IPL auctions 2016: Rating the squads for Indian Premier League 2016
We are all set for the 9thedition of the IPL with the successful completion of the 2016 players auction. While the 6 existing franchises used the opportunity to strengthen their squads further, the 2 new ones concentrated on forming a healthy nucleus of players for their first ever Indian Premier League.Also Read:IPL 2016 Teams and full players listThe Gujarat Lions and the Rising Pune Supergiants started the auction with just 5 players in their respective teams, but they walked out of it with full squads. The other franchises, meanwhile, filled the voids created by the players released by them with some fresh picks.It was a surprise that the INR 10 crore-barrier was not breached, even though Shane Watson came quite close to doing it with an INR 9.5 crore deal with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. The most expensive man in IPL history, Yuvraj Singh, couldnt quite meet his own standards despite signing with Sunrisers Hyderabad for a lucrative INR 7 crore.With the squads for the 2016 IPL having been finalized, we look to rate them according to how good they look, at least on paper.Also read: IPL 2016 Schedule, complete Time Table, Match Timings, PDF download
#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore - 9/10
The best top three in T20s world over would be playing for RCB.
SQUAD FOR IPL 2016
Retained Players: Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Mitchell Starc, David Wiese, Sreenath Aravind, Varun Aaron, Kedar Jadhav, Mandeep Singh, Adam Milne, Sarfaraz Khan, Harshal Patel, Abu Nechim, Yuzvendra Chahal
New Buys: Shane Watson, Stuart Binny, Kane Richardson, Samuel Badree, Travis Head, Praveen Dubey, Vikramjeet Malik, Iqbal Abdulla, Akshay Karnewar, Vikas Tokas, Sachin Baby
Team Intro: Having retained most of their core team members from the 2015 IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore used the auction to boost the squad. RCB had put up a very decent performance in the previous edition as they finished 3rd in the group stage and crashed out only in Qualifier 2. They have reached close to winning the title on a few occasions but failed and will be looking to set the record straight this time.
STRENGTHS
Big Four: The Big Three – Kohli, Gayle and de Villiers – have now become the Big Four with the inclusion of Watson, who has been one of the top players in IPL history.
Spinners galore: RCB have invested in spinners at the auction so that the likes of Chahal get some much-needed support. From leg spinners to left-arm spinners to even ambidextrous spinners, they have them all.
Stronger Indian group: Royal Challengers Bangalore already had a good core of Indian players and they have done well to rope in some good local players.
WEAKNESSES
Less Backup for Biggies: There is a lack of players who could do the cover up job in case one or more of the top players fail. At least, a couple of more strong foreign players could have been the ideal remedy.
FINAL VERDICT
Things are looking good for RCB and they could be in line for their first piece of silverware.