OPINION
Follow UsGujarat Titans – Devon Conway and Mahipal Lomror
At the top of the table, you would expect Gujarat Titans to not have a whole lot of weakness, right? Yeah, right. Gujarat are at the top of the table as multiple pieces of their puzzle have clicked all at once. But despite all this, it is evident that there are certain aspects that they could improve via the mid-season transfers.
The first name we suggest is Devon Conway. In the wake of Jason Roy’s absence, Gujarat’s hands were tied to only playing Matthew Wade before the Australian was dropped for Wriddhiman Saha. Now neither have a high ceiling in the shortest format.
In that case, bringing in someone like Devon Conway, who warms the bench for Chennai Super Kings will kill multiple birds with one stone. Conway can open, can keep, and most importantly is a left-hander. Another possible suitor for the Titans would be Mahipal Lomror, considering their struggle to find a No.3. Lomror is an all-rounder that would be ideal for the Gujarat setup, considering their weakness against spin.
Lucknow Super Giants – Jason Behrendorff
Lucknow Super Giants possibly had the best IPL Auction amongst all the ten teams. But if there is one reinforcement that the franchise would love to have – a left-arm powerplay bowler. Mohsin Khan did ever so well against Mumbai but having an overseas bowler like Jason Behrendorff would only strengthen a team like Lucknow.
Behrendorff has scalped 68 of his 106 wickets in the powerplay. If ever at all the Lucknow needed a reinforcement, it would be someone of Behrendorff’s stature.
Delhi Capitals – Tim David, Kartik Tyagi
Delhi Capitals had a weird auction, they picked many players but none are really offering them any sort of real solution to their middle-order woes. Rovman Powell was earmarked to be a destructive force but the results have not come through. There is one better alternative for Delhi, a player that has been underutilized by his franchise, Tim David.
At the death, Delhi have a strike rate of 181.2 at 10.9 RR but the numbers are skewed owing to the boost that they received from the clash against Rajasthan. Tim David at the death, scores at a strike rate of 180, scoring a boundary every 4.3 deliveries. He is the perfect solution against pace, which is currently Delhi’s weak suit.
Another area where Delhi have struggled in Anrich Nortje’s absence is their pace department, which is why they could bring in someone like Kartik Tyagi. The Sunrisers’ pacer could solve multiple issues for the franchise, in the powerplay, middle overs, and at the death.
Sunrisers Hyderabad – KC Cariappa
Since Marco Jansen was drafted into the playing XI, Sunrisers Hyderabad are possibly one of the strongest well-rounded units in the competition. Despite all of that, there is one area of reinforcement that they would love to have: a mystery bowler after failing to retain Rashid Khan. This year’s competition has seen as many as three of these kinds of bowlers. Chennai have been rewarded immensely for drafting Maheesh Theekshana. In the dearth of such bowlers, Sunrisers could possibly benefit by bringing in KC Cariappa, who stands next to no chance of featuring for Rajasthan Royals in the presence of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Punjab Kings – Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mohammed Nabi
Rajasthan and Punjab share a common worry – the lack of balance. The lack of a quality all-rounder at No.6 and 7 has really put Punjab in a lot of trouble. That’s exactly where they could get the help of U-19-star Rajvardhan Hangargekar. Don’t they already have Raj Angad Bawa? They do but unfortunately, the latter isn’t in the best shape of his life. Plus, the fact that his game is suited to the longer formats goes against the franchise’s ideology.
Having someone like Hangargekar, who can bowl 140+ and at the same time, hit some lusty blows is what Punjab need. It could also give them the luxury to drop Odean Smith for an extra batter, possibly in the form of Bhanuka Rajapaksa. The other option for the Kings – is Mohammed Nabi.
Nabi bowls in the powerplay, bowls spin, will complement the aggressive Rahul Chahar and at the same time, has unreal strength against pace at the death. It is one area of weakness for the Kings, which could be solved with ease.
