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IPL 2021: KKR eyes some big buys with limited resource ahead of mini-auction

Despite being the two-time IPL champions, the recent years for Kolkata Knight Riders has been far from impressive, Despite having several big names in their arsenal, the Kolkata based franchise hasn’t managed to gel as a unit which has resulted in their below-par performances in the last three years. Under the captaincy of Dinesh Karthik, KKR had shown glimpses of their repertoire but hasn’t been able to take it to the next level. Karthik was removed from the captaincy last year and it was handed over to Eoin Morgan. KKR did manage to outclass Rajasthan Royals in their final group game last year but that wasn’t enough to book themselves a spot in the playoffs. 


When it comes to the history of IPL, KKR hasn’t had the greatest of times in the first three editions under the captaincy of Sourav Ganguly but the induction of Gautam Gambhir as the skipper totally changed the dynamics of the franchise. The southpaw led KKR to two championship titles but since his departure, the team hasn’t managed to form a solid base which hasn’t really kept them in the best of shapes. 


Going into the mini-auctions, KKR will surely look to balance caution with aggression and form a team which might just help them to seal their third IPL title. Barring Shubman Gill, none of the top order players has been consistent and especially after batting first, the franchise hasn’t managed to post big enough total for their bowlers to come into action. They will surely be looking to get some big names in their kitty despite having limited resources. 


Strengths


Shubman Gill at the top of the order looks a sorted guy but his strike rate had come under the scrutiny quite often in the last year. However, we are not quite sure what was the approach of team management and whether he was instructed to play the sheet-anchor’s role. We have already seen how aggressive Gill is. For a player of that stature and still not getting his strike rate up is a matter of concern for KKR but given his skill sets and some stellar performances for India in the recent past, KKR will surely be looking forward to seeing him come out all guns blazing in the next edition. 


The captaincy department has been handed over to Morgan but KKR hasn’t parted ways with Karthik either. So it’s a win-win scenario for KKR in this regard. With so much international captaincy experience under his belt, Morgan will surely look to lift the team in the upcoming edition with his strategies and planning with Karthik helping him out. 


The bowling department also looks more or less sorted with Pat Cummins spearheading the attack. He will be assisted by Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the two mystery spinners which KKR are very proud of having. It proved to be the breakthrough year for Chakravarthy last season which also earned him a national call-up which was cut short in the end owing to injuries. They might also go with Kuldeep Yadav if they want a wrist spinner in their XI. Guys like Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti also showed glimpses of their abilities in the last season and will look to be a bit more consistent going into the next edition. 


Potential Targets for KKR


Mohammad Azharudden


Mohammed Azharuddeen has been one of the talking points in the Indian domestic set-up ever since he smashed that blazing century in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is a top natch youngster to have and his ability to smash the ball from word go despite not taking too many undue risks will play a perfect foil if given the opportunity to open with Shubman Gill. It will also allow the young sensation to play his natural game and the issues regarding the strike rate might just drop down a bit. On a personal front, I definitely feel that the KKR team management might go on a bidding war to acquire the services of this 26-year-old. 


Dawid Malan


The power-hitting England middle-order batsman has been a sensation in the shorter formats and his ability to strike the ball big and play sensibly in the middle overs might just make the KKR team management go after him. The No 1 ranked T20I batsman, Malan has gone on from strength to strength in the last couple of years and his introduction to KKR might work wonders for them. 


In the recently concluded BBL, we have seen some stellar knocks from the blade of the southpaw. Yet to be a part of the IPL, Malan could be in the radar for several teams but in my perspective, KKR might go on a bidding war to acquire his services. 


Piyush Chawla


That might sound odd given the fact that he was smashed for plenty while playing for CSK last year but Chawla had been an asset for the two-time champions previously. Maybe the Eden Gardens surface is more conductive for his style of bowling and hence the KKR team management might be tempted to buy him back. 


