Strongest Starting XI of all teams after IPL Auction

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.