Almost every IPL team has considerably strengthened their squad before the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League. Plenty of top players were retained while some were shockingly released as well, before the teams splashed out a mammoth combined sum on the auction night.
The highly awaited auction night for the 2020 IPL season was held in December 2019 in Kolkata. Typical drama unfolded as every franchise strengthened their squads after months of meticulous planning and strategizing their priorities.
Overseas Stars Attract Huge Bids
A total of 62 players were bought at the auction by the 8 franchises, including 29 overseas players, for a combine total of a whopping Rs. 140 crores. The most expensive player in the auction was Australian pacer Pat Cummins, who was purchased for a mammoth sum of Rs. 15.5 crores by the Kolkata Knight Riders after one of the most intense bidding wars in IPL auction history. Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, nicknamed “The Big Show” for his big hitting exploits, again earned a big move to Kings XI Punjab, who paid Rs. 10.75 crores for his services.
While the Aussies earned big as always, the Caribbeans were not too far behind either. Left arm pacer Sheldon Cottrel, famous for his army march wicket celebration, fetched Rs. 8.50 crores, again from Kings XI Punjab while the Delhi Capitals splashed out on destructive batsman Shimron Hetmeyer, paying Rs. 7.75 crores on him to make him their most expensive signing this season.
The captains of two of the most influential cricket playing nations, Aaron Finch and Eoin Morgan also earned big moves to the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.
Overall, every franchise strengthened considerably and we cannot wait to see how these teams shape up and perform in the upcoming IPL season. In this article we will go through all 8 teams in the IPL and analyze their auction and squad details, strengths, weaknesses and give a betting prediction for how the team will perform. For all type of IPL betting we always recommend LeoVegas.
Table of content:
- Delhi Capitals Players List (DC)
- Rajasthan Royals Players List (RR)
- Kings XI Punjab Players List (KXIP)
- Chennai Super Kings Players List (CSK)
- Sunrisers Hyderabad Players List (SRH)
- Royal Challengers Bangalore Players List (RCB)
- Mumbai Indians Players List (MI)
- Kolkata Knight Riders Players List (KKR)
Delhi Capitals
Perennial underachievers Delhi Capitals are still searching for their first ever IPL title. They are the only team in the IPL to have never reached the final, and would really like to change that no-so-flattering stat. The introduction of new owners saw the franchise being renamed as Delhi Capitals, and an aggressive auction in 2019 led them to the playoffs for the first time in 7 years, signaling a new era for one of the worst performing teams in the league.
Auction And Squad Details
The Capitals were already in a strong position before the auction began, as they retained the core members of their Indian contingent – Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma and captain Shreyas Iyer among others. They also retained one of the best bowlers in the league in Kagiso Rabada.
However, they still went all guns blazing and bought some impressive names at the auction to create a formidable squad capable of challenging for the title. The biggest purchase was of Caribbean big-hitter Shimron Hetmeyer, who can be a gamechanger in the middle order. Another impressive purchase was that of the 2019 Big Bash Player of the season Marcus Stoinis, one of the best allrounders in the world.
Strengths
- The batting top-order of the Delhi Capitals is one of the strongest in the league. Though Jason Roy will be a big miss, they have plenty of options for openers. Shikhar Dhawan is an IPL legend on his own, while Prithvi Shaw is one of the best young talents. Marcus Stoinis was devastating as a opener in the Big Bash league while Ajinkya Rahane can also add some much needed steel and experience.
- The evolution of Shreyas Iyer as one of India’s most consistent limited-overs batsmen bodes well for Delhi. The skipper is a brilliant middle order option who can accelerate at will as well as provide stability.
- The Spin Attack – the combination of 2 of the most experienced spinners in the IPL in Ashwin and Mishra is Delhi’s secret weapon.
- World Class Coach – Ricky Ponting is one of the best cricketers to have ever played the sport, and is now turning into an equally adept coach. He has completely transformed the erstwhile struggling Delhi side and confidence is high that he can lead them to their first title.
Weaknesses
- Delhi Capital lack a big hitting bowling all-rounder in the mould of Andre Russel and Dwayne Bravo. Chris Woakes would have been ideal but he has already pulled out of the tournament and has been replaced by Nortje, who is a fast bowler. They have also lost Chris Morris who was perfect for this role, and may struggle to replicate what he did for them.
IPL 2020 Prediction
The Delhi Capitals are looking like a solid unit this time around and should aim to reach their first ever final. They reached the playoffs last season and will be looking to go one step further this time. The Indian core coupled with big name overseas players should ensure they finish strongly this season.