Strongest Starting XI of all teams after IPL Auction

The much-awaited Vivo IPL auction for the season 2018-19 finally unwrapped in Jaipur on December 18, 2018. This season's auction came with many twists, turns, shocks, and thrillers.

The sides were well prepared with their plans, considering a number of factors, such as their team combination, the venue of the event (with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections to be held in India), and the ICC World Cup around the corner.

Young guns such as Shivam Dubey, Varun Chakravarthy, Nicholas Pooran and Prabhsimran Singh fetched high amounts, while seasoned campaigners like Brendon McCullum, Dale Steyn, Angelo Matthews, and Morne Morkel could not find any buyers.

Let's have a look into the strongest possible starting units of all the franchises post the IPL Auction:

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Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals were the ones who kick-started the auction by picking young Hanuma Vihari for a sum of 2 crores. Having secured the services of Shikhar Dhawan by trading Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar, and Shahbaz Nadeem, they covered most of their areas by picking the likes of left-handed all-rounder Axar Patel, local boy Ishant Sharma, and the Protea T20 specialist Colin Ingram, which turned out to be their highest bid for Rs 6.4 crore.

Let's have a look at their strongest starting XI of the side:

DC Strongest Starting XI - Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Colin Ingram, Chris Morris, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Ishant Sharma

Led by young sensation Shreyas Iyer, the squad looks promising with an all-Indian top order with international experience and Colin Ingram fills the role of a finisher down the order. Axar and Morris provide a good balance to the side in their capacities as spin and seam all-rounders.

The leg break of Mishra and Lamichhane would be a lethal combination on the Kotla wicket, as would be the pace combo of Trent Boult and Ishant Sharma, with the latter knowing the Delhi wicket very well.

The franchise would be expecting a change in their fortunes with a change in the side's name and hoping to gather initial momentum to be a force to reckon.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Kolkata Knight Riders have been one of the strongest and most consistent units in the Vivo IPL, having a cadre of T20 specialists. The side picked up a lot of young talent in the auction, with Carlos Brathwaite being their highest buy for Rs. 5 crore.

Let's have a look at their best initial combination:

KKR Strongest Starting XI- Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubhman Gill, Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson

KKR already had most of their areas covered before the auction, and were only devoid of fast bowlers, after releasing Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc from the squad. Led by Dinesh Karthik, who has been extremely inspirational for the side, the two-time champions would fancy opening with big hitters Narine and Lynn, followed by an all-Indian middle order.

The finishing role would be addressed by the skipper himself, who has done a really good job in this capacity for India in the recent past; along with the audacious Andre Russell. The spin trio of Kuldeep, Narine and Chawla shall be expected to live up to the promise of the last season, especially on the home ground. Young Indian sensation Kamlesh Nagarkoti would be able to have a go in this edition, having missed on the previous occasion due to injury. It would be interesting to see him bowl with another fiery pacer, Lockie Ferguson from New Zealand.

The two-time champions could well be in the pursuit of a third title, with a strong squad on the table.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB continued their tradition of picking up some of the best in the business as they went in for the much fancied Shimron Hetymer for Rs 4.2 crore. The Virat Kohli led side also surprised one and all by picking up young guns Shivam Dubey and Himmat Singh, with the former being the side's highest purchase for a hefty Rs. 5 crore.

The side has a battery of all-rounders with the likes of Marcus Stoinis (traded), Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhome, Nathan Coulter Nile, Pawan Negi, and Washington Sundar. Hence, it would be a challenging task for the management to chalk out their best combination on the given day.

Let's have a look at what can be their most optimum combination:

RCB Strongest Starting XI - Parthiv Patel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Himmat Singh, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dubey, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee

RCB can fancy opening with wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel and Shimron Hetmyer, with the latter possessing the ability to bat away the opposition upfront if he gets going on the batsman-friendly Chinnaswamy wicket. The team has the best No.3 and No.4 batsmen in the form of Indian captain Virat Kohli and Mr.360 AB de Villiers. Himmat Singh, a promising young talent can follow the two giants, with all-rounders Ali and Dubey capable of giving the ball a good whack towards the end.

Sundar also possesses the ability to bat, which makes the batting unit look even better. Furthermore, the teenager's combination with leggie Yuzvendra Chahal and the accurate Moeen can give proof to be a hard nut to crack. Speedsters Umesh and Southee would spearhead the pace attack, with Dubey capable of chipping in some overs with his medium pace.

Virat Kohli would hope to end the title drought this season, having most of the areas covered in the auction.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals invested heavily in fast bowlers, picking up Jaydev Unadkat, Varun Aaron and Oshane Thomas, with Unadkat being the joint highest player for a hefty Rs 8.4 crore. The side also invested quite some money in young Indian talent. Steve Smith would be expected to assume the leadership reins after serving the one-year ban for ball tampering.

Let's have a look at the strongest team that could be fielded by the Royals:

RR Strongest Starting XI - Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith (c), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shashank Singh, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal

Jos Buttler, who changed the side's fortunes last season after being promoted, would most likely start off the innings again. He might have a new partner in Manan Vohra. Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith and Sanju Samson shall most probably be anchoring the innings, with Stokes, Gowtham and newbie Shashank assuming the finisher's role.

