What the IPL auction holds for franchises

Player retentions revealed their thinking; now team owners have to make the most of what remains in the purse

- Sumit Chakraberty

The Indian Premier League (IPL) laid out a level playing field through player auctions from the very outset in 2008. Every team has a fixed purse, ensuring that the richest franchises cannot dominate the league simply by buying the best players. Rather, it rewards the smartest franchises who deploy their purses wisely.

The purse is ₹120 crore for each of the 10 teams to be formed in the triennial mega auction on 24-25 November in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Each franchise has been allowed to retain a maximum of six players, with their purses debited accordingly before the auction. Now we await the unfolding of their auction strategies.

MUMBAI INDIANS LOOKING FOR BOWLERS

Jasprit Bumrah is the only specialist bowler among the five players retained by the Ambani-owned franchise that finished last in IPL 2024. It's a tacit acknowledgement that Mumbai Indians (MI) messed up their bowling lineup after 2020, the last time they won the title. With Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Hardik Pandya forming the backbone of the batting, MI can focus on acquiring bowlers to back Bumrah, with ₹45 crore left in the purse.

Trent Boult, released by Rajasthan Royals (RR), may rejoin MI. After becoming New Zealand's highest wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup, the 35-year-old Kiwi retired from international cricket. But he can still be lethal with the new ball. Jofra Archer, who let MI down by pulling out in the last IPL, is also back in the auction.

PUNJAB KINGS' TOTAL REVAMP