One player who each team should sign during the trade window

The next edition of the greatest cricketing extravaganza on earth, the Indian Premier League, is still five months away but the preparations for the 2019 edition are in full swing. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has asked all the eight franchises to submit the list of released players and have set a deadline of November 15 for the same.

The franchises have around 20 days to remove their shortcomings by trading players with other teams. IPL has two trading windows with the first one starting just after the end of the season and is open before a month to the auction and the second one after the auction ends till the start of the next tournament.

Mumbai Indians have got the ball rolling by acquiring star South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock from the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Mumbai have also released Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 2.2 crore) and Sri Lankan off-spinner Akila Dananjaya (Rs 50 lakh) to balance the books.

With the auctions likely to be held in mid-December, we take a look at some of the players that each IPL franchise should try to bring in the trading window before the auctions.

#1 Mumbai Indians- Sandeep Sharma from Sunrisers Hyderabad

Mumbai Indians had a poor 2018 campaign as the defending champions failed to make it to the playoffs. Mumbai have a very strong batting line up in the form of Rohit Sharma, Evin Lewis, JP Duminy, Surya Kumar Yadav. The all-rounder’s slots are well covered by the Pandya brothers, Kieron Pollard and a strong option on the bench is also there in the form of Ben Cutting.

The only slot that is a bit light on paper is the Indian fast bowling department. With the World Cup starting in less than a fortnight after the IPL concludes, it is very likely that Jasprit Bumrah would be rested during the fag end of the tournament. Currently, there is no adequate back-up for Bumrah at Mumbai.

The three-time champions should try to bring in Sandeep Sharma from Sunrisers who already have a plethora of options in terms of Indian bowling department. The Sunrisers have Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddarth Kaul who are quite a similar type of bowlers to Sandeep.

Then, there is also Khaleel Ahmed and Basil Thampi warming the bench at Hyderabad. Sandeep is a street-smart cricketer who can get you wickets with the new ball and can also bowl yorkers at the death.

#2 Delhi Daredevils- David Willey from Chennai Superkings

Delhi Daredevils is the most underperforming team in the history of IPL. The Daredevils had one of the most balanced teams after the auctions last year but somehow managed to finish at the bottom of the table. Injuries to key players like Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris did not help their cause. The Daredevils have a star-studded batting line up and have a pretty decent bowling line up to go with it.

But, the Daredevils do not have a star all-rounder up their sleeves. Last year, Delhi tried the likes of Vijay Shankar, Daniel Christian in that position. Vijay Shankar may be a good bat but is pretty average with the ball while Christian is well past his prime.

One quality all-rounder that may be available is David Willey from Chennai Super Kings. The 2018 champions did not utilize the services of the star England all-rounder with Willey playing just three matches throughout the whole campaign. Willey is a perfect Twenty20 cricketer, capable of changing a game with bat or ball, stunning run-out or implausible catch. The Daredevils can hope for a title challenge if they get Willey moving from Chennai to Delhi.

#3 Rajasthan Royals - David Miller from Kings XI Punjab

The Rajasthan Royals played out of their skins last season to make it to the playoffs. With their captain Steve Smith suspended from cricket, Ajinkya Rahane did a very commendable job in leading the Royals. Royals have plenty of options at the top in the form of Rahul Tripathi, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith.

It’s the middle order that is a problem for the inaugural IPL champions. A middle order comprising of Henrich Klassen, Stuart Binny and Krishanappa Gowtham hardly inspires confidence. Ben Stokes had a torrid time with the bat last year.

One player that can help them solve this problem is David Miller from Kings XI Punjab. Punjab has one of the strongest batting lineups in the IPL. They already have Chris Gayle, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Finch fighting for the overseas batting slots.

It would be a prudent decision to sell Miller who may be surplus to their requirements. Miller has big experience of playing in the IPL and is also a gun fielder.

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore- Ben Laughlin from Rajasthan Royals

The Royal Challengers Bangalore is undoubtedly one of the most supported teams in the IPL. Despite possessing two of the greatest batsman in the game (Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers), the side from Bangalore has made the playoffs in only two of the last seven years.

RCB’s main concern has always been their bowling department. The spin department was well served by Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar last year. It is the pace department that is a worry. With Nathan Coulter Nile out injured, the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Kulwant Khejroliya were brutally exposed. Umesh Yadav too struggles for control at the death.