Jason Behrendorff/Mitchell McLenaghan


I have given out two names here because both the bowlers offer similar sort of a balance to any playing XI. With Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson already in the KKR set-up, they might look for some variety in the fast bowling department and having a left-arm pacer is always a luxury. While McClenaghan has been a proven customer in the IPL for the Mumbai Indians, Behrendorff hasn’t got enough opportunities in the cash-rich league but one among the two could be on KKR’s radar. 


PLAYERS RETAINED: Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan (c), Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Harry Gurney, Ali Khan

 

PLAYERS RELEASED: M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Chris Green, Tom Banton

Auction purse left: 10.75 CR

Slots available: 8  Overseas slots: 2

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Heavy pocketed, rebranded Punjab walk in IPL mini auction with ‘Get Big or Get Out’ attitude

Over the years, the franchise from Punjab has always entered the auction pool with a lot of money in their hand, but have somehow gone out of unsatiated. This time, the rebranded team, with a new logo, a new name (Punjab Kings) and a new Twitter handle, will look to renew their luck as well when they walk into the auction room with 53 crores in their bag to shop for five foreigners and nine domestic players at the maximum. The idea for the team, therefore, would be to ‘Go Big’ themselves in money matters and get their opposition to ‘Get Out’. The amount of money that they have is a double-edged sword which can very much hurt them as well. Team Scenario- Punjab Kings Purse- 53.2 crores Available Indian slots- 9 Available overseas slots- 5 Retained Squad KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohd. Shami, M Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Prabhsimran Singh Aggressive opener is the need of the hour The Punjab team in the last season lacked the most when it came to finishing at the end of the innings. Batting first, if Chris Gayle got out early, the run rate Punjab generally stumbled down. None among Mayank Agarwal and skipper KL Rahul was able to increase the run rate by keeping the partnership going. To cover for that and also to make sure that if Chris Gayle fails they have an equally destructive backup ready, the Kings could go for Dawid Malan as their first choice buy. Dawid Malan Malan, 33, is the number one ranked T20 batsman in the world. There is no doubt in the fact that he would be in high demand across the tables in the auction room. But Kings have got the amount of money that no other team has. For a man who has scored a hundred and nine fifties in just 19 innings in his international T20 career and has an astonishing average of 53.43 to go along with a butchering strike rate of nearly 150, shelling out big money shouldn’t be a problem for the Kings. Alex Hales Along with Malan, his compatriot Alex Hales could also be in contention having finished as the highest run-scorer in this season’s Big Bash League (543 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of more than 160). But the only place where Malan has an edge over Hales is that he is a left-hander and will be crucial for a left-right combination with KL Rahul at the opening slot. Elusive search for all-rounder cum finisher Having released the likes of Jimmy Neesham and Glen Maxwell along with Krishnappa, the team is in a dire need of genuine all-rounders. Since they have five overseas slots left, they would like to consider the possibility of buying two genuine foreign all-rounders to go alongside Chris Jordan. These could be Moeen Ali The English all-rounder could be a perfect bet for the Kings, especially on the quick Mohali wicket. With the ball coming on to the bat nice and easy, Ali could be the ideal finisher too coming in at six or seven. Ali has recently displayed his prowess with the bat in the last concluded Test between India and England and his six prowess could never be doubted. He is more than a