IPL Auction 2020: One released player each team should target 

All eight Indian Premier League teams released some big names from their squads ahead of the next season. The teams have tried their level best to address their shortcomings from the previous season in a bid to form a strong squad for IPL 2020.

Now that all the teams have released players, the focus shifts to the player auction and the first thing that the teams will do is to figure out players they need to target from the pool of released players.

A player not performing well for a particular team does not mean he won't be useful to the other. Considering the current team combinations, here is the list of one released player each team should consider targeting at the auction.

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#8 Rajasthan Royals - Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn.

Squad: Ankit Rajpoot, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Steven Smith, Varun Aaron.

One of the biggest reasons for Rajasthan Royals' poor performance last season was their weak bowling-attack. Lack of quality fast bowlers led to the downfall of the Royals. They seem to have realized that and have released as many as 3 fast bowlers from last year's squad.

Which means they will need to buy fast bowlers in bulk at the auction. One fast bowler who might be under their radar is Dale Steyn.

Steyn was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore despite performing well in the two opportunities he got last year. The Proteas speedster has already retired from Test cricket and is no more a regular member of South Africa's limited-overs side which means he might be available for the entire season. Also, Jofra Archer is now part of England's squad in all three formats which mean he might not be able to play all matches. Steyn can be an excellent back-up option.

#7 Sunrisers Hyderabad - Colin de Grandhomme

Colin de Grandhomme.

Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Billy Stanlake, David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha.

The good work of Sunrisers Hyderabad's dynamic top-order was undone by an ineffecient middle-order, resulting in SRH's inability to win matches consistently last season. Also, they have lost Shakib Al Hasan due to his ban and have released Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda which means the Sunrisers will need to bring in all-rounders at the auction. Colin de Grandhomme has been a big let down in the IPL so far but there is no doubt about his big-hitting abilities. The Kiwi has been in good form off late and might be a solution to the Sunrisers' problem of not getting quick runs in the death overs. He is also a more than useful seam bowler.

#6 Kings XI Punjab - Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite.

Squad: Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, K Gowtham, Hardus Viljoen, Harpreet Brar, Jagadeesha Suchith, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman, M Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan.

After starting the season strongly, Kings XI Punjab once again ran out of gas in the second half of IPL 2019. KXIP's dismal performance can be attributed to their failure in finding the perfect balance last year. A lack of all-rounders proved costly for the Kings as they failed to make it to the playoffs.

Thus, they might be interested in roping in someone like Carlos Brathwaite for the season. There is no doubt that Brathwaite has failed to deliver in the IPL so far but to be fair to him, he wasn't given enough chances last year. The Caribbean all-rounder can be the impact player KXIP might be looking for in the lower-order. Not to forget his medium-pace bowling that can provide an extra option.

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders - Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer.

Squad: Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine.

After a disappointing campaign last season, Kolkata Knight Riders released a total of 11 players. The over-reliance on Andre Russell and an unsettled middle-order were the primary reasons for this poor display. KKR does possess some exciting young batting talent in Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana and Siddhesh Lad but to provide that spark in the middle-overs, someone like Shimron Hetmyer can come in handy.

There was a lot of hype around Hetmyer last season but unfortunately he failed to live up to it, owing to which he was released by RCB. Hetmyer is an excellent player of spin and has the ability to change the course of a match with his aggressive batting. Hetmyer's batting will bolster Knight Riders' batting in a big way.

#4 Delhi Capitals - David Miller

David Miller.

Squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Keemo Paul, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer.

Delhi Capitals, who had a successful season in IPL 2019, traded in some big names in the trade window. The Capitals reaped rich rewards from the inclusion of experienced players like Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma last season and thus roped in two stalwarts of Indian cricket, Ravi Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane. However, one key area that still hasn't been addressed is the absence of strengthin their lower-middle order.

The Capitals traded out Sherfane Rutherford and released Colin Ingram which means they will need to find a batsman who can finish games for them. One player on whom they will have their eyes will be David Miller. Miller was released by KXIP after a couple of below-par seasons. The South African has played some stunning innings in the IPL in the past and could be a good fit for the Capitals.

#3 Mumbai Indians - Piyush Chawla

Piyush Chawla.

Squad: Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Dhawal Kulkarni, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell McCleneghan, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Rohit Sharma, Sherfane Rutherford, Suryakumar Yadav, Trent Boult.

For the last two seasons, Mumbai Indians have been playing without an experienced spinner in their squad. While Mayank Markande came good for them in IPL 2018, it was Rahul Chahar who was their main spinner in 2019.

However, with Markande having been traded out already, will they risk to go with just one frontline spinner in IPL 2020? Well, they will have the option of getting in Piyush Chawla at the auction. Chawla will be up for grabs at the auction after KKR decided to release the experienced spinner bringing a 6-year long association to an end. A veteran of 157 IPL games, Chawla has 150 wickets to his name and is a joint-third in the list of highest wicket-takers in IPL history. The leg-spinner can provide variety to the Mumbai Indians' bowling-attack.

#2 Chennai Super Kings - Chris Morris

Chris Morris.

Squad: Ambati Rayudu , KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Jagadeesan Narayan, Karn Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Monu Singh, MS Dhoni, M Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Shardul Thakur, Suresh Raina.

Chennai Super Kings released just six players keeping their core group intact. Having said that, the important thing to notice is that out of these six players, three are pacers. Mohit Sharma, David Willey and Scott Kuggeleijn were released by CSK making space for a couple of pace bowlers in the squad. And they do need these reinforcements. CSK's lack of bowling depth made them look vulnerable last season.

CSK has always banked on proven customers and thus might look to bring in Chris Morris in the scheme of things. Interestingly, Morris began his IPL career with CSK. In IPL 2013, Morris played 16 games for the Super Kings and was used with the new ball as well as in the death by MS Dhoni. Apart from being a skillful bowler, Morris is very dangerous with the bat and can tonk the ball big.

#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore - Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn.

Squad: AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Gurkeerat Singh, Moeen Ali, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Parthiv Patel, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal.

It was yet another disappointing season and yet another team overhaul by Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB released as many as 12 players from the squad that failed to make it to the playoffs in IPL 2019.

RCB bought Shimron Hetmyer last season in order to release pressure off Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers. However, Hetmyer failed to perform as per expectations and was released by the franchise.

To reduce the over-dependence on Kohli and de Villiers, RCB might look to buy someone like Chris Lynn. Lynn has decimated bowling-attacks in the IPL in the past and can be the firepower RCB needs at the top of the order. With the likes of Kohli and de Villiers to follow, Lynn will also be able express himself more and play his natural game, something he didn't in the last season.