Which teams do you think had a good IPL auction? And which teams have a better squad than in IPL 2020? Take a look and decide.
Chennai Super Kings
What they needed: Top-order overseas batsman, batting allrounder, fingerspinner
Who they targeted: CSK got into an intense bidding with RCB for Glenn Maxwell, but backed out when RCB bid INR 14.25 crore. Their big buys ended up being two allrounders who bowl offspin as well: Moeen Ali and K Gowtham
The players they got: K Gowtham, Moeen Ali, Cheteshwar Pujara, K Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth, M Harisankar Reddy
Gaps filled: They got allrounders who bowl fingerspin. An overseas top-order batsman wasn't picked, though Moeen Ali doubles up as a potential opener. They also added in C Hari Nishanth, who partnered N Jagadeesan at the top of the order for Tamil Nadu in their victorious 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign.
More on CSK's IPL 2021 squad.
Delhi Capitals
What they needed: A second wicketkeeper and a batting allrounder
Who they targeted: Steven Smith was surprisingly Delhi Capitals' first buy at the auction. They got Umesh Yadav for INR 1 crore and spent the most on Tom Curran, who was bought for INR 5.25 crore. Sam Billings was their other overseas pick.
The players they got: Tom Curran, Steven Smith, Sam Billings, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddharth
Gaps filled: They got wicketkeeping options as cover for Rishabh Pant, in Sam Billings and Vishnu Vinod. Umesh Yadav and Tom Curran add to their pace-bowling stocks but they didn't get a batting allrounder as a back-up for Marcus Stoinis.
More on DC's IPL 2021 squad.
Kolkata Knight Riders
What they needed: Back-ups for Sunil Narine and Andre Russell
Who they targeted: Due to their small purse, KKR couldn't out-bid other franchises on the allrounders they were going for. They tried getting Glenn Maxwell, K Gowtham and Daniel Christian but failed in those attempts. They did manage to buy Shakib Al Hasan early on in the auction and also bought Ben Cutting. The experienced Harbhajan Singh joins their spin contingent.
The players they got: Shakib Al Hasan, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Karun Nair, Pawan Negi, Sheldon Jackson, Venkatesh Iyer, Vaibhav Arora
Gaps filled: While KKR may not have got their first-choice picks in the auction, they have decent all-round options in Shakib Al Hasan and Ben Cutting as cover for Narine and Russell.
More on KKR's IPL 2021 squad.
Mumbai Indians
What they needed: Overseas fast bowlers and a back-up legspinner
Who they targeted: Chris Morris was Mumbai's main target. He would have doubled up as a death-overs batsmen and bowler. Their most expensive buy at INR 5 crore (2020 price: 8 crore) was Nathan Coulter-Nile, who they had released before the auction.
The players they got: Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Milne, Piyush Chawla, James Neesham, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, Arjun Tendulkar
Gaps filled: They got overseas fast bowlers in Coulter-Nile, Milne and young Jansen, an allrounder in Neesham, and Chawla as a back-up legspinner.
More on MI's IPL 2021 squad.
Punjab Kings
What they needed: Overseas allrounders and overseas fast bowlers
Who they targeted: Punjab went after what they needed. They lost out on Chris Morris to the Rajasthan Royals, having made a final bid of INR 16 crore. They spent big on Australian fast bowlers Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith, and were also active in the bidding for Kyle Jamieson and Moeen Ali. In Shahrukh Khan, they added an Indian finisher to their batting line-up. They also picked up overseas allrounders Moises Henriques and Fabian Allen, along with the domestic veteran Jalaj Saxena.
The players they got: Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Dawid Malan, Fabian Allen, Jalaj Saxena, Saurabh Kumar, Utkarsh Singh
Gaps filled: Punjab added allrounders and fast bowlers as required, with Dawid Malan and Khan being additions to their batting line-up.
More on PK's IPL 2021 squad.
Rajasthan Royals
What they needed: Death-bowling options and back-up for overseas stars
Who they targeted: They went all out for Chris Morris and got him at a huge price of INR 16.25 crore. They also got an Indian allrounder in Shivam Dube, and another pace-bowling option in Mustafizur Rahman.
The players they got: Chris Morris, Shivam Dube, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Liam Livingstone, Akash Singh, KC Cariappa, Kuldip Yadav
Gaps filled: Morris' addition gives the Royals the combination of a finisher and a fast bowler who can bowl at the death. His pairing with Jofra Archer would be one to watch out for in IPL 2021. In Shivam Dube, they have another option to feature in their XI, while Mustafizur could be a back-up for Archer and Morris.
More on RR's IPL 2021 squad.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
What they needed: Overseas allrounders and middle-order batsmen
Who they targeted: RCB were among the active bidders at this auction and were involved in the bidding on Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris, Jhye Richardson and Kyle Jamieson, managing to get two of them. They wanted an Indian middle-order bat in Shahrukh Khan but lost out to the Punjab Kings. They also got Dan Christian towards the end, and a couple of Indian keeper-batsmen.
The players they got: Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Christian, Sachin Baby, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Suyash Prabhudesai, KS Bharat
Gaps filled: RCB have filled gaps but a lot would be waiting to see how Maxwell and Jamieson perform in IPL 2021. They would still have to rely on their uncapped Indian batsmen to step up and deliver.
More on RCB's IPL 2021 squad.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
What they needed: An overseas fast bowler and an Indian domestic allrounder
Who they targeted: Shivam Dube and K Gowtham were their main targets. SRH went up to INR 9 crore for K Gowtham, which showed their eagerness for an Indian allrounder. However they lost out to CSK.
The players they got: Jagadeesh Suchith, Kedhar Jadhav and Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Gaps filled: They picked up an overseas spinner instead of an overseas quick due to their riches of domestic fast-bowling talent, and have an experienced Indian batsman in Kedar Jadhav, but didn't get a proper all-round option.
More on SRH's IPL 2021 squad.