Summary
The ninth season of the IPL kicks off on April 4, with yet another highly-anticipated auction set to take place on February 6. 351 players have been named on the auction list, with the eight teams looking for fresh talent to boost their respective chances this year. Already we have seen the six established franchises both retain and release a number of players, while the two new sides have each picked five players from the pool of players available as a result of the suspension of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
Who will be the main draws?
1) Jos Buttler (₹1,50,00,000 base price)
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| Buttler is a supremely talented batsman and will likely fetch a very large sum with an expected clamour for his services (PHOTO: Gallo Images) |
In this sense, Buttler is very similar to players such as AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell, both of whom mix power with touch and are up there with the most exciting players to watch in a t20 game.
Buttler's keeping is just another factor that will almost certainly see him land a lucrative contract and look to make a name for himself in the IPL, something English players have not quite managed to do, aside from Pietersen and possibly Eoin Morgan.
2) Martin Guptill (₹50,00,000 base price)
Guptill has rather surprisingly never played an IPL game before, but he will likely be taking care of that statistic this time around.
Guptill has always possessed huge talent at the top of the order and he has had a sensational recent run for New Zealand in all formats.
Add his limited overs form to his fantastic fielding ability and a series of large bids will be likely to be made.
The Kiwi is among eight other players in the marquee player bracket and there is an expectation that he will command a large fee and a number of bidding wars.
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| Guptill is in fantastic form and should be nailed on to finally make his bow in the IPL (PHOTO: Phil Walter) |
Add his limited overs form to his fantastic fielding ability and a series of large bids will be likely to be made.
The Kiwi is among eight other players in the marquee player bracket and there is an expectation that he will command a large fee and a number of bidding wars.
3) Usman Khawaja (₹1,00,00,000 base price)
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| Khawaja is one of the most talked about players in the world right now and will be expected to earn a payday in the IPL auction (PHOTO: Robert Prezioso) |
It is likely that the Pakistan-born batsman will be picked up in the auction, with there being no shortage in teams wanting a player of his form and calibre at the top of the order.
4) Shane Watson (₹2,00,00,000 base price)
Watson is a huge draw for any team and, following Rajasthan's suspension, the Australian will be available as a marquee player for this year's auction.
Currently taking part in the inaugural Pakistan Super League, Watson goes into the auction on the back of a huge 124* in the third and final t20I against India for Australia in their t20 series.
That score saw him up to second in terms of the highest individual scores in international t20 history, behind compatriot Aaron Finch.
Watson's powerful presence at the crease along with his useful medium pacers and wealth of t20 and IPL experience will see the 34-year-old likely be fought over during the auction.
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| Shane Watson is a must-have for any IPL franchise, given his all-round quality and experience (PHOTO: Matt King) |
That score saw him up to second in terms of the highest individual scores in international t20 history, behind compatriot Aaron Finch.
Watson's powerful presence at the crease along with his useful medium pacers and wealth of t20 and IPL experience will see the 34-year-old likely be fought over during the auction.
5) Dale Steyn (₹1,50,00,000 base price)
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| Steyn will likely be highly sought-after given his supreme quality and IPL pedigree (PHOTO: Anthony Au-Yeung-IDI) |
However, the 32-year-old endured a relatively torrid time last year as he played second fiddle to Trent Boult. Steyn took just three wickets in six games at an average of nearly 60 and a unusually poor economy rate of 8.94.
Despite his shortcomings last season, the release of the South African will surely only see him create somewhat of a hype at the auction as franchises battle to secure his coveted services.
Steyn is the seventh highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 92 and he will likely get a chance to add to that tally in 2016.
6) Mohit Sharma (₹1,50,00,000 base price)
Mohit was somewhat of a key player for the Chennai Super Kings over the last three years since his first involvement, taking a stunning 57 wickets in 47 games.
He has been very consistent in terms of wicket-taking, claiming 20, 23 and 14 in 2013,2014 and 2015 respectively.
His first year was arguably his best year as he averaged just 16.3 with a brilliant economy rate of 6.43 as the Super Kings lost out to the Mumbai Indians in the Final.
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| Mohit has been a consistent performer for CSK over the last three seasons - he will be a key player in the auction (PHOTO: Michael Bradley) |
His first year was arguably his best year as he averaged just 16.3 with a brilliant economy rate of 6.43 as the Super Kings lost out to the Mumbai Indians in the Final.
7) Sanju Samson (₹2,00,00,000 base price)
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| Samson leads a host of talented young Indians looking to be picked up in the auction (PHOTO: Francois Nel - IDI) |
His form for Kerala in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy so far this year somewhat sums up Samson as a player - inconsistent. In nine innings this year, Samson has scored three fifties along with four scores of four or less.
It has been a similar case for Samson in his three seasons as an IPL player, although he has scored relatively well. He has scored over 200 runs in each of the three years he has played at an overall average of 24.16.
Samson will be sought after in the auction, with franchises looking to add an exciting young Indian wicketkeeper-batsman to their lineups.
Who should the established six franchises be looking at?
Mumbai Indians
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| Bumrah and Pandya are the Indian future for Mumbai (PHOTO: Daniel Kalisz) |
In terms of additions, there is not whole lot that is needed to significantly strengthen the starting XI.
