(Cricket news) With the IPL mega auction coming up, let us take a look at what Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore need to do in the auction to win their first IPL trophy and break the trophy drought.
1) Delhi Capitals
Retained: Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Anrich Nortje
The DC management did a wonderful job in the last auction as they purchased a plethora of talent and that is the reason why they have been one of the most consistent sides over the last three years. They go into the IPL mega auction with a purse of 47.5 crores. They have the lowest budget among all the teams and subsequently need to fill out 21 slots out of which seven are overseas slots. The DC camp might just go all in for Shikar Dhawan as he has scored 1726 runs in the last three years scoring 12 fifties and two hundreds in the meantime. If they can buy him back, he can fill a big part of that core given his experience of playing in the IPL. Dhawan can provide the much needed calmness and help Rishabh Pant in his captaincy.
One thing Delhi Capital needs to focus on is to buy an Indian fast bowler as they have plenty of options to pick from. The DC management might just target Prasidh Krishna especially after his wonderful start to his international career, they could also target Avesh Khan after his wonderful IPL season he had last year.
2) Punjab Kings
Retained: Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh
Punjab have retained the least amount of players and will enter the IPL auction with the largest purse amongst any other teams. The PBKS management will have to target a potential captain to lead this side and finally help this team reach the playoffs. The Punjab franchise over the years have been the most inconsistent side and need to have a good auction to stand any chance in making the playoffs. The Kings need to break their bank on David Warner as not only will he provide the much needed runs up to but also lead the side from the front and use his captain winning experience in the squad.
Steve Smith is most likely going to be low on the radar, especially in T20 cricket and this is a golden opportunity for a team like Punjab to get him as he can be a great candidate for the captaincy role. The Kings can also target Lockie Ferguson as the New Zealand fast bowler has express pace that can rattle the batters and has been impressive in the matches he has played for KKR. Punjab should look to get this player into the team and provide that extra injection of pace that this side has lacked over the years.
Also read: IPL: Here's what CSK, KKR and MI need to do in the auction
3) Royal Challengers Bangalore
Retained: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj
RCB is one more franchise that is in need of a captain after Virat Kohli decided to step down. They too might bid heavily for Shreyas Iyer or David Warner as potential candidates but according to rumours the RCB management want to go all out for Jason Holder and there is an outside possibility that the West Indian all rounder might be their new captain. Holder over the years has become the best all rounder in the world and with his captaincy experience he might be a value for money buy. The other area of focus should be getting a fast bowler who can hit the deck with his pace and a player like Pat Cummins might just fit the bill as he not only brings an abundance of experience but since the T20 World Cup he has been in exceptional form as he will look to bring the same form in the ipl
"For Holder, they have reserved ₹12 crore and another ₹8 crore for Rayudu and ₹7 crore for Parag. If they spend ₹27 crore approximately on these players, they would have another ₹28 crore left. The core with Kohli, Maxwell, Siraj, Holder, Rayudu and Parag will be set. Let's hope they can get two out of the preferred three," a source said.
