Retained Players in IPL 2020

All Teams List of Retained Players in IPL 2020 – Star Players

Before the big auction on 19th December 2019, the Indian Premium League franchises were trying to zero in on the players they wanted to buy on the auction day. 332 players were up for auction, out of which 69 plyers were sold and 29 of those were overseas players. On13th December 2019 the franchises released a final list of the players traded, released and retained. 127 players, which included 35 overseas players were retained by the eight franchises. Let’s take a look at the list of retained players for IPL 2020.

MUMBAI INDIANS

The defending champions of IPL released 12 players from their team and retained 18. They mainly retained their core team, including the four-time IPL winning captain Rohit Sharma. Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lankan veteran was also retained despite his fitness woes.

Among others retained were Hardik and Krunal Pandya, the allrounder brothers, Ishan Kishan the wicketkeeper-batsman, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, and Rahul Chahar. Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock, and Mitchell McClenaghan were the most notable overseas players retained for IPL 2020. Ishan Kishan, Surya Kumar Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Jayant Yadav, Aditya Tare and Anukul Roy were also retained.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS

Before the big auction, the three-time champions released only 6 players. The franchise has maintained its philosophy of backing the same set of players. Panned as the ‘Dad’s Army’, the team will be led by veteran wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni. With three titles and five second-place finishes shows the team’s consistency at the IPL cricketing extravaganza, and justifies their idea of supporting experienced players.

The experience of Ambati Raydu, Shane Watson, and Faf Du Plessis at the top provide their batting prowess. MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina strengthen the middle order and control the innings if at all wickets fall early. Their spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santer, and Ravindra Jadeja deliver excellently at their spin-friendly home ground.

DELHI CAPITALS

Last season, the team saw a dramatic revival after they ended their campaign on third place. They released 9 players and retained 14 players who were mainly their core team members. Their core team remained intact when they retained Upper order batsmen, Shikhar Dhawan, and Prithvi Shaw.

Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer were retained from the middle order. To provide depth to bowling pacer Ishant Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane, Kagiso Rabada, and Amit Sharma were retained.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD

Ahead of the auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad had released 6 members of their team. They chose to retain 18 players which included young talent house Abhishek Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed and Sandeep Sharma. With only 7 spots remaining on the squad they only had to recruit substitute players if regular players got injured.

Overseas players retained include batting powerhouse, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. Captain cool Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey who make up their middle order and bowlers Mohammed Nabi, Bhuwaneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, and Shahbaz Nadeem were retained. 

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS

The two-time champions did not have a great season in the last edition of IPL as they failed to make the playoffs. They pressed the reset button and released some of their overseas players before the auction last year. KKR retained 13 of its players from the previous seasons.

Dinesh Karthik, Shubham Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, Andre Russell, and Sunil Narine were the big names to be retained. Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Rinku Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Sandeep Warrier, Harry Gurney, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, and Shivam Mavi were the other important retained players in IPL 2020.

Punjab Kings

From the last season, Punjab Kings released 7 players. It had Rs 42.70 crores in its kitty, the highest among the eight IPL franchises. Even though they had a dismal performance last season they chose to retain their core team. Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Mujheeb ur Rahman were among the core members that were retained.

A total number of 14 players were retained. Other members that were retained include Karun Nair, Mohammed Shami, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Hardus Viljoen, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Darshan Nalkande and Murugan Ashwin.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS

Inaugural edition champions, Rajasthan Royals chose to release 11 players including their main player Jaydev Unadakat and retained only 11 players from their squad of last season. Jofra Archer, Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, and Jos Butler were the big names retained, Other players retained include Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Shashank Singh, Varun Arora, and Mahipal Lomror.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE

Out of their 25-member squad, they almost let go half of their squad and retained 13 players from their original squad. Several changes were made to the squad to wash stains of their unfortunate past.

Out of the 13 retained players, only two of them are overseas players, Moeen Ali and veteran AB de Villiers. Captain Virat Kohli was retained too with Yuzvendra Chahal and Parthiv Patel who are the more experienced players in the squad. Other members who were retained include Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, DevduttPadikkal, Gurkeerat Mann, Umesh Yadav, Pawan Negi, and Mohammed Siraj. 

Fastest Centuries in IPL

Centuries Galore: Fastest Centuries in IPL History

The Indian Premier League turns 13 this year, and it is a festival for people in India. In India, cricket has never been the same since the inception of IPL. It is a breathtaking display of cricket by players who come from all over the world. For two months the fans get enough entertainment and matches keep them on the edge of their seats.  

