IPL 2024 Auction: Players that every franchise can target at mini-auction

Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises have announced the list of players retained and released. There is still a chance to make a few other trades. IPL mini-auction will take place on December 19, 2023, in Dubai and teams have been delivered a list of players that would be up for grabs. Now it is up to the franchises to declare who they are interested in with 77 slots to be filled.

Here we are discussing the auction strategy each franchise can employ two weeks from now.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

The #IPLAuction table awaits 👀⌛️ pic.twitter.com/3pVu3J77qH

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) November 28, 2023

SRH have released Harry Brrok before the mini-auction. They can buy a new player against him but at a lower price. Having spent Rs 13.25 crore on him in auction last year, they failed to get the most out of him in a forgettable campaign.

Sunrisers Hyderabad team heavily depends on the combination of Aiden Markram Gleen Phillips, and Heinrich Klassen for their runs and needs others to step in. With 3 overseas slots available and Rs 34 crore in the bank, it does make sense to give Harry Brrok another chance.

SRH required a massive overhaul to overturn a dreadful season where they won just 4 games. They have the money to spend at the mi-auction and can go after the players they desperately need. They have released Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein indicating they might look for a spinner and Afghanistan’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman is one they can go after, former bowler Mohammed Nabi is also a choice.

With middle-order batters struggling in IPL 2023, SRH need reinforcement in that department. Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra are options they can use. Another role they need is the opening slot. As it stands, Abhishek Sharma and Mayank Agarwal are the only two options. Enter, Travis Head, maybe?

Chennai Super Kings

CSK released Ben Stokes, due to knee surgery and they retired Ambati Rayudu from the Gujarat Titans. Other releases are Dwaine Pretorious and Kyle Jamieson. They have to replace the important players Rayudu and Stokes in the mini-auction.

Some of the players CSK can target are Manish Pandey, Alzarri Joseph, Josh Hazlewood, Shahrukh Khan, Karun Nair, and Pat Cummins. Aussie World Cup players can be interesting inclusions with plenty of experience at the top level.

Tamil Nadu batter Shahrukh Khan would be a smart and obvious choice considering he hails from the home place. Manish Pandey could well be at the top of CSK’s ‘must get’ list as a substitute for Rayudu. Pandey is a composed batter and can forge partnerships.

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Presenting RCB’s #ClassOf2024 – RETAINED PLAYERS LIST

Faf du Plessis
Virat Kohli
Glenn Maxwell
Mohammed Siraj
Dinesh Karthik
Rajat Patidar
Reece Topley
Will Jacks
Suyash Prabhudessai
Anuj Rawat
Mahipal Lomror
Manoj Bhandage
Karn Sharma
Mayank Dagar
Vyshak Vijaykumar… pic.twitter.com/kO5F3g9IPK

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) November 26, 2023

RCB released Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, and Wanindu Hasaranga. In all, RCB let go of 11 players. Meanwhile, they have bought Cameron Green from MI in a trade ahead of the mini-auction.

With a purse of Rs 23.25 crore and six positions to fill including 3 overseas, RCB have sufficient money in the bank to make one or two big signings. RCB needs a power hitter and Shahrukh Khan can be a great choice after being released by Punjab Kings. Aman Hakim can be another choice who is released by Delhi Capitals. RCB can get him without breaking the bank either.

South Africa’s Gerald Coetzee can be the best replacement for Hazlewood. Even though they have released Hasaranga, they can buy Sri Lanka spinner at a lower price. If not, there is another option to get Adil Rashid. The former SRH bowler can be another interesting long-term choice.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Knights of Eden 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/IfdvkousQO

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) November 26, 2023

KKR is one of the most involved franchises in mini-auction after releasing the most players before the deadline. Reduced to 13 players, KKR has a firesale of players under the mentorship of Gautam Gambhir. They have released 12 players including 6 overseas ones.

With a Rs 32.7 crore purse, KKR will go for big players. Travis Head can be one option after giving an impressive performance in the ODI World Cup final match. Additionally, he brings in off-spin bowling abilities to highlight him.

Shahrukh Khan is another aim for them as they have Rinku Sign. After releasing David Wiese and Shardul Thakur, KKR needs a backup for injury-prone Andre Russell. Azmatullah Omarzai is the best pick for that position.

With KKR releasing six seamers, they need multiple options. A quality fast bowler with experience would be top of the chart and Josh Hazlewood fits that bill perfectly. Also presenting an option for the fast-bowling department is Kartik Tyagi who may become a long-term investment.

Gujarat Titans

We’re auction ready 💪🏽#AavaDe pic.twitter.com/cbuwubtlUo

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) November 30, 2023

IPL 2023 runners-up have a huge gap to fill after trading captain Hardik Pandya to MI. GT have Rs 38.15 crore remaining in the purse to fill 8 slots. Dasun Shanaka, Shivam Mavi, Odean Smith and Alzarri Joseph are some of the key players released.