In any case, there could be scope for a new overseas fast bowler to either replace Lasith Malinga or take the workload off the Sri Lankan.
Lendl Simmons has been brilliant for Mumbai since coming into the side but another overseas opening batsman could be worth a look at, particularly because they released Finch and Hales.
Potential starting XI: Simmons, Rohit, Parthiv, Rayudu, Pollard, Anderson, Pandya, Harbhajan, Vinay Kumar, Malinga, Bumrah
Potential signings: Mustafizur Rahman, Shaun Tait, Kane Richardson; Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Tamim Iqbal, Martin Guptill
Kings XI Punjab
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| What are the odds on another Marsh combo, this time at KXIP? (PHOTO: Hamish Blair) |
Their squad still looks strong, however, with the majority having played international cricket in the last few months.
Mitchell Johnson has not shown his full, devastating potential with the ball in the last couple of seasons and a new international pace bowler to put the Australian under pressure for his place may not go amiss.
The bowling looks deep enough, although it may well be worth the Kings XI taking a look at a seam bowling all-rounder following the release of Sri Lankan Thisara Perera - possibly Shaun Marsh's brother Mitchell?
Potential starting XI: Vijay, S Marsh, Vohra, Maxwell, Miller, Saha, Gurkeerat, Axar, Johnson, R Dhawan, Sandeep
Potential signings: Jason Holder, Mitchell Marsh; James Pattinson, Mustafizur Rahman, Dale Steyn
Delhi Daredevils
The Daredevils just can't seem to get the right combinations and have seriously struggled in the last few years. They released 11 players recently, including top talent such as Yuvraj Singh, Manoj Tiwary, Angelo Mathews and Travis Head. They have a young, exciting Indian opening duo at the top of the order in Mayank Agarwal and Shreyas Iyer but their inconsistency could see the need for a more experienced head at the top. They have journeyman t20 specialist Albie Morkel in their ranks but could well do with an upgrade. They also lack something in the middle order which should be an area that will be addressed in the auction. The bowling looks good on paper, although there may be question marks over Zaheer Khan and how we will hold up opening the bowling at 37 years of age.
Potential starting XI: Agarwal, Iyer, de Kock, Duminy, S Tiwary, A Morkel, Coulter-Nile/Tahir, A Mishra, Shami, Zaheer, Nadeem
Potential signings: Aaron Finch, Martin Guptill, Mahela Jayawardene; Stuart Binny, Ashton Agar, Darren Sammy; Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma
Kolkata Knight Riders
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| Can Chris Lynn continue his incredible form he showed for the Brisbane Heat and bring it into the IPL? (PHOTO: Michael Dodge) |
The brilliant form of Australian Chris Lynn may create a selection dilemma for Kolkata, but it is certainly a nice one to have.
The Indian sector looks very strong as well as the overseas. There are not many weaknesses within the current squad, although there may be a case for looking into the market for an overseas bowler, with Morne Morkel not quite hitting the heights recently and Sunil Narine's problems with his bowling action.
Potential starting XI: Gambhir, Uthappa, M Pandey, Lynn, Y Pathan, Russell, S Yadav, Chawla, M Morkel, Narine, U Yadav
Potential signings: Kane Richardson, James Pattinson, Samuel Badree, Cameron Boyce
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad seemed blessed with top order batting and bowling talent last season, but often flattered to deceive. The Sunrisers narrowly missed out on a playoff place after winning seven and losing seven, finishing sixth. The middle order often seemed lightweight, often either failing to build on what the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, David Warner and Eoin Morgan had produced or bailing the side out of early trouble. The Sunrisers also need a fast bowler, preferably Indian, to deal with the significant loss of releasing the likes of Steyn, Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar.
Potential starting XI: S Dhawan, Warner, Williamson/Morgan, Rahul, Henriques, N Ojha, A Reddy, K Sharma, B Kumar, Boult, B Sharma
Potential signings: Dhawal Kulkarni, Mohit Sharma, Barinder Sran, Parvinder Awana; Subramaniam Badrinath, Cheteshwar Pujara, Travis Head
Royal Challengers Bangalore
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| Will the incredible talent of Sarfaraz Khan still get a look-in following RCB's movements in the auction? (PHOTO: Francois Nel/IDI) |
Again, like the Sunrisers, Bangalore have a weak middle order that includes the exciting teenage talent of Sarfaraz Khan.
The Royal Challengers went some way to addressing this issue, securing the signature of former Delhi Daredevils' 'keeper-batsman Kedar Jadhav.
The recently-capped Jadhav will add experience and plucky quality for Bangalore, as well as potential to score quickly at the end of an innings.
A selection of bowling all-rounders may help the Bangalore setup, as they seem set to currently rely on David Wiese to bowl his full four overs with a lack of options in attack.
Potential starting XI: Gayle, Kohli, de Villiers, Mandeep, Jadhav, Sarfaraz, Wiese, Starc, Chahal, Aaron, Aravind
Potential signings: Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Irfan Pathan, Thisara Perera, Soumya Sarkar, Rajat Bhatia, Barinder Sran
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