Over the twelve years, IPL has seen 58 centuries scored by 35 different batsmen. 13 of those centuries have been scored by Royal Challengers Bangalore, the highest by any team. Chris Gayle is at the top of the list with 6 centuries to his name. The first century in IPL was scored in its inaugural match on 18th April 2008 by Brendon McCullum. 

With the thirteenth season of Indian Premier League just days away, it promises to be bigger and better than the last time. As we gear up for two months of great & exciting cricketing extravaganza, let’s take a look at the fastest centuries ever scored in IPL history.

AB de Villiers (42 balls), Royal Challengers v Gujrat Lions, 2016

When in full flow AB de Villiers is perhaps the best and most exciting batsmen in world cricket. His breathtaking display of stroke play can take apart any bowling line up. At that time AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli, the two best-limited overs batsmen were in a record partnership of 229 runs. The competition was between the two, and de Villiers won the race by making a century. His knock studded with 12 sixes and 10 fours with a total of 129 runs off 52 balls. He ended up reaching a century in just 42 deliveries. Royal Challengers inflicted a heavy defeat on Gujrat Lions by a massive 144 runs.

Adam Gilchrist (42 balls), Deccan Chargers v Mumbai Indians, 2008

Adam Gilchrist was one the costliest players sold for the inaugural edition of the game at $765,000 to Deccan Chargers. His scintillating performance came against Mumbai Indians when he smashed 109 off 47 balls, reaching his century in only 38 deliveries. It took him just twelve overs to chase a target of 154 runs. En route to his hundred, he hit 10 sixes and 9 fours and most of his runs were scored through the leg side. 

David Miller (38 balls), Kings XI Punjab v Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2013

Kings XI Punjab was in a dire situation when they needed 140 to win off 12.2 overs with only seven wickets in hand. David Miller came to the crease but soon another wicket fell, and Punjab was looking at another defeat that season. It was then that Miller pulled off a remarkable heist, for which he had threatened to do in previous games as well. In the 14th over, after being dropped at a point in the game he reached 101 runs off 38 deliveries. His destructive single included 8 boundaries and 7 huge sixes and did the unattainable for his team by winning the game with 12 balls to spare.

Yusuf Pathan (37 balls), Rajasthan Royals v Mumbai Indians, 2010

In his 21-year career, Shane Warne described this innings as the best he had ever seen. 100 of 37 balls was a remarkable achievement by Yusuf Pathan considering his team was chasing a target of 213 runs. He hit 8 sixes and 9 fours and nearly pulled off what could have been a stunning victory. His innings contained an incredible period of 11 balls from which he scored 54 runs! He reached this record in a ball less than Miller to achieve the fastest centuries of IPL History which was intact for a good three years.

Chris Gayle (30 balls), Royal Challengers Bangalore v Pune Warriors India, 2013

A list of records would be incomplete without the mention of ‘The Gayle-storm’. T20s are usually criticized that remarkable performances are quickly forgotten because of the frantic rate at which they come. But Chris Gayle’s momentous 175 of 66 balls is hard to forget. It is the fastest ever centuries in Ipl t20 history and remains the highest ever score by an individual. Studded with 17 sixes which is a record in itself, most by any individual and 13 fours his knock was truly extraordinary.

Most Sixes in IPL

Which Player has the Most Sixes in IPL History?

Indian Premier League’s thirteenth edition is about to start soon and the fans are all geared up for the new extravaganza of the T20 league. IPL draws a lot of attention and is one of the biggest and most lucrative sports league in the world with its franchise format. It involves overseas players as well as star Indian players that showcases their ferocious power, ability, and talent to the world of cricket fans.

As the IPL follows the T20 format, the batsmen showcase their most athletic and explosive form with increased levels of speed, strength, and agility thereby reacting promptly to every ball. This gives the batsmen a great opportunity to reach for the maximums and awards the big-hitters a special place.

It is an exciting and nail-biting moment witnessing the batsmen hitting the small white leather ball over and out of the stands. The likes of Chris Gayle, MS Dhoni, and few others show wonders in thrashing the ball with their full potential and right timing.

With the IPLs 13th season around the corner, let’s look at who has the most sixes ever in IPL history.

Chris Gayle- 326 sixes

The self-proclaimed King of sixes, also known as the Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, tops the list with his landmark figure of 326 sixes. West Indies legend and swashbuckling left-handed batsman Chris Gayle has played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab, 3 different teams in his IPL career. He brought in the Gayle storm with his maximum sixes. He looks to cross the 350 mark in IPL 2020 and sits comfortably at the top with the most sixes in IPL.

