IPL 2018 Player Auction: What each squad looks like after action on Day 1

Bengaluru: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Player Auction threw up a lot of surprises on Saturday. The eight franchises splashed the cash for a few big names while certain stars such as Chris Gayle and Lasith Malinga went unsold.

Day 1 saw a total of over Rs. 321 crores being spent for 78 players that were part of the auction pool. SunRisers Hyderabad brought the most amount of players (14) while Kolkata Knight Riders coughed up Rs. 51.4 crores for 10 players.

Also read: Indian Premier League Player Auction 2018 - Who went to which team at what price

Here’s how all the squads shape up after all the auction drama on Day 1:

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Making an IPL comeback after a two-year ban, CSK opted to fill their squad with experienced players rather than young blood. The Yellow Army added eight players to their roster, but all of them are aged above thirty years of age with Ravindra Jadeja (29) being the only exception.

The two-time winners shelled out Rs 7.8 crores for Kedar Jadhav and added a few star all-rounders to their squad with the likes of Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav and Karn Sharma.

But CSK will be well aware of the areas they need to fill. A premium pacer will be on the lookout, while a reliable opener could well be another worthy addition.

Squad so far: MS Dhoni (retained 15 crore), Suresh Raina (retained, 11 c), Ravindra Jadeja (retained 7 c), Faf du Plessis (1.5 c), Harbhajan Singh (2 c), Dwayne Bravo (6.4 c), Shane Watson (4 c), Kedar Jadhav (7.8 c), Ambati Rayudu (2.2 c), Imran Tahir (1 c), Karn Sharma (5 c)

Budget left in purse: 17 crore

RTM cards remaining: 0

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

RCB have boasted one of the best batting line-ups in the tournament so far but have not gathered the perfect balance they needed. In the auctions, that was the area they worked towards with the additions of Chris Woakes (the most expensive buy), Moeen Ali and Colin de Grandhomme.

They also made smart buys in the form of Brendon McCullum and Quinton de Kock who were brought it for a steal price at Rs 3.6 crore and 2.8 crores respectively. The decision to retain Yuzvendra Chahal, another T20 on the rise was a smart move.  

Squad so far: Virat Kohli (retained 17 c), AB de Villiers (retained 11 c), Sarfraz Khan (retained 3 c), Brendon McCullum (3.6 c), Chris Woakes (7.4 c), Colin de Grandhomme (2.2 c), Moeen Ali (1.7 c), Quinton de Kock (2.8 c), Umesh Yadav (4.2 c), Yuzvendra Chahal (6 c), Manan Vohra (1.1 c), Kulwant Kejroliya (85 Lakh), Aniket Choudhary (30 Lakh), Navdeep Saini (3 c)

Budget left in purse: 15.9 crore

RTM cards remaining: 1

Delhi Daredevils (DD)

DD has been one of the teams with good buys in the auctions but have failed to produce the performances on the field. While the latter remains to be seen, the franchise has added as many as 12 star players to their squad.

The main picks were those of Glenn Maxwell and Gautam Gambhir, the latter coming in at a steal price of 2.80 crores. The additions of Colin Munro, Jason Roy, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Shami and Amit Mishra will also boost the squad.

New coach Ricky Ponting will be looking for options to beef up the middle order having ticked all the other boxes.

Squad so far: Rishabh Pant (retained 15 crore), Chris Morris (retained 11 c), Shreyas Iyer (retained 7 c), Glenn Maxwell (9 c), Gautam Gambhir (2.8 c), Jason Roy (1.5 c), Colin Munro (1.9 c), Mohammed Shami (3 c), Kagiso Rabada (4.2 c), Amit Mishra (4 c), Prithvi Shaw (1.2), Rahul Tewatia (3 c), Vijay Shankar (3.2 c), Harshal Patel (20 Lakh), Avesh Khan (70 Lakh)

Budget left in purse: 12.3 crore

RTM cards remaining: 0

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Mumbai Indians (MI)

The Ambani-owned franchise wasn’t highly active during the auctions but made sure to not let go of the players they knew were worth. Retaining all-rounders back Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard for Rs 8.8 crore and Rs 5.4 crore respectively was a smart move while getting a good mix of Indian and foreign players.

Pat Cummins, Mustafizur Rahman, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav provide good energy to the squad but the Paltans will also aim to bolster the top batting order on Sunday.