handy spinner and could give four overs in each game easily. Shakib Al Hasan With the BCB scheduling the Bangladesh Sri-Lanka series in between the IPL, the prospect of buying a Shakib-Al-Hasan who might not be available for the entire duration of the tournament is a risky one. But if any team that could and would like to take a risk, it is the Punjab franchise as they have almost nothing to lose. Ben Cutting The Sydney Thunder all-rounder might be on the wrong side of the thirties, but it’s just one season that the team would be signing him for. And if cutting delivers on the promise and the reputation of being a genuine all-rounder that he carries with him, Kings could be in for an exciting season. The 34-year-old hasn’t shown much promise off late, but few glimpses that were on display during the BBL made sure that franchises notice him. Along with foreign all-rounders, Indian players would also be on their radar. Since Punjab has a lot of spaces left to fill, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they go for most of the top performers from the IPL. The two people who would be on their target are: Shahrukh Khan Khan, a beastly built lower-order batsman who can bowl a few overs off break in the lean patch and can save few fours standing at the short cover or can hop and get you an extraordinary catch at the cow corner is multi-utility player from Tamil Nadu. Having burnt himself in the Tamil Nandu Premier League (TNPL) year after year, he finally got a chance to represent the South Indian state in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy(SMAT). Not letting that opportunity go past unnoticed, he won his team the quarterfinal and played a quick finisher in the final as well. Thus Khan could be one player whom the Punjab franchise would like to bid heavily for. Vishnu Solanki Solanki, also a SMAT star is another batsman that Punjab would eye to fill the void left by the exclusion of the likes of Karun Nair. Fast bowling resources need fresh fuel Punjab’s was one of the worst fast bowling attacks in the tournament, leaking huge amounts of runs both in the powerplay as well as the death overs. The bet to go after Sheldon Cottrell, Hardus Viljoen and Neesham didn’t really pay off. Even Mohammed Shami and Chris Jordan were also expensive in a few of the games. To get rid of that problem, Punjab needs new fast bowling recruits, that too foreign as they already have enough Indian bowlers in their kitty. Jhye Richardson and Wes Agar could be prime targets. Even Tom Curran for that matter is not a bad option, neither is Mustafizur Rahaman. But give a choice, the team would obviously like to go for Jhye, who could also bat a bit and is lethal with his inswingers, which would be handy in the evening at most Indian grounds. Agar with his big climbing bouncer and effort length ball, combined with his ability to throw in yorkers at will is another bowler that the Kings would like to target. If they think to go beyond them and also search for Indian talent, Umesh Yadav, Ankit Rajpoot and Lukman Meriwala could be the potential targets. But considering the fact that they already have Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Ishan Porel, it would be hard to imagine them going for too many fast bowlers. Handy off-spinner to cape off the auction In the end, since they have a lot of money left in the purse and might not be able to get Moeen Ali, the kings might go for an off-spinner in the squad. They have Harpreet Brar who bowls left-arm orthodox and fulfils the criteria for a finger spinner. But having a genuine off-spinner is not a luxury and hence Punjab could easily afford that. Surprise Buy Punjab has an ability to surprise with its selection policy and thus if it decides to get Maxwell on board once again at a lower price, it might be surprising for many but not us. Another surprise package could be either one among Kedar Jadhav and Hanuma Vihari, mostly because the matches might be held in Mumbai and Pune and on spinning tracks, these guys could be handy with their ability to bat and ball.

