The Game Plan For The Franchises At The IPL Auction 2021
Image Credit – Times Of India
There was a buzz for a while last year that two new teams are going to be included in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 edition. But later it was struck by the pandemic and all the plans are deferred by one year and therefore, the next edition is going to remain the same as an eight-team affair. Therefore, the mini-auction taking place here in Chennai on Thursday is going to see the big boys of the mega tournament as they are going to seek only minor additions. The eternal Galactico hunters of the IPl, Mumbai Indians have already got a purse of Rs. 15.35 crore and the Delhi Capitals, who are looking for their very first title have only Rs. 13.50 crore in their purse. On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings have Rs. 19.90 crores in their bag and one can rest assured that these big boys are not going to go in the traditional wars of bidding to which they are very much used.
While former champions like Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad are very much sorted but the situation is slightly different for underachieving teams like Kings Xi Punjab, and also Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals. A lot of players are released by them after they have failed to match the expectations last year and it is once again a time for rebuilding for them. There are only 292 players in the fray and Dawid Malan from England is one of the few sought-after names and one can feel that the drama as part of the build-up is not there.
But there are a few names who have the reputation of fetching big money but they have already been released by their franchises. Glen Maxwell and Steve Smith of Australia, Shakib al Hassan from Bangladesh, and Moeen Ali from England are on that particular list and they are expecting some interest around them. A big hitter with some great T20 reputation, Malan comes in the auction with very high hopes and it is going to be very interesting to see Royal Challengers Bangalore of Virat Kohli, has got a booty of Rs. 35.40 crore and will look to fill the spot of Aaron finch with him. But if someone is looking for brand value along with proven quality, then Smith could fit the bill for them and this is going to be quite a sight if Virat Kohli, the Aussie, and AB de Villiers bats at the top four of the same team.
RCB has more than 10 slots to fill and despite his poor performances of late, Maxwell is going to be one of their targets. But CSK is the most interested party in the Maxwell case as they want a spin-bowling all-rounder for bolstering their line-up. The CSK team is not overdependent on any player and they could free up Maxwell to let him express himself more in the team.
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