The intense battle during the auction is expected to turn into an equally exciting contest on the field in a few months.

Here’s a look at what the teams, at their strongest, could look like.

IPL 2022 auction: Best playing XIs for the teams after the mega auction

Chennai Super Kings – CSK

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Dwayne Bravo, Rajyavardhan Hangarekar, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana

Chennai Super Kings return with a number of familiar faces in their side, aiming to make it back-to-back title wins. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad are safe options at the top, while Moeen Ali, retained after a fine campaign in 2021, could provide fireworks at three. As is often the case, a number of all-rounders will come into play for CSK during the upcoming season. The mystery bowler Maheesh Theekshana could be a strong option as the main spinner.

Delhi Capitals – DC

Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Ripal Patel, Rovman Powell, Shardul Thakur, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Chetan Sakariya

The explosive Prithvi Shaw-David Warner opening combo is certainly an eye-catching one. The likes of Mitchell Marsh, Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel can play a role with both bat and ball, while you’d expect Kuldeep Yadav and Anrich Nortje to be the mainstays among the bowlers.

Gujarat Titans – GT

Jason Roy, Shubman Gill, Abhinav Sadarangani, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya, Matthew Wade, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson

Gujarat Titans have made some interesting calls. Their top-order isn’t the strongest but they are pretty well adjusted in the all-rounder and bowling departments. Their planning looks set to be based on limiting the opposition to low totals.

Kolkata Knight Riders – KKR

Alex Hales, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer, Sheldon Jackson, Andre Russell, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders have got some old faces back, while they also opened their pockets for Shreyas Iyer, who will be central to their plans in the coming years. Alex Hales should be able to provide explosive starts at the top alongside Venkatesh Iyer. Elsewhere, they’ll bank on the experience of their two great match-winners, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell.

Lucknow Super Giants – LSG

KL Rahul, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Krunal Pandya, Jason Holder, K Gowtham, Mark Wood, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi

Lucknow Super Giants impressed during the auction, and an opening pair of KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock looks a particularly exciting one. They’ve got plenty of bases covered and should be considered as one of the favourites.

Rajasthan Royals – RR

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, Rassie van der Dussen, Jimmy Neesham, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna

The Rajasthan Royals outfit will have some known faces at the top-order while the middle-order will be boosted by the likes of Rassie van der Dussen and Jimmy Neesham. Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal will make up a strong domestic spin attack, while Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna should bring variety and lethality to their pace line-up.

Mumbai Indians – MI

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Tim David, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Fabian Allen, Jaydev Unadkat, Tymal Mills, Murugan Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah

Mumbai Indians were slow movers in the auction but have eventually been able to build a formidable outfit. While they have got Jofra Archer in for big bucks, the fast bowler won’t be around for this season. Ishan Kishan has returned to the fold, while Tim David is a canny buy in the middle order. A utility all-rounder in Fabian Allen is another smart pick.

Punjab Kings – PK

Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Ishan Porel

Punjab Kings’ auction calls have ensured that there is little to worry about in their top and middle order. At the same time, they can field an XI that has a multitude of bowling options.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – RCB

Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Josh Hazlewood

The acquisition of a couple of CSK assets has strengthened the Royal Challengers Bangalore line-up. The team’s batting is a mix of players who can hold one end and big-hitters who can blast off from the other. The side’s spin department will be led by Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – SRH

Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran, Kane Williamson, Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar, Abdul Samad, Romario Shepherd, Kartik Tyagi, J Suchith, Umran Malik

A side that took quite a few punts in its quest to re-build for the future seasons of IPL. They’ll hope newcomers like Nicholas Pooran, Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram provide impetus at the top.