Lac), Dale Steyn(2 Cr), Shabaz Ahmed(20 Lac), Isuru Udana(50 lac)

Boasting the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in their ranks, it is quite shocking to come across the fact that Royal Challengers Bangalore have made it to the playoffs only once in the last 4 years while having finished last twice in that same time period.

A weak bowling attack and lack of support for Virat and ABD have been quoted as the main reasons for Bangalore's woes over the last few seasons. So the Royal Challengers think-tank got rid of all the under-performing overseas talent and armed with a purse of 27.90 Crore went into the auction with an intent to start afresh.

The first purchase of the day for the Royal Challengers was the explosive Aussie opener, Aaron Finch who will be playing for his 7th franchise in IPL. He will be expected to open the innings alongside either of Parthiv Patel or the new Karnataka batting sensation Devdutt Paddikal, this will allow Kohli to slot into his more preferred number 3 position.

The costliest purchase of the day for Bangalore though was South African all-rounder Chris Morris for a sum of 10 Crore, a speedster who can bowl at 140 clicks consistently while also being able to wield the long handle at the end of an innings. While his performance over the last two IPL seasons has been disappointing, Morris has been in good form in T20s in 2019, taking 44 wickets at 24.86 and an economy rate of 8.42 in 36 games

Bangalore also invested heavily in their overseas pace bowling department, roping in the likes of Aussie Kane Richardson, South African Dale Steyn, and Sri Lankan Isuru Udana.

While the Royal Challengers have the most enviable batting line-up in the league, their Indian pace bowling contingent of Navdeep Saini, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj will have to up their game, Saini was impressive last year but Umesh and Siraj played a major role in RCB's sub-par performance last season.