Squad so far: Rohit Sharma (retained 15 crore), Hardik Pandya (retained 11 c), Jasprit Bumrah (retained 7 c), Kieron Pollard (5.4 c), Mustafizur Rahman (2.2 c), Pat Cummins (5.4 c), Suryakumar Yadav (3.2 c), Krunal Pandya (8.8 c), Ishan Kishan (6.2 c)

Budget left in purse: 15.8 crore

RTM cards remaining: 0

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

The two-time winners swooped in for big match players like Mitchell Starc, Chris Lynn, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav to build the core of the team which saw them spend big.

However, it remains to be seen if they have made the correct decision by not deciding to retain skipper Gautam Gambhir.

KKR will surely stay alert for a few pacers, but the salary purse remains a major concern with only a little over Rs 7 crore left to add six players to the minimum squad quota of 18.

Squad so far: Sunil Narine (retained 12.5 crore), Andre Russell (retained 8.5), Mitchell Starc (9.4 c), Chris Lynn (9.6 c), Dinesh Karthik (7.4 c), Robin Uthappa (6.4 c), Piyush Chawala (4.2 c), Kuldeep Yadav (5.8 c), Shubman Gill (1.8 c), Ishank Jaggi (20 Lakh), Kamlesh Nagarkotti (3.2 c), Nitish Rana (3.4 c)

Budget left in purse: 7.6 crore

RTM cards remaining: 0

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

RR sent a strong message when they swooped in IPL 2016 most expensive player Ben Stokes for Rs 12.5 crores, shelling out the highest amount so far. They followed that up with the addition of Ajinkya Rahane for Rs 4 crore.

Big Bash League stars D'Arcy Short, Jofra Archer were brought in along with batsman Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler. With a lot of money still left in the bank, the Royal Blues will have a good look to the squad and know the areas they need to strengthen, particularly the spin department.

Squad so far: Steve Smith (retained 12.5 crore), Ben Stokes (12.5 c), Ajinkya Rahane (4 c), Stuart Binny (50 Lakh), Sanju Samson (8 c), Jos Buttler (4.4 c), Rahul Tripathi (3.4 c), D'Arcy Short (4 c), Jofra Archer (7.2 c)

Budget left in purse: 23.5 crore

RTM cards remaining: 2

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP)

KXIP retained nine players on Day 1 of the auctions and weren’t surprised of the price tag matched by their opponents. But at the end of the day, they got in big Indian players such as R Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair and KL Rahul.
Aaron Finch was a good buy for Rs 6.2 crore while decisions to use RTMs for Marcus Stoinis and David Miller will fill the middle order.

A few quality pacers will be on the lookout with a lot of cash still left in the bank.

Squad so far: Axar Patel (retained 12.5 crore), R Ashwin (7.6 c), Yuvraj Singh (2 c), Karun Nair (5.6 c), KL Rahul (11 c), David Miller (3 c), Aaron Finch (6.2 c), Marcus Stoinis (6.2 c), Mayank Agarwal (1 c), Ankit Rajpoot (3 c)

Budget left in purse: 21.9 crore

RTM cards remaining: 1 left (can be only capped Indian and uncapped players)

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Having built a reputation as one of the best bowling sides, SRH signalled their intentions right away adding six pacers. Afghan sensation Rashid Khan was retained by the Sun Group-owned side while Shakib Al Hasan was an impressive pick at Rs. 2 crores.

They shelled a lot of amount strengthening the middle-order with Manish Pandey (their most expensive buy) and Wriddhiman Saha coming at a Rs. 5 crore.
With a final day to go, a batting all-rounder could come in handy for the two-time winners.

Squad so far: David Warner (retained 12.5 c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (retained 8.5 c), Shikhar Dhawan (5.2 c), Shakib Al Hasan (2 c), Kane Williamson (3 c), Manish Pandey (11 c), Carlos Brathwaite (2 c), Yusuf Pathan (1.9 c), Wriddhiman Saha (5 c), Rashid Khan (9 c), Ricky Bhui (20 Lakh), Deepak Hooda (3.6 c), Siddarth Kaul (3.8 c), T Natarajan (40 Lakh), Basil Thampi (95 Lakh), Khaleel Ahmed (3 c)

Budget left in purse: 8 crore

RTM cards remaining: 0