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IPL SWOT Analysis: Set Sunrisers Hyderabad still looking to fix middle order troubles

IPL SWOT Analysis | Areas SRH need to target ahead of mini auctions It is Indian Premier League season once again. Being hosted just four months after the UAE edition, the tournament has not given much time to the franchises to make comprehensive assessments of their assets or for that matter the fans to see their favourite stars in International/Domestic action. But as the immortal lines in the Godfather go - ‘You gotta do what you gotta do’, the eight IPL franchises released several players from their teams ahead of the mini auction. Big names such as Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris were let go on January 20th with teams either looking to completely restructure existing combinations or to reduce the salary burden on their heads. While teams like KXIP and RCB released as many as 9 and 10, KKR and SRH chose to reserve their core. SRH in particular, released their fringe players who were not in the scheme of things last year and would have warmed the bench this season again given the teams affinity to trust its combination irrespective of the results. And SRH are unique that way. In the era where teams are dominated by star powerg, constant chopping and changing, SRH have invested in underrated individuals who either have a high ceiling or are trusted enough by the management. Take Kane Williamson for example. Captain for New Zealand in all formats, Williamson has always lived in the shadows of the prolific David Warner - a bonafide IPL legend. Playing an average of 8 matches per season (barring 2018), a player of Williamson’s pedigree and stature could potentially have fallen out with the management, but it’s just not how things work at the SRH. Speaking to OneCricket Williamson’s teammate Shreevats Goswami provided a glimpse into the team culture. “The way that Hyderabad treats its players is special,” said the Bengal keeper-batsman with pride. “They try and rope in team men who are good people on and off the field which reflects in the kind of cricket we play around the year. They are very consistent in choosing the kind of players and they know what they want.” Goswami added. This has reflected in this season’s retention list as well. At the moment, the SRH squad stands at - Batsman - David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, Virat Singh, Abdul Samad All rounder - Mohammad Nabi, Vijay Shankar, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Abhishek Sharma Wicketkeeper - Jonny Bairstow, Shreevats Goswami,, Wriddhiman Saha Bowler - Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Released - Sanjay Yadav, B Sandeep, Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen, Yarra Prithviraj With a total of three slots to fill (1 overseas) with Rs 10.75 crore remaining, it seems unlikely that SRH are going to hunt for a big money overseas player. A unique last season Almost nothing went right for SRH in the last season of the IPL. An injury laden season saw Mitchell Marsh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Wriddhiman Saha limping off the pitch. With three key players out and their talismanic openers out of form, Hyderabad struggled. There came a point in the season where the team needed someone to step up. And fortunately there were many. Kane Williamson, brought into the XI to rescue an ailing opening combination and disastrous middle order, scored 317 runs from 12 matches at an average of 45.25. In rare matches that Williamson flattered, Indian fledglings like Priyam Garg and Abhishek Sharma repaid the faith the franchise has put in them. In SRH’s match against CSK on 2 October, the youngsters walked into the pitch at a tough phase and bailed out the team by scoring 82 runs between them. Garg was adjudged the man of the match for his brilliant 26 ball 51. The issue with the younglings like Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Garg and Sharma was that their performances were not consistent enough. Having said that nobody would hold anything against them for not being able to perform against the best in the business in a pandemic ridden world. Issues & their remedies in Auction Opening combination The opening combination of Johnny Bairstow and David Warner have been prolific over the years for SRH, but that changed last season. An automatic choice in any limited overs team in the world, both players struggled for form. Given SRH are a top heavy team with a fixed combination this became a big issue. While the stats aren’t that bad with Warner 548 runs from 16 matches and Bairstow 345 from 11, fact of the matter is that they were nowhere close to their previous exploits. With both of them hovering around 128-130 strike rate it took Wriddhiman Saha to provide the impetus at the top deep in the tournament. In the four matches he played before getting sidelined due to a groin injury, Saha scored 214 runs in just four games at a strike rate of 140, much better than the two foreigners. Safe to say, if Saha stays fit, SRH might try to do the same which will also open an added foreigner spot in the rest of the team. Injury laden season and One prolific all-rounder Last season was a freak! With first choice Indian keeper, frontline pacer and their prime all rounder injured, SRH were stretched thin. But, like discussed earlier, people showed up. One of the best utility substitutions was Jason Holder who had to fly in as an injury substitute to Mitchell Marsh who lasted for just four balls in the tournament. A horrible slip on the crease meant that his ankle took a nasty knock and he had to be flown to Australia for treatment. Holder in his first season with the Hyderabad franchise took no time to get warmed up. 14 wickets in 7 matches at a strike rate of 16.64? Safe to say, that he is here to stay. SRH’s persisting middle order issues I get it! SRH are a top heavy team. The openers are exceptional who can take the game away from the opposition on their day, the number three is probably the best technician with bat the world has ever