On December 19 at Dubai, some franchises had a great outing at the 2024 IPL auction. Some others, not quite.

Chennai Super Kings – 9

Chennai paid next to nothing for Shardul Thakur (INR 4 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (INR 2 crore), and Rachin Ravindra (INR 1.5 crore). The first two will be part of their plan on the slow, low Chepauk surface, while during the World Cup, Ravindra demonstrated that he could bat well anywhere in India, and can send down a few overs. As a result, they could splurge INR 14 crore on Daryl Mitchell and INR 8.4 crore on young Sameer Rizvi. At this point, a team with no flaw.

Delhi Capitals – 5

Delhi went into the auction with a long tail for their potential starting XI, something they did not rectify. They got Harry Brook for only INR 4 crore, but at least two of their picks – Jhye Richardson (INR 5 crore, when they have Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, and several Indian pacers) and Shai Hope (only INR 75 lakh but with little Twenty20 credentials) – were questionable. Opting for Hope ahead of Phil Salt seems bizarre, more so because they emerged with INR 9.9 crore in the purse.

Gujarat Titans – 8.5

Gujarat went for Mitchell Starc but had to settle for Spencer Johnson, whose Twenty20 career has barely taken off. At the same time, they made some excellent acquisitions in Umesh Yadav (INR 5.8 crore), Azmatullah Omarzai (INR 50 lakh), Shahrukh Khan (INR 7.4 crore), and Kartik Tyagi (INR 60 lakh).

Kolkata Knight Riders – 6

Kolkata stole the limelight with Starc’s INR 24.75 crore acquisition. Whether it will come off can be debated, but they got backup for Starc (Gus Atkinson, INR 1 crore) and Sunil Narine (Mujeeb Ur Rahman, INR 2 crore). They lose points for picking KS Bharat (whose Twenty20 numbers make sorry reading) as their lone Indian wicketkeeper even when they had a couple of slots left. They may have to back Rahmanullah Gurbaz even in failure.

Lucknow Super Giants – 8

Lucknow love their all-rounders, and this time they got Shivam Mavi (INR 6.4 crore) in the line-up. At INR 2.4 crore, the TNPL-hardened left-arm spinner M Siddharth was an excellent acquisition as well.

Mumbai Indians – 7.5

Mumbai probably got one overseas fast bowler too many – Gerald Coetzee (INR 5 crore), Dilshan Madushanka (INR 4.6 crore), Nuwan Thushara (INR 4.8 crore) to back Jasprit Bumrah and Jason Behrendorff – and their spin attack looks a bit thin. However, a strong Indian unit will allow them to address that by getting Mohammad Nabi (INR 1.5 crore).

Punjab Kings – 7.5

A difficult team to assess, for they have neither many big names nor specific weak links. Harshal Patel (INR 11.75 crore) and Rilee Rossouw (INR 8 crore) may seem expensive, but Punjab did have a surplus of INR 4.15 crore. The inadvertent purchase of Shashank Singh (INR 2o lakh) may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Rajasthan Royals – 5

Rajasthan played the 2023 IPL with Riyan Parag as the closest thing to an all-rounder. They will go into the 2024 IPL with the same. It is a curious approach for a side that could have fit three more cricketers in the squad.

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 3

Bangalore probably had the worst auction of them all. Faf du Plessis, Cam Green, and Glenn Maxwell are their sure starters, but they picked up Alzarri Joseph (INR 11.5 crore), Tom Curran (INR 1.5 crore), and Lockie Ferguson (INR 2 crore) when they already had Reece Topley in the squad. The spin attack will be too dependent on Karn Sharma.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – 9

Hyderabad’s performance at the auction matched Chennai’s. They made the ‘steal bargain’ of the auction (Wanindu Hasaranga for INR 1.5 crore), which freed them up to chase Pat Cummins (INR 20.5 crore). With Travis Head (INR 6.8 crore) also in the squad, they have got every base covered ahead of the IPL.

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