AB de Villiers- 212 sixes 

AB de Villiers, right-handed former South African batsman playing for the team of Royal Challengers Bangalore has etched a name for himself. He debuted IPL in 2008 with Delhi Daredevils team and the last 12 years has played two franchises in IPL. With ups and downs in his IPL career, he came a long way from a disastrous exit in 2008 with only 95 runs and strike rate of 96.63 to scoring the first IPL hundred in 2009. Since his joining Bangalore-based franchise his best season being 2016 where he sent 37 balls smacking out of the stadium. Also known as Mr. 360, the Proteas player has 212 sixes to his cap in the 11 editions of IPL and secures the second position. 

MS Dhoni- 209

MS Dhoni, the Ageless Classic and consistent captain of the IPL team Chennai Super Kings since the onset of IPL in 2008. The team has won three IPL championships under his captainship.  He takes up to playing for the team when the top players lag and has changed fate single-handedly for CSK with his big smashing hits. Dhoni has scored a total of 4,432 runs in the 190 IPL matches, registered 23 fifties and is the only Indian batsman to hit 209 sixes in the league.

Rohit Sharma-194 sixes

Rohit Sharma, India’s opening batsman, shares the limelight with Suresh Raina in hitting 194 sixes. Being the most successful IPL captain, Rohit has played for two franchises and featured in all IPL seasons. His IPL career kicked off in 2008 with Deccan Chargers where he played three seasons for the team smashing 51 sixes and scoring eight half-centuries. In 2011 he joined his home franchise, Mumbai Indians, and led his team to the trophy by striking 28 maximums. Sharma is on the move and does not allow the bowlers to take control against him and has a minimum of nine sixes every season to his glory. IPL 2019 saw him through 10 sixes and he looks at increasing the number of sixes in the approaching IPL tournament.

Suresh Raina – 194 sixes  

Suresh Raina, left-handed middle-order batsman of India is a consistent IPL player and part of two franchises, Gujarat Lions and Chennai Super Kings in 12 years of IPL. Raina is IPLs all-time second-highest run-getter with 5,368 runs with his strike rate being 137.14. He had smashed 22 sixes in IPL 2010 when his prime team CSK had won the maiden IPL.  Raina holds the fifth position with 194 sixes. 

Chris Gayle 175_ In Ipl

The Greatest Innings to Chris Gayle 175* In Ipl

Christopher Henry Gayle, or as he is famously known ‘Gayle-storm’, smashed the greatest innings ever in the history of T20 games. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore were playing against Pune Warriors at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The only thing Pune Warriors on that day was the toss after which they elected to bowl. Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan were opening the innings. The game started slowly and was also interrupted by showers after the first over. After a delay of half an hour, the game resumed again. 

It was from the second over that the carnage of fours and sixes began. After just 8.5 overs Gayle had already reached three figures (103 runs). Inclusive of eight fours and eleven sixes, 98 runs were amassed without running. He reached his century in merely 30 deliveries, which was four balls faster than the previous fastest hundred. Andrew Symonds achieved this feat in 2004 against Middlesex. The record remains intact, and only Rishabh Pant came close to breaking it in 2018 when he scored a 32-ball hundred.

On the other end his partner, Dilshan was struggling at 17 runs from 25 balls as Bangalore reached 123 runs without any loss of wickets. Gayle’s second part of the innings was relatively slow as he scored 75 from 36 balls. He still eased past Brendon McCullum’s T20 best of 158 runs to set the highest individual score of 175 in 66 balls in a T20 match.

Gayle spared no bowler that day, be it the youngsters Ishwar Pandey and Ali Murtuza or the experienced Mitchell Marsh. The situation got so out of hand that Aaron Finch, the Pune Warriors skipper tried his hand at bowling and he conceded 29 runs. 

Chris Gayle 175 For Royal Challengers Bangalore:

The Caribbean batsman scored by Chris Gayle 175 runs from just 66 balls, the highest individual score to be registered in a T20 game. He also broke the record for the fastest 100, by reaching the feat in just 30 deliveries. His knock included a total of 17 sixes, the highest at that time, and 13 boundaries. Due to his marvelous knockout, his team went on to post 263 runs for 5 wickets. It remains the highest total by a team in IPL. 

