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With just over a week to go for the IPL Auction, there has been a lot of debate as to who the teams should target in the auction. Various experts have shared their views on the situations in the different teams.
All-rounders have always earned a lot of attention from the franchises during the auction. Teams have often broken the bank to sign quality all-rounders because they're an essential part of any good team in T20 cricket. Likewise, even this season, the same can be expected from the franchises as many promising all-rounders have given their names for the auction.
On that note, let's take a look at one all-rounder who each team must look to sign.
Chennai Super Kings- Chris Morris
Chennai Super Kings released just six players ahead of the auction and has a purse of ₹14.6 Crore ahead of the auction. They retained most of their players from last season but it seems they aren't on course to repeat their heroics from IPL 12. They have a few key areas to be addressed and go all-out during the auction.
The most important of them all will be to sign a quality bowling all-rounder to bolster their pace attack and middle-order due to DJ Bravo's drop in form, and someone like Chris Morris should be on their minds. The Proteas all-rounder was released for auction by the Delhi Capitals and has listed himself a base price of ₹1.5 Crore.
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With 13 wickets from nine games last season, Morris did nothing wrong to get released. He began his IPL career with CSK and picked up 69 wickets in 61 games at an economy of 7.98, which is pretty good for a death bowler. He is also a fierce striker of the ball and has played many memorable cameos with the bat including a 32-ball 82 in 2016.
CSK lacks someone who can start hitting right from ball one and Morris can solve this problem. He's adept at handling death bowling duties and can add 20-30 runs to the team's total when he comes out to bat.
While the bidding for Morris sure to be high, CSK don't need to fill too many slots and can afford to spend their cash on the South African all-rounder.
Delhi Capitals- Glenn Maxwell
The Delhi Capitals look a very strong side ahead of the auction. They have a solid top-order filled with Indian players and can bolster their middle order and pace bowling department with overseas players. While they have Kagiso Rabada to lead their pace attack, the middle-order demands immediate attention and they must look to sign someone like Glenn Maxwell.
Maxwell is set to return in action in the BBL after taking a break and has listed himself with a maximum base price of ₹2 Crore. He has a tremendous record in T20s and is ranked second in the ICC T20I rankings.
But while Maxwell has been outstanding outside India, his IPL form hasn't been too great. Barring a brilliant 2014 season, Maxwell didn't manage to make the most of his chances.
But Maxwell has matured since he last featured in the IPL and has done exceedingly well for Australia and the Melbourne Stars in the T20 format. He has shown great adaptability when it comes to batting positions and can bat anywhere till No.7.
He has also developed some patience and works himself in before going big. He has worked a lot on his bowling and he can turn out to be more than a part-time spinner for Delhi.
With all the stats pointing the right way, Delhi must sign this resurgent and improved player who can easily tilt the balance of the game in their favour.
Kings XI Punjab- Jason Holder
Kings XI Punjab has the biggest purse(₹42.7 Crore) ahead of the auction and they must target the right players this time around. They have a lot of areas to be addressed and after releasing Sam Curran, they need a quality pace-bowling all-rounder. Jason Holder will certainly be one of their targets at the auction.
Holder isn't a traditional T20 player but he's slowly evolving into one and has worked his way into the national team. But Holder has proved that he is a quick learner and can benefit KXIP in many ways if signed. KXIP doesn't have a captain after Ashwin's departure and while Rahul is likely to get the armband, an experienced player like Holder can do better.
While they have a pinch-hitter in Krishnappa Gowtham, they lack a proper middle-order batsman who can rescue the team in case the top order fails. Holder can help out here. He has good technique and can both milk singles as well as smash sixes with ease. While most of his runs have come in the longer formats, he has shown on many occasions that he has what it takes to shine in T20 cricket.
He led the Barbados Tridents to the CPL 2019 title and used players like Hayden Walsh Jr. and Raymon Reifer very well. His performance wasn't bad either. Holder picked up 14 wickets from 13 games at a good economy of 7.34 but didn't have much to do with the bat.
Holder is a quality all-rounder and leader who has the potential to become a superstar in the T20 format and KXIP should target him.
Kolkata Knight Riders- Marcus Stoinis
KKR needs a revamp in certain areas after a disappointing 2019 season, which was salvaged by Andre Russell's heroics. They released many players including swashbuckling opener Chris Lynn and star batsman Robin Uthappa. This leaves a lot of holes in their squad which they need to plug effectively in the auction. They need a proper all-rounder to stabilize the middle order and someone like Marcus Stoinis should be on their watchlist.
