IPL 2022: What does each franchise need in the mega-auction?

The ten IPL teams will get into the mega-auctions on February 12 and 13. More than 500 players will go under the hammer including 220 overseas players. 

The think tank, some of the best cricketing brains, will look to use their funds wisely and cover all what is needed to win the world’s biggest T20 tournament. 

Also read: Who is Hugh Edmeades, the IPL 2022 auctioneer?

Here is what the franchises need covered in the mega-auction:

Mumbai Indians: The five-time champions chose to retain skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav. The Pandya brothers, Ishan Kishan and Trent Boult were let go. To fill the gaps, Mumbai Indians are likely to bid heavily on all-rounders. They will need at least one quality spinner to make up for Rahul Chahar. 

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, this year, would want to decide on who takes up the role of the finisher and captain after him. CSK retained Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja too, which means they will need to invest in pacers. 

Also read: Lucknow Super Giants tweet ‘KL Rahul jhukega nahi’, Twitter asks how will he bat?

Royal Challengers Bangalore: RCB face a big question – Who replaces Virat Kohli? Is it Shreyas Iyer or will they go for an overseas player? Finding someone who can get them their maiden title would be on top of Bangalore’s agenda. 

Rajasthan Royals: The 2008 champions decided to drop the likes of Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes. They’ve retained Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler – neither of the three can bowl. Hence, RR are expected to go for some bowling options both pacers and spinners. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad: The 2016 winners will have to look for an able replacements for Rashid Khan and David Warner. Their leadership department looks sorted in the presence of Kane Williamson but the retention list – Abdul Samad and Umran Malik – lacks experience. SRH will need at least a couple more star players to support Williamson.

Also read: IPL 2022: Hardik Pandya-led Ahmedabad franchise named as Gujarat Titans

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul is out and that means Punjab needs a leader, wicketkeeper and batsman. The franchise could hand the captaincy to Mayank Agarwal but like every season, they will have to start almost from scratch. 

Delhi Capitals: Having retained Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje, Axar Patel and captain Rishabh Pant, Delhi have the most bases covered. They will need some one to bat along side Shaw and a good player of spin to tackle the spin at the Arun Jaitely Stadium. 

Kolkata Knight Riders: They let Shubman Gill go and that means at least one opening slot in up for grabs. In Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, KKR look healthy in the middle. However, they will need a leader to fill in for Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan. 

Also read: IPL 2022: From David Warner to Yuzvendra Chahal, five players to look out for in mega auction

Lucknow Supergiants: They roped in KL Rahul, which means the team already has a captain, opener and wicketkeeper. Marcus Stoinis brings in some quality all-round skills. Lucknow will need to invest in pace bowling and find top-order batsmen. 

Gujarat Titans: The Hardik Pandya-led franchise look well-settled in the middle-order with the skipper and Rashid Khan. At the top they have Shubman Gill. Pacers will be on top of their list as the think tank would want to go for a wicket-keeper who can deliver consistently.