Gayle also had a wonderful day with the ball. The visitors were restricted to a mere 133 runs for 9 wickets. He bowled the last over conceding only 5 runs and two wickets. Bangalore went on to win the game by a massive margin of 130-runs, currently the 5th highest margin in IPL history. 

About the game, Gayle said that he didn’t just want to stay and get a hundred, but wanted to stay there till the 18th over to post a good total, which he eventually did. Captain Virat Kohli said he was privileged to have watched the innings live. Opposition captain Aaron Finch said that Gayle’s innings no matter how special dented his bowler’s confidence. He added that for a man like Gayle no boundary is big enough and how difficult it is to stop him.

Chris Gayle who is now 40 and represents Kings XI Punjab has the highest number of centuries to his name, I.e. 6. He also has a massive record of hitting the most sixes at 323. Gayle was also the first-ever batsman to reach a 150+ score twice in the T20 format. This feat was achieved on 31st May against his debut for Somerset. However, Brendon McCullum, matched the record of 150+ scores in T20 when he scored 158 not out against Derbyshire.

Orange Cap In IPL

Orange Cap In IPL History And Their Holders

The orange cap in IPL is an award given to the highest run-scorer in the Indian Premier League. A week after the inaugural season of IPL began in April 2008 the award was introduced. During the season the batsmen with most runs wears the Orange Cap while fielding. At the end of the tournament, the Orange Cap is awarded to the winner. In the inaugural season, Brendon McCullum became the first player to wear it while Shaun Marsh won the cap in first season of IPL. 

Let’s take a look at the winners of the Orange Cap from the first edition of the tournament to the most recent one.

2008- Shaun Marsh, Kings XI Punjab

616 runs at 66.84

Australian Shaun Marsh had a breakthrough year at the inaugural season of IPL scoring 616 runs at an average of 66.84. He made quite an impression as a left-handed batsman by smashing a century and five half-centuries. His strike-rate was 139.68, good one for the consistent player. In the same year, he made his limited-overs debut for his national side owing to his success in IPL.

2009- Matthew Hayden, Chennai Super Kings

572 runs at 52.00

The second season of the tournament took place in South Africa which wasn’t the good news for Indian batsmen. Only three Indian batsmen featured in the top 10. Matthew Hayden exploited the conditions perfectly and scored 572 runs. His strike rate was at 144.81 with an average of 66.84. With five half-centuries the burly opener became the second Australian to win this award.

2010- Sachin Tendulkar, Mumbai Indians

618 runs at 47.53

The God of Cricket became the first Indian to win the Orange Cap at the end of IPL 2010. That year he also scored a staggering 1562 runs in Test cricket for India. His highest score was 89 not out. His batting average was at 47.53 and a strike rate of 132.61. Even though he was the leading run-scorer he could not see his team to the title in the finals against Chennai Super Kings.

2011- Chris Gayle, Royal Challengers Bangalore

608 runs at 67.55

Chris Gayle was called in for Dirk Nannes. After spending three humdrum years with KKR, transferring to RCB changed his fortunes. The explosive West Indian would be remembered for a long time for his explosive power hitting. In 12 innings he smashed 608 runs which included two centuries and three half-centuries. 

2012- Chris Gayle, Royal Challengers Bangalore

733 runs at 61.08

‘Gaylestrom’ as he was famously known struck for the second consecutive time and earned him a full contract with RCB. With seven fifties and one ton, he became the first Orange Cap winner to cross the 700-run mark. 

2013- Michael Hussey, Chennai Super Kings

733 runs at 52.35

Hussey claimed the Orange Cap by 25 runs while preventing Chris Gayle from completing a hat-trick of orange caps. He was dubbed ‘Universe Boss’ for this feat. He also became the third Australian to win the Orange Cap award.

2014 – Robin Uthappa, Kolkata Knight Riders

660 runs at 44.00

The seventh IPL season saw Robin Uthappa top the charts and the second Indian to win the award. His consistency and  great opening partnerships with skipper Gautam Gambhir helped Kolkata Knight Riders win their second IPL championship title. 

2015 – David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad

562 runs at 43.23

Another Australian and a left-hander, David Warner made it to the top of the list in 2015. He smashed seven half centuries to reach this feat with his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan. Sadly, his heroics couldn’t catapult his team to win the trophy.

2016 – Virat Kohli, Royal Challengers Bangalore

973 runs at 81.08

2016 was Kohli’s year in all formats of cricket. He is easily one of the best Orange Cap holders in IPL history. He scored a record four centuries and seven fifties to reach 973 runs. His jaw-dropping strike rate of 152.03 and an average of 81.08 was impeccable. The colossal figures achieved by him will stand the test of time and will most likely be broken by the man himself.