seen. But, all of that comes at a cost. Big budget players at the top who need time to express themselves in the crease means that the middle and the lower middle have to go big or get out. This becomes a problem in rare days where there is a downfall at the top, because you just don’t have that kind of firepower down in the middle to make sure that the boat stays afloat. And this is where Sunrisers should look to plug holes. If the franchise is looking to trust domestic players to take them through, they could look into the likes of uncapped hitters like Vishnu Solanki and Sharukh Khan, who have been very successful off late. Both these players can go big and have shown maturity in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that they can repair a broken innings. Their specialisation as a pure batsmen could be fancied by the Hyderabad team because they the likes of Abdul Samad and Abhishek Sharma who barring their big hitting attributes and can bowl a couple of overs if needed. Slots that are already booked It would not be wild to assume that SRH are going to stick to the balance they found late in the tournament last season. The combination they settled in came late in the tournament and included two players that were never sure shot starters for the franchise. Yes, I am talking about Kane Williamson and Jason Holder. Both were incredible in their leadership and skills with bat and ball respectively and you can almost guarantee that they would be automatic choice this time around. Oh wait! What if Johnny Bairstow becomes the leading scorer in India vs England series? No, never mind, get back to the piece. So, getting back to our combinations. The confirmed overseas slots are as follows Rashid Khan David Warner Kane Williamson Jason Holder This of course means that SRH open with Saha who also doubles up as the keeper and then they bank on an Indian middle order. In the existing set up it would be as follows. Manish Pandey Priyam Garg/Vijay Shankar Abdul Samad Abhishek Sharma Once we have that out of our way, SRH will bank upon the bowling prowess of T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma to control the run flow of the opposition innings. Now that already gives our first XI Warner ©, Saha (wk), Williamson, Pandey, Garg/Shankar, Samad, Holder, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid, Bhuvi, Natarajan Against these players you also have a sizable pool of reserves in Johnny Bairstow, Mitchell Marsh, Mohd Nabi, Shreevats Goswami, Sandeep Sharma, Shabaz Nadeem, Khaleel Ahmed and Virat Singh waiting to break into the team. Potential Targets Abhimanyu Easwawarn (20 lakhs) The clear lack for a proper technically good opener has haunted SRH for long. While the choice for an Indian opener means that you would end up shifting down Wriddhi Saha to the middle order, but it is better to have back up in case things go wrong. Abhimanyu Easwaran has piled up big numbers in the last 4 seasons in domestic cricket and was rewarded a call-up to the Indian side to train as one of the reserves. Not only has he been successful for Bengal, he has done well with the India A side where he was supervised by Rahul Dravid. Despite having an off year with the bat in 2019, Easwaran’s List A average stands at 49.18 from 57 matches. If we were to look more specifically at the T20 side of things, Easwaran bats at an average of 34 from 19 games with a strike rate of 131 in domestic cricket. Vishnu Solanki (20 lakhs) The star of the show in the SMAT this season for Baroda, Vishnu Solanki showed nerves of steel when his team was reeling under pressure. Under the pump, Solanki scored 267 runs from eight matches to take his team to the final where the eventually lost against Tamil Nadu Shakib Al Hasan (2 crores) An integral part of the team, Shakib Al Hasan and SRH parted ways after the former was banned by the International Cricket Council for not reporting a corruption incident. Since his return to cricket, Hasan has done well, but his price tag and injury woes could be something that would worry the Sunrisers. But considering that the management does not have much faith in Mohammad Nabi, they could try and sneak in a bid for Hasan in case he comes below the 3 crore mark. Shahrukh Khan (20 lakhs) The big hitter from Tamil Nadu earned plaudits from Dinesh Karthik after he pulled off an unlikely rescue effort against Himachal Pradesh in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Not only did he hit the Himachal bowlers all around the park while others looked flummoxed, he hit them with such disdain that it looked like he was batting in a different pitch under different conditions. His 40* in that game for sure will earn interest from other teams (read Kolkata) but it is possible that his style of batting and his intimidating frame could complement the likes of Jason Holder in the SRH batting line up. Riley Meredith (40 lakhs) The big, tall fast bowler from Australia. Oh wait, isn’t that what SRH had in Billy Stanlake whom they let go? Ya, whatever, Riley Meredith is better for sure. A genuine pacer who can bowl upwards of 155 kilometers per hour, Meredith has emerged out as one of the best pacers in the Big Bash League this year. Having picked up 12 wickets at a strike rate of just 13.52, Meredith is the perfect back up fast bowler to have. Good thing about Meredith is that he isn’t a one trick pony. The 24-year-old has a good short delivery, a brilliant inswinger and a deceptive cutter that dips in the air, all good attributes to have on an Indian pitch. The only issue could be that Meredith might be in the radar of several teams who have the genuine need of a primary attacker. So, that gives us our team. The preferred front XI for the Hyderabad based franchise is mostly settled. Given that they have just three slots to fill, it is entirely possible that they will be looking to strengthen their back-ups, especially the Indian ones this season. If SRH were to stretch it, they could end up buying a good middle order option for the season, but that would be it. Early curtains in the auction to hope for a longer run in the tournament.