The pace attack would comprise of Unadkat, yorker specialist Jofra Archer, with the latter's compatriot Stokes. Gowtham and Gopal are expected to be the main spinners, with Shashank having the ability to chip in with his off-break.

Rajasthan would be hoping to emulate the feat of the first season with a blend of youth and experience.

Kings XI Punjab

Punjab was the busiest team in the auction, consolidating their squad with 13 players. Having traded Marcus Stoinis for Mandeep Singh, the side picked up a mix of seasoned and young campaigners, picking up the likes of Mohammad Shami and Moises Henriques, along with Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Sarfaraz Khan and Akshdeep Nath.

The most hair-raising pick was mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who attracted a hefty Rs 8.4 crore, becoming the joint most expensive bid this season.

Let's have a look at their possible starting side :

KXIP Strongest Starting XI - KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Mayank Aggarwal, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Karun Nair, Sam Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakravarthy, Mujeeb ur Rahman

Ravichandran Ashwin would continue to assume the apex duties of the side. Punjab shall, in all probability, continue with the same opening combination as the last season, with Aggarwal, Prabhsimran, and Karun building the innings. Sam Curran can possibly fit into the shoes of a finisher, with five bowlers to follow. The spin combination of Ashwin and Rahman would be supplemented with the mystery spin of Chakravarthy, while T20 specialist Tye, along with Shami and Curran would be in-charge of the seam department.

The side would aspire to get the ball rolling with a new squad and finally end the title drought.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Having secured the services of Abhishek Sharma, Vijay Shankar and Shahbaz Nadeem by trading Shikhar Dhawan, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a quite run in the auction, picking up two wicketkeepers Jonny Bairstow and Wriddhiman Saha, along with seasoned Kiwi Matin Guptill.

Lets' have a look at their most balanced initial unit :

SRH Strongest Starting XI- David Warner, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, K Khaeel Ahmed

David Warner would be back in the squad after serving an year's ban for ball tampering, and would most likely kick off the innings with Jonny Bairstow. Kane Williamson could well lead the side, after an inspiring campaign last season, with the tenure of Warner being uncertain in the light of the ICC World Cup.

The three foreigners could be followed by Pandey, Pathan and young Abhishek Sharma, capable of depositing the ball into the stands at the death. Spin sensation Rashid Khan would pair up with Shahbaz Nadeem, with Shakib not making this squad in favour of keeper Bairstow. The evergreen pace attack of SRH would be spearheaded by Bhuvi, along with swing specialist Sandeep Sharma and the promising left-handed Khaleel Ahmed.

SRH has all the areas covered in the auction, and it would not be surprising if they go on to emulate their title-winning feat of 2016.

Chennai Super Kings

The defending champions were the quietest team in the auction, picking up only Mohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad. CSK retained the majority of their core squad, following their evergreen formula of investing in Indian talent.

Let's have a look at the strongest team that could be fielded by the CSK:

CSK Strongest Starting XI- Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Sharma

Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu shall, in high probability pair up to start the proceeding for CSK. They could be followed by Raina, Dhoni, and Jadhav in the middle order. Bravo, Santner, and Jadeja could be handed over the duties of finishing the innings. The latter two would also be the main exponents of spin bowling, along with the unorthodox Kedar Jadhav and Suresh Raina.

Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Sharma and Dwayne Bravo shall be expected to bamboozle the opposition with their pace and swing, with Watson also having the capability of chipping in.

CSK has one of the most balanced units in the competition, with all the players except Dhoni and Rayudu able to bowl. The squad bats deep, till 10, (after considering Deepak Chahar). With a versatile and multi-talented squad, and with MS Dhoni to channelise them, CSK could well go on to defend their title.

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians raised some eyebrows with their buys at the auction this season. Picking up previous season's mentor Malinga at base price, they bought Barinder Sran and secured the services of legend Yuvraj Singh at the base price towards the end. Having already taken Quinton de Kock into the side, an all-cash deal with RCB, the side looks a strong unit now.

Let's have a look at their strongest starting XI:

MI Strongest Starting XI- Quinton de Kock (wk), Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan, Yuvraj Singh, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga

Hard hitting southpaws de Kock and Lewis could open the innings, and can take the game well beyond the reach of the opposition, if they get going at the Wankhede Stadium, which has short boundaries. They would be expectedly followed by skipper Rohit and young Kishan. The side now has the stability lacking in the last season, in the form of Yuvraj Singh, who can single handedly win any game for the side.

Pollard and the Pandya brothers would be expected to unleash themselves in the death overs. Mayank Markande, who impressed one and all in the last season, would spearhead the spin attack with Krunal, coupled with a few overs from Yuvi. World's best death bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, can rattle the opposition on any given day with the support of Malinga and Hardik.

Mumbai has a combination of hard hitters, inning anchors and skilled bowlers. Supplemented with the shrewd captaincy of Hitman, the side could be in search of a record 4th-title.