2017 – David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad

646 runs at 58.27

A vital cog in Hyderabad’s side, Warner is rated very highly in IPL due to his scoring prowess. In a space of three years, this was a second win for him. With a single ton and 4 half-centuries to his credit, he amassed 646 runs at a strike rate of 141.81.

2018- Kane Williamson, Sunrisers Hyderabad

735 runs at 52.50

Slamming eight half-centuries, Kane Williamson was at his fluent best in the 11th season of IPL. His contributions with the bat helped his team to reach the finals for the second time in IPL. 

2019- David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad

692 runs at 69.20

David Warner became the only player to win this award three times. His thundering tally of 692 runs had nine fifty-plus scores. He also managed to score a single ton and had an average of 69.20 at a strike rate of 135.38.

IPL Auction 2020

The IPL Auction 2020 Highlight – IPL Teams Players Squad

On 19th December 2019, 332 players went under the hammer as the 8 teams scrambled to tweak their playing combinations at the IPL 2020 auction. 69 players were sold during the auction which included 29 overseas players. This was a mini-auction before the big reboot following IPL 2020 when teams will be disbanded and fresh players will be picked by the franchises.

Australian players attracted the most number of bids at 12, while England was a close second at 7 players being sold. Pat Cummins from Australia was sold to KKR for a record Rs. 15.50 crore, the most expensive foreign player ever bought. Piyush Chawla became the most expensive Indian player who was bought at a huge price of Rs. 6.75 crores by CSK. Glen Maxwell and Dale Steyn were bought back by their respective teams Kings XI Punjab and RCB.  

Delhi Capitals was involved in intense bidding with Royal Challengers Bangalore to acquire Pat Cummins, eventually; Kolkata Knight Riders ambushed both the franchises and bought Cummins. It will be interesting to see his performance this season. He was last featured in the 2017 edition for the Delhi franchise.

Glen Maxwell was the second most expensive buy for Rs. 10.75 crore by Kings XI Punjab. Earlier last year Glen Maxwell had taken a short break due to mental health issues. KXIP needed an overseas allrounder, it will be interesting to see what Maxwell brings to the team after his short break.

Let’s see how all the teams fared at the end of the IPL auction 2020. Starting with Chennai Super Kings.

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (CSK)

After last season’s routine run to the final everything looks hunky-dory with this franchise. But there could be a storm brewing for the team as MS Dhoni moves slightly towards the retirement arch. One other problem with the squad is that it’s mostly old players except for Deepak Chahar, who is a viable player for retention next season. With Rs. 14.6 crore in its kitty and 5 slots empty, which includes 2 slots for overseas player bought only 4 players.

Piyush Chawla was their most expensive buy at Rs. 6.75 crores, he was also the costliest Indian player bought at the auction. Australian pacer Josh Hazelwood was bought for his base price of Rs 2 crore. These purchases have strengthened Chennai’s bowling attack. Englishman Sam Curran was picked for Rs 5.5 crore and R Sai Kishore for Rs 20 lakh. Curran is a good all-rounder and can fit in well with the team for overseas games. Whereas Kishore stands uncapped and will make his debut in this season of IPL. 

DELHI CAPITALS (DC)

Delhi Capitals had an impressive season last year which came to an end at the playoffs. Easily one of their finer seasons in recent times. With 11 slots empty, including 5 slots for overseas player and Rs 27. 85 crores in their kitty they had decisions to make. Delhi needed a reliable finisher for their death over woes.  Shimron Hetmeyer the West Indies batsmen and a finisher was their most expensive buy at Rs 7.75 crore.

They also bought Australians Marcus Stoinis and Alex Carey. Marcus an all-rounder and Alex a wicketkeeper are good choices to add to their already strong team. Two England members were also purchased, Chris Woakes and Jason Roy for Rs 1.5 crore. 3 Indians were also bought namely Lalit Yadav, Tushar Deshpande, and Mohit Sharma. Delhi needed a little improvement in the seam bowling department, Woakes and Stoinis will hopefully complete that requirement. 

KINGS XI PUNJAB (KXIP)

An amount of Rs 42.7 crore is reflective of both profound changes as well as an empty trophy cabinet. Last season KXIP finished 6th on the points table with an underwhelming performance. With R. Ashwin gone they needed a new captain and gaps in their bowling department needed to be filled.