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With Rabada, Nortje not available full time, Delhi Capitals in a spot of bother ahead of IPL Mini auction

Last year was the best for the Delhi Capitals in their IPL history so far. A lot of credit for that success went to the South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. The two among themselves had taken 52 wickets in the last season and Rababa was the Purple Cap winner. The problem for Capitals this season is going to be the non-availability of these two players for the first few weeks of the IPL as the Pakistan tour of South Africa is scheduled to take place between 2nd to 16th April. If, as being speculated, the IPL starts in the first week of April, then the Capitals would probably miss the services of these two players for their first 4-5 games. Otherwise an almost settled team, the Capitals will therefore go in this auction trying to fill the place of two quicks with at least one genuine quick and one Indian fast bowlers. Auction Scenarios for Delhi Capitals Purse- 12.9 crore Available Indian Slots- 6 Available Foreigner Slots- 2 Squad Shreyas Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prithvi Shaw, R Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Pravin Dubey, Chris Woakes Slots to be filled and prospective buys Bowling all-rounder Apart from looking for an out and out fast bowler to pair up with Chris Woakes for initial few games, the Shreyas Iyer led team would look to have a few all-rounders by their side, especially to cover up for Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel which they traded with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the trade window this season. Thus they would target two players in particular to give their team the much-needed boost Kyle Jamieson - Base Price- 75 lakh The 26-year-old Kiwi all-rounder is one of the most talented players going around the world. With 54 wickets in just 38 T20 games at an average of 20.59, Jamieson is a six-foot four-inch of proper danger staring into the yes of the batsmen at the other end. His economy is 7.98 is also reasonable enough for someone who picks these many wickets. Along with astonishing bowling figures, Jamieson is no mug with the bat either as the Auckland born has a batting average of 27.14 and a strike rate of 138. Jhye Richardson- Base Price- 1.5 Crore The other player that Delhi might go for is Jhye Richardson of Australia. Highest wicket-taker in the recently concluded Big Bash League, Delhi would look to go for him and fill the space left by both Nortje, Rabada and also Daniel Sams. Richardson, 24, has 78 wickets in 62 games and in this very season of the BBL, he took 29 wickets in 17 innings. The Delhi team has only two overseas spots left. Thus these are the two players that they would most likely bid heavily for. Indian wicket-keeper Another spot that the Capitals need to secure is that of an Indian wicket-keeper. With Ricky Ponting being the coach of the Capitals, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Delhi side goes for Alex Carey, whom they released earlier this year. With him piling up runs in the BBL (425 runs) this season, the chances of him getting that one overseas spot is very likely. But if the team is looking to go strategically, then they might just let Carey go and pick up an Indian wicket-keeper batsman. Sheldon Jackson- Base Price- 20 Lakh In case the Capitals do go looking for a wicketkeeper, current Pondicherry and former Saurashtra player, Sheldon Jackson could be an option. The 34-year-old scored 242 runs including a century in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He is an outstanding wicket-keeper and could be an ideal substitute for Pant in Indian conditions. Play it smart at the end With these three slots filled, Capitals still have five spots left and if they wish to, they can fill them by going for small but effective buys at the end of the auction. Thus, they would like to fill a few spaces with an Indian fast bowler, an Indian fast-bowling all-rounder and an Indian leg spinner to cover for Amit Mishra and an Indian batsman. Their targets in such a situation could be the following players Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav- Base Price 1 Core Umesh Yadav was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore and with Ishant Sharma’s injury scare being a very high probability and Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande and Harshal Patel being either released or transferred by the Capitals, Yadav fits the bill for the Jindal owned side. Lukman Meriwala- Base Price- 20 Lakh Lukman Meriwala, a Baroda born bowler has done exceedingly well over the years in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, being one of the highest wicket-takers in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 29-year-old has 72 wickets in 44 games. Indian fast-bowling all-rounder Shivam Dube- Base Price- 50 Lakh Dube, 27, was released by the RCB as well and priced at 75 lakh, Dube, could be a very smart buy for the Capitals. Given the fact that he can cover for Axar Patel in case of an injury and can get quick runs in the end overs if the team chooses to play a proper bowler in place of Hetmyer and Dube plays at the West Indian’s place and a fast bowler replaces an Indian batter or spinner. Indian batsmen Although the batting unit of the Capitals looks settled, if Ajniky Rahane doesn’t click or Shikhar Dhawan flops or for covering up any uncertainties, players like Hanuma Vihari and Kedar Jadhav could be considered. Both of the players can bat and bowl. Jadhav has even played for the Delhi franchise previously. Hanuma Vihari- Base Price- 1 crore Kedar Jadhav- Base Price- 2 Crore