Ben Laughlin is one of the most underrated players in the game. The 36-year-old from Australia has tons of experience and plies his trade in many T20 leagues around the world. His clever variation of slower balls and wide yorkers at the death is exactly what RCB is missing at the moment.

Rajasthan already has good pace bowling options in the form of Dhawal Kulkarni, Jofra Archer and Jaydev Unadkat. Also, they are likely to utilize the overseas players’ slots to strengthen their batting department.

#5 Kolkata Knight Riders – Mayank Agarwal from Kings XI Punjab

Kolkata had an impressive run last year, making it to the playoffs. KKR have a very balanced squad, having adequate depth in all departments. In terms of batting, Kolkata’s team management decided to go with Sunil Narine at the top which did not always pay off as bowlers from the opposition figured out his weakness against the short ball.

Robin Uthappa’s batting prowess has weakened significantly over the years while Chris Lynn’s shoulder injuries have had a huge impact on his batting. One guy who can resolve KKR’s opening woes is Mayank Agarwal. Mayank has been in scintillating form over the past 1.5 years.

However, the talented batsman from Karnataka was played out of position by Punjab’s team management last year. Punjab already has plenty of openers in the form of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Aaron Finch. This resulted in Mayank dropping low down the order to accommodate the big names. A move from Punjab’s middle order to Kolkata’s top order would be beneficial for both the teams as well as Mayank.

#6 Sunrisers Hyderabad- Manoj Tiwary from Kings XI Punjab

The Sunrisers Hyderabad enjoyed a great run last year, losing to the champions Chennai Superkings in the final. Most of the credit for that goes to their bowling line-up which defended even below par scores with ease. The mainstay of their batting was Captain Kane Williamson and Shikhar Dhawan.

Hyderabad’s batting in the middle overs though was a cause for concern as Manish Pandey failed to justify his price tag of 11 crores. Deepak Hooda also struggled for runs. The only ray of hope was Yusuf Pathan who had a surprisingly good outing in 2018. The Sunrisers needs to bolster their batting line up if they are to mount a title challenge next year.

Manoj Tiwary is one of the most talented batsmen in the Indian domestic circuit. The stylish middle-order batsman was in cracking form for Bengal in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare trophy. Tiwary played just five matches last season for the Kings XI Punjab who already has great depth in Indian batting department.

A move for Tiwary would certainly strengthen Sunrisers’ middle order. Tiwary is a complete package as he can bowl some useful part-time leg spin and is also a sensational fielder.

#7 Kings XI Punjab- Sam Billings from Chennai Super Kings

Despite having an excellent squad, Punjab once again failed to make it to the playoffs last year. While Andrew Tye and Mujeeb-ur-Rehman were quite handy with the ball, it was their batting that let them down.

KL Rahul and Chris Gayle did the bulk of the scoring while others established names failed consistently. The middle order was a big letdown as Yuvraj Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Marcus Stoinis failed to come up with the runs. David Miller too did not trouble the scorers much.

Sam Billings might just be the missing chink in Punjab’s armour. Billings is not only one of England's finest players of spin but also an electrifying fielder. His wicketkeeping skills may also come in handy as Punjab had to rely on the part-time keeper in the form of KL Rahul.

Billings was a disappointment for the Chennai Superkings as he made just 108 runs from eight outings. The defending champions may try to rope in a more experienced bat in place of Billings. A move for Billings from Chennai to Punjab makes perfect sense.

#8 Chennai Super Kings - Dushmantha Chameera from Rajasthan Royals

Chennai Super Kings had a remarkable run in 2018. Termed as a team of ‘oldies’, the Super Kings surprised everyone with their title-winning campaign. Their batting might came to the fore when it mattered the most. In the pace bowling department, their charge was led by the young South African sensation Lungi Ngidi who was mighty impressive with the ball.

However, the 2019 World Cup is scheduled straight after the IPL and there are high chances that Cricket South Africa (CSA) would want their bowling star rested before the World Cup. Other options in the pace department include Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur and KM Asif. With only Mark Wood to back them up, suddenly the pace department appears paper thin for CSK.

Dushmantha Chameera is the rising star of Sri Lankan cricket. Chameera is one of the fastest bowlers around the world and also has an excellent slower ball in his repertoire.

Rajasthan Royals already have some good options in the pace department in the form of Jofra Archer and Ben Laughlin. Acquiring Chameera from Rajasthan would be a shrewd piece of business for the defending champions.