They also needed a finisher after they released David Miller. Before the auction, they released seven of their players and the highest amount in their purses among the 8 franchises. With 9 slots to fill including 4 overseas players, they managed to fill each spot and bring their team to a 25-member squad. Glen Maxwell was their costliest buy at Rs 10.75 crores to strengthen their batting woes. Sheldon Cottrell, the West Indies pacer was bought for a whopping Rs 8.5 crores, his pace bowling will bring extra oomph to the team. James Neesham was another popular buy, a much-needed all-rounder for the team.

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS (KKR)

The two-time champions had an underwhelming last outing unable to reach the playoffs. With 11 slots empty and Rs 35.65 crore in its kitty KKR bought 9 players. Pat Cummins was the most expensive buy at a record Rs 15.50 crore. The team needed a leader for the pace attack and Cummins is the perfect fit. The world cup winning captain of England, Eoin Morgan sold out for Rs 5.25 crore. Morgan will bring stability to the middle order batsmen. Australian all-rounder Chris Green was also picked up for Rs 20 lakhs, his allrounder abilities will be a good backup for Russel. Other players bought were Varun Chakaravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Nikhil Naik, Pravin Tambe, and M Siddharth. Three players are uncapped, so it’s a fairly young squad and it will be interesting to see what they can bring to the team.

MUMBAI INDIANS (MI)

The defending champions have a strengthened team and there is no such glaring problem with the lineup. The only thing they needed to concentrate on was a backup for their veteran player Lasith Malinga. With 7 slots to fill and Rs 13.05 crores, they bought 6 players. Nathan Coulter-Nile was their most expensive buy at Rs 8 crores, followed by Chris Lynn at his base price of Rs 2 crores. To strengthen their bowling attack, they bought in Mohsin Khan, Prince Balwant Rai Singh, and Digvijay Deshmukh. Their batting is already strong being led by captain Rohit Sharma. Newest additions are Saurabh Tiwary and Lynn. Lynn being a big hitter and Coulter-Nile a bowling allrounder makes the team stronger and will make for a good defense against the opposition.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS (RR)

Rajasthan Royals finished seventh last season, not a very good position to finish off a season. With Rs 28.9 crores in its kitty and 11 slots empty the franchise had some decisions to make. The main issue with their team is finishing, with both ball and bat. They need a good finisher as well as a good death bowler. For their batting woes, they picked up Robin Uthappa for Rs 3 crores, their most expensive purchase. David Miller was purchased at his base price of Rs 75 lakh.

Considering his talent, he was a budget buy for the team. Jaydeep Undakat was bought for Rs 3 crores for their bowling problems. Andrew Tye, Tom Curran and Oshane Thomas were the overseas players bought. RR invested in young talent and picked up Yashasvi Jaiswal, 17 yr old batting sensation. Allrounder Anirudha Joshi and wicketkeeper Anuj Rawat were picked up for Rs 80 lakh which was their base price.

ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (RCB)

After another disappointing season RCB needed to take decisions to improve their team for a chance at winning the coveted IPL trophy. They had a purse of Rs 27.9 crores and 12 slots to fill which included 6 overseas slots as well.

What they needed were top class bowlers as last season they took the second-fewest wickets (14) in the tournament. Australia’s Kane Richardson and Sri Lanka’s Isuru Adana were bought for Rs 4 crores and Rs 50 lakhs respectively for their bowling woes. Dale Steyn was a surprise buy for them at the end of the auction at Rs 2 crores. Chris Morris at Rs 10 crores was their most expensive buy and their most expensive player in the IPL 2020 auction. Money was also invested in young talent when Pavan Deshpande and Shahbaz Ahamad were bought for their base prices. In form Australian Joseph Philippe who is a wicketkeeper-batsman was a surprise buy at Rs 20 lakhs.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD (SRH)

SRH has been a consistent performer since its debut in 2013. With Rs 17 crores in their kitty and 7 slots to fill this included 2 overseas members. Their star player Shakib Al Hasan who is an allrounder will be missed as he is serving a ban for not reporting a fixing approach. They needed to concentrate on a finisher as their death over scoring has remained a problem since the last four seasons. They acquired the likes of Mitchell Marsh, Fabien Allen who are good all-rounders. Money was also invested in young talent when Virat Singh, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad, and Sanjay Yadav were bought. SRH happens to be the strongest team on paper; it will be interesting to see how they perform at the 13th season of the IPL.