Stoinis was surprisingly released by RCB into the auction pool. He performed pretty well last season scoring 211 runs at an average of 52.75 and a decent strike-rate of 135.25.
He's a very flexible batsman and can even open the batting. He opened the batting for the Melbourne Stars in the BBL last season and finished the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament.
In addition to that, he's a very capable bowler who can bowl at all stages of the game. Though he doesn't have that much pace, he more than makes up for it with his accuracy. KKR relied a lot on Andre Russell's bowling last season and bringing in Stoinis will reduce the Windies Superstar's workload.
Although he's not yet a mainstay when it comes to T20 cricket, Stoinis is sure to get there in a few years. He may not be a devastating striker of the ball but he brings balance to any team he plays for, and KKR must look to get him at the auction.
Mumbai Indians- Chris Green
The Mumbai Indians have a pretty foolproof side ahead of the auction and they're likely to be quiet during the auction. They made some brilliant moves in the trade window and with Trent Boult joining their side, their pace attack is easily the best in the league. But they lack backup in their spin-bowling department and they should target someone like Chris Green to complete their squad.
The spin-bowling all-rounder from Australia has made a name for himself with his performances in CPL 2019 and the T10 League. He's also a big name in the BBL and signed a six-year deal with Sydney Thunder.
Moneywise, he isn't going to attract too much attention and can be a steal for MI. He fits into their team perfectly and is a great backup option. A miserly off-spinner who bowls tight lines and a handy batsman as well, Green can shine on all kinds of wickets as he doesn't rely on turn.
Chris Green is an upcoming T20 player and MI has had the habit of going for such players at the auction, and they should do so.
Rajasthan Royals- Colin De Grandhomme
Rajasthan Royals let go of 12 players ahead of the auction opting to go for a new-look side for next season. But since they have one of the world's best all-rounders in Ben Stokes, they won't need to bid for any of the big names. They'll instead look for a backup option and Colin De Grandhomme seems a perfect pick for them.
The Kiwi all-rounder was released by RCB ahead of the auction after a poor 2019 season where he managed to score just 46 runs in four matches. But he has pulled up his socks after the poor season and did very well for New Zealand in the World Cup. He followed it up with solid performances against England in the T20 format.
De Grandhomme is the kind of player who can make an impact immediately and will be very useful if the 'Power Player' rule comes to the fore. Also, his bowling will work in Jaipur as the track there is slow and conducive to his cutters and other variations.
He is a great finisher with the bat and has proved to be a mature batsman as well. His performances in CPL 2019 for the St Lucia Zouks will justify the above. In addition to that, he has a safe pair of hands and is a brilliant fielder.
All in all, Grandhomme is a perfect utility player and one who RR should sign.
Royal Challengers Bangalore- Sam Curran
After two bad seasons, RCB will look to turn things around right from the auction stage. A lot of their buys have drawn flak in the past and they need to make sure they cover all their bases and sign the right players. Considering that they retained just two overseas players, RCB need to sign a quality foreign all-rounder. With Mike Hesson taking charge as Director of Cricket Operations, Sam Curran, who played for KXIP last season, will be a big target for them.
Curran was bought by KXIP for ₹7.2 Crore last season but was released to free up funds, despite performing decently.
The English all-rounder has been in the thick of things for the national side after their World Cup triumph. He did very well in the T20 series against England and was the third-highest wicket-taker in the series.
Curran also scored at a great strike-rate of 152.17 whenever he got a chance to bat. He has cemented his place in the highly competitive England T20I squad and that speaks a lot of his abilities.
He's accurate with his left-arm pace and more than handy with the bat and is a star to watch out for in the future. With all the abilities to become an X-Factor, RCB shouldn't hesitate to bid for young Curran.
Sunrisers Hyderabad- James Neesham
James Neesham is sure to attract a lot of attention in the auction and SRH will be one of the front-runners to sign him. The Kiwi all-rounder has been the centre of attention due to his exploits in the World Cup and he has been in good form since then.
SRH didn't have a strong middle order last season as no one capitalized on the starts given by their openers. They lacked a finisher who could power them to a big total, and Neesham is the right man for the job in addition to being an accomplished bowler.
He represented the Trinbago Knight Riders in CPL 2019 and did well with the ball picking up 11 wickets at a decent bowling strike-rate of 14.9.
He did very well for New Zealand with the bat in the World Cup and carried it on to the T20I series against England where he scored 63 runs at a brilliant strike-rate of 165.78.
While the bidding for Neesham is sure to be high, SRH has a decent purse and with not many slots to fill, they must focus their attention on signing Neesham and completing their squad.
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