GT has been stellar in the two seasons due to their reliable finishers like David Miller, Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia but with the Pandya trade, they need someone who can replace him. Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Sai Sudharshan and Vijay Shankar are all useful but have an IPL strike rate of less than 140.

GT can target Travis Head, Harry Brook, and Finn Allen as batters who can attack the opposition. The team may also buy a keeper alongside Saha with Shashank Sign and Luvnith Sisodia.

Mumbai Indians

𝗢𝗨𝗥 𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗦𝗧🌟𝗥𝗦!

Read more: https://t.co/GooXOrFmjG#OneFamily #MumbaiIndians #MumbaiMeriJaan pic.twitter.com/fgvGY1rFOO

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 26, 2023

Mumbai Indians have already made two important moves in the trade window. They are Romario Shepherd from LSG and Hardik Pandya from GT. MI also moved Cameron GReen to RCB. In terms of players released, England’s Jofra Archer is a big one owing to a long injury layoff.

With a Rs 17.75 crore purse, they need to fill 8 slots. They, however, could play bold for one slot and conservative for a couple more. MI may target overseas bowlers/allrounders at the mini-auction. This opens the door for Coetzee who had a stellar performance in the World Cup.

Wanindu Hasaranga, on the road to recovery, was released by RCB. If fit, he could be a neat addition to the spin bowling department with the ability to bat at eight or nine. Bangladesh’s Mujeeb Ur Rahman is reportedly the only Bangladesh player to register at the elevated base price of Rs 2 crore. A star in global T20 leagues, the spinner could be an option if Hasaranga doesn’t work out. Interestingly, MI can also make the most of the opportunity to sign MI Cape Town players Beuran Hendricks and George Linde.

Rajasthan Royals

You and Yuzi bhai are now looking at our retained Royals for 2024. 🔥💗 pic.twitter.com/vRJ7HppfPm

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) November 26, 2023

RR had a close finish in contention for playoffs last season. They would choose better options this time. They have released 9 players and retained 16. There has been one trade with Avesh Khan coming in as Devdutt Padikkal went the other way to LSG.
With a squad of 17 players, RR have at most eight gaps to fill and three in the overseas category. They don’t have the big bucks to spend though with Rs 14.5 crore remaining.

RR have released some big names in the form of Joe Root and Jason Holder. The team has a strong top-order of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Samson but struggles in the middle. With Padikkal leaving, a middle-order choice becomes blatantly obvious. Harry Brook, Daryl Mitchell, Steve Smith, Rovman Powell and Shahrukh Khan are some choices. One more gap is in the medium-pace department and someone like Chris Woakes would be useful.

Lucknow Super Giants

Getting ready for 2024! 👊 pic.twitter.com/5f8CPytSA0

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) November 26, 2023

LSG has been to the playoffs in 2 seasons but has not been able to win the trophy. They would be aiming for someone special to elevate their performances when it matters most. They have retained 19 players. They have 6 remaining slots including 2 overseas with a purse of 13.15 crore.

LSG brought in Devdutt Padikkal to bolster their batting and sent Avesh Khan to Rajasthan Royals as part of the trade. Also exiting the franchise was Romario Shepherd (joining MI).

Karun Nair and Jaydev Unadkat are two of the biggest names to be released by LSG. Daryl Mitchell and Shakib Al Hasan are choices to strengthen the middle order. LSG only have one strong spinner in their midst in the form of Ravi Bishnoi. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Wanindu Hasaranga could be useful additions in that department.

Delhi Capitals

They’re ready to take the field for us in #IPL2024. Who’ll join them next? ✨#IPLRetention pic.twitter.com/h3MRyfthxE

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) November 27, 2023

DC have released 11 payers from the squad including Rovman Powell and Rilee Rossouw. Out of 11, 3 are bowlers and 8 are batters which highlights where they will be focused during the mini-auction. They have 9 slots to fill, 4 of them are overseas. They have Rs 28.95 crore to spend on at least two players to meet the IPL squad criteria.

Punjab Kings

They’re here to 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐑, they’re here to 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄! 🔥#SherSquad, presenting to you our retained 🦁s for #IPL2024. ⚡#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/kpriAhYI4v

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) November 29, 2023

Punjab Kings have retained 17 players ahead of the mini-auction which means they have space for a maximum of eight players including two overseas. Among released players, Shahrukh Khan is the most glaring choice.

With Rs 29.1 crore remaining in the purse, PBKS have the money to make a splash. Among the players retained, Shikhar Dhawan might be past his best while Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone have not been consistent. With two overseas slots remaining, they could fill one with Harry Brook of England.