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IPL 2021 mini-auctions: Mumbai Indians sits relaxed ahead of the Auctions

You only have to attend an IPL match at the Wankhede Stadium and watch the lights flicker and the floor tremble as the massive wave of applause echoes around the ground when the Mumbai Indians takes the field in their fortress. Over the years, the Mukesh Ambani owned franchise has gone onto become the best team in the tournament and there is hardly any chinks in their armour going into the 2021 IPL mini-auction. They have got almost all their bases covered and will just look to finetune their final combination going into the 14th edition of the tournament. The champions of the last two editions have been on a match-winning spree and have hardly put their foot wrong, especially in the 2020 edition. Defending their title, the Mumbai Indians was at their professional best and was by far the best team of the tournament. Coming into the final of the 2020 edition on the back of a comprehensive victory against the Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1, Mumbai Indians decided to change their winning combination and gave a chance to offie Jayant Yadav which proved to be a masterstroke in the end. Introduced in the powerplay, Jayant bagged the prized wicket of Shikhar Dhawan which put the Capitals on the backfoot right from the word go. This clearly suggests that the 5-time champions relies more on match-ups and player battles which is hardly the case with any other teams. Starting from the top of the order to the middle to the lower middle order and the bowlers, Mumbai Indians have one of the strongest teams on paper and given how the MI management tends to manage their players well, it shouldn’t be a surprise if MI manages to eke out some big buys in the limited opportunities they have. Strengths On paper, Mumbai Indians hardly have any weakness to deal with but they will still look to add some value to their squad once the Mini Auction gets underway on 18th February. The core of Mumbai remains the same with several options in the opening department. Rohit Sharma who opened in the last edition might look to continue at the top of the order to prepare himself for the T20 World Cup slated to be played later in the year in India. The top of the order is so settled that someone like Chris Lynn had to warm the benches for the whole of the previous season. However, MI still decided to retain him and he might go onto make his debut for the franchise in the upcoming edition. He is an impact player and it will be interesting to see if he is given an opportunity in the upcoming edition especially given the fact that they have all their bases covered in the top order. When it comes to the middle order the Pandya brothers along with pocket-sized dynamite Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard has set the tournament ablaze on several occasions and will definitely look to continue their domination. Now when it comes to the bowling department, the franchise arguably has the two best new ball bowlers Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah. Even in the spin department, guys like Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya has done a great job for the franchise. Hence nothing much needs to be changed for the 5-time champions. Expected Playing XI ahead of the auction Rohit Sharma, Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah Opportunities Mumbai Indians might be looking for a fast bowler from the local set-up to partner with Bumrah and Boult. In the batting department, they might look for a few dynamic foreign players given the fact that they still have 4 overseas slots left among the 7 available spots. Barring these few inclusions here and there, not much needs to be changed for the most successful team in the tournament. PLAYERS RETAINED: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock, Anmolpreet Singh, Aditya Tare, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohsin Khan, Rahul Chahar, Anukul Roy PLAYERS RELEASED: Mitchell McCleneghan, James Pattinson, Lasith Malinga, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Sherfane Rutherford, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai Singh. Auction purse left: 15.35 CR Slots available: 7 Overseas slots: 4