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Yashasvi Jaiswal
There are multiple reasons for that, a) he’s an opener, b) Jaiswal is a left-hander, and c) he would compliment Faf du Plessis with ease. Jaiswal is a powerplay basher, we have seen that multiple times in the past with the Royals, including that game where he trashed CSK. So, having someone who starts bang in the powerplay would help RCB, considering that Faf is a slow-starter (81.8).
Mumbai Indians – Sid Kaul, David Willey, Rishi Dhawan
0-8, Mumbai Indians are a gift that keeps on giving, don’t they? Mumbai have multiple issues, including not having the right balance, a paper-thin lower order, and too much pressure on Jasprit Bumrah to be the strike-bowler. That’s where the duo of David Willey and Sid Kaul would come as saviours for the franchise.
In Willey, Mumbai not only have a bowler who can swing the ball in the powerplay but also brings enough potential to bowl at the death. Not just that, the English all-rounder could also serve as a good pinch-hitter, considering how Mumbai have struggled at the top of the order. It would also lengthen their batting, which right now is one of the weakest in the tournament.
Kaul would be a solution to Mumbai’s multiple problems, the Punjab pacer is a proven wicket-taker, with a tendency to strike whenever and wherever in the innings. Mumbai have not struck enough in the middle-overs and the death to put the opposition under pressure. Rishi Dhawan is another name that would suit Mumbai.
Not only is the Himachal Pradesh all-rounder aware of the team culture but also would bring about the balance, giving Mumbai a sixth bowling option, a good one too.
Chennai Super Kings – Sandeep Sharma, Chetan Sakariya, Lungi Ngidi
CSK would be happy to welcome back Lungi Ngidi. In the absence of pacers, Ngidi would walk in the franchise as the first name on the board. And the fact that he has a plethora of variations only strengthens his case for the franchise.
If not, CSK could make moves for Sandeep Sharma and Chetan Sakariya. In the absence of Deepak Chahar, CSK’s powerplay bowling has taken a hit. Sandeep has picked up 53 powerplay wickets, at an ER of 6.9, two things that CSK would welcome with open arms. The fact that he could also bowl at the death makes him a no-brainer.
If not the two, Chetan Sakariya would be a perfect package for Chennai. Chennai’s love for left-arm seamers is well-known. Sakariya will offer something that CSK have not had in years, since Sam Curran’s injury. It is fairly straightforward.
Kolkata Knight Riders – Finn Allen, Ishan Porel, Evin Lewis
“If you can’t change a man, change the man,” Brendon McCullum made this phrase popular in the IPL. With the franchise struggling to find firepower at the top of the order, adding the likes of Finn Allen and Evin Lewis into the mix would make a lot of sense.
In T20s since 2020, Lewis strikes at 146 in the powerplay, scoring a boundary every 4.1 deliveries, making him the fourth-best opener in the time frame. While Lewis is a left-hander might be a worry but his fire-power is such that the weakness is barely felt. The way he was influential for Lucknow earlier this season would be more than enough reasons to welcome him.
Finn Allen isn’t far behind. Yes, he isn’t a proven commodity but his strike of 190 is level above the best. In the powerplay, the right-hander scores a boundary every 3.1 deliveries, something that KKR badly need. Now pair the two with Ishan Porel, who can be influential with the ball, KKR might have a balanced playing XI.
Rajasthan Royals – Sanjay Yadav, Chamika Karunaratne, Romario Shepherd
Rajasthan’s first XI is strong. But it has its fair share of struggle. The batting is paper-thin, with Riyan Parag at No.6 and Ravichandran Ashwin at No.7, which is a tough thing in T20s. So, in order to strengthen their batting and bowling, Rajasthan could welcome the Mumbai Indians spinner Sanjay Yadav.
Not only is the Tamil Nadu man strong against spin but also brings handy overs to the table, which would help the franchise. The other two names that are on our suggestion: are Chamika Karunaratne and Romario Shepherd. Both have similar profiles, great bowlers with the ability to smash the ball a long way.
Rajasthan have a dearth of finishers, with Parag not contributing as much and much of the headache is on Shimron Hetmyer. So, having Karunaratne and Shepherd in the squad might help to fix the balance.
(Only handful players on this list have played more than one IPL game for their franchise this season)
