The IPL Auction and Team maps
The IPL Auction and Team maps
A deep dive into how each team played last year, and the moves they made to improve.
A while back I was offered work in the PSL, and it was a last-minute thing. What I had to learn really quickly was what each team could do. And so I invented these team maps as an instant way to see what sides actually did.
They look at the six sections from each side, powerplay, middle and death, by batting and bowling. It's kind of a Sextupmat, if you will. The numbers are not averages or strike rates exactly, but more ratings for both.
On the right-hand side is the batting, and there, you want to be outside the lines. On the left is the bowling, and you want to be inside the lines. You can see just how funky these shapes can be as teams have fairly obvious strengths and weaknesses all over the place. That is what I want to show.
Last season I was planning these as exit interviews for each side, but never got around to it But now with the auction I wanted to match the maps to the choices teams made So I will start with the bottom teams and work my way up the list.
Mumbai
Mumbai spent almost all their money on one player, Cam Green. So how you feel about them will probably depend on your thoughts on him. I think he's a fairly untested player with huge upside, but who was paid way more than he is currently worth.
I have talked about him a lot before, but essentially you are paying nearly two million for a guy who has made two good innings in his entire life. Oh, and he is an all rounder, yet has also bowled 22 overs in 21 matches, for Australia he goes at nine an over. Now I think his batting should translate, eventually. Still, this year if he averages over 25 I'd consider it a huge win. Considering the price, it's as big a leap of faith as we have seen in the IPL.
Last year's powerplay batting, Rohit faced 183 balls and made 227 runs. They aren't about to dump him, so Green, if he opened - which is the only place he has ever made runs - would be given free rein. He may not open, Ishan Kishan could end up there. He was actually pretty slow last year, and the year before not much better. 2020 was his last fast-scoring year, and he only has two ever, so Green might make more sense with Ishan and Sky at three/four.
The middle might well be Green, but I would be shocked if they tried that. But in the middle that should be Ishan or Sky, Tilik Varma, Brevis or Stubbs, and David. It's not that deep, or experienced, but if two of those players catch fire simultaneously, it could be fun.
They took a buttload of wickets in the powerplay last year, but it was pretty much all two players. Jasprit Bumrah which should hold up. And Daniel Sams, who is gone. Jofra will/should take those overs. So that is cool. But it does weaken the batting. Even if Sams was miss or hit.
In a perfect world, Green steps up with the ball. And if he does, the middle overs could be his area. They could juice the wicket with pace and bounce and let Jasprit, Jofra and Cam go nuts. And they might have to, because they have no frontline spinner. Who is their best spin option in the squad, Piyush Chawla, maybe? Last year Murugan Ashwin played well for them in limited games, and he's off to the Royals. They've replaced him with fairly untested players or Chawla who has played one game in two years )and it did not go well). His last plus season was probably 2016.
If they had another young Indian quick ready to match up with the three automatic quicks, that would make more sense, but again I don't quite see that here. I actually don't understand their lineup much at this stage.
They have no go-to spinner, their second-best Indian seamer would appear to be Akash Madhwal, who has never played. They are betting all their squad improvement on Jofra's health and Green's bowling. And their seam bowling would appear to be overseas or bust, meaning they can't use as many international batters, and they also don't have great local batting depth.
It would actually be interesting to see what they can do if Green works with the bat, Jofra, Sky, Jasprit and Brevis have great years and no one else does. It's a fascinating mix. It still feels like the future is their time.
CSK
Nine players appeared in the Powerplay with the bat for CSK, even Mitchel Santner twice. It was all happening for them, and none of it was good. It came out with them making no runs, and doing it slowly. Does that mean we get Ben Stokes straight up the order, which is his best spot in the lineup, and also, they need someone to give some stability up there. Clearly that want that, they picked up Rahane.
More likely Stokes will be at three of course with Devon Conway opening.
But they fought back pretty quick in the middle, Shivam Dube really stepped up here. They smashed the ball around fast and didn't lose wickets. And so you would think that helped at the death, but they struggled.
They weren't terrible, but there is a dip there. However, if Jadeja had played all year, that would make a difference. Dhoni actually did fine at the death last year, even though it's clearly on its way down.
With the ball, they couldn't take wickets up the top. And now they have Kyle Jamieson on a fire sale. It was very optimistic when he was picked up that RCB thought he was the missing link. And the thought is with his skills he can still take wickets early on. Just swing it both ways with the new ball; surely that will work.
They can use Theekshana, Moeen and Jadeja in the middle; that's all pretty good, and the numbers agree. That has always been their strength; they play for it.
At the death, Dwayne Bravo was incredible, so his retirement is going to hurt. Especially as despite him having a great low econ year, everyone else got hammered so bad. And also, Stokes is not going to help. He's not a good death bowler.
I have no idea what is going to happen here, but I can't wait to see it. They'll probably just find more finger spin. That does appear to be their answer to everything, so Ben Stokes at the death bowling offies it is.
Sunrisers
They were terrible in the beginning last time. And I can't work out how they fixed that here, unless the plan is for Harry Brook to bat three. Or they are hoping Mayank Agarwal springs back to form. But either way, they don't have a dead certainty to fix their top order.
They were fine in the middle last time. Adding Brook and using Phillips more should explode that everywhere.
At the death it didn't explode, but they were ok. They have Heinrich Klaasen now - who may need to keep - because does Glenn Phillips even do that anymore? If he doesn't play, they really don't have a finisher. Mind you ,their batters have to go long, because of their lack of all rounders, which they didn't seem to worry about much at the auction.
Their bowling was weird last year because they had that stretch where they ran through everyone as all the bowlers found form simultaneously. And then pretty much nothing else went right. That was very powerplay dependent, they still have Bhuvi and Jansen plus Natarajan, so nothing to fix there, just hope their form holds a little longer.
In the middle was different, they didn't take many wickets, outside of Umran Malik. Everyone else struggled, so they needed more wickets. And think about Umran Malik, he is a Liam Plunkett type bowler, and so who better to pair him with than Plunkett's old partner Adil Rashid.
It makes perfect sense, however Rashid's Indian record is bowling 15 times in T20s averaging 37 and going at 8.3 an over. They chose him and Adam Zampa, and they went with Rashid. They also picked up Akeal Hosein, who I really like, but not sure he will play much.
They weren't good at the death last time, but are backing more or less the same group. Bhuvi can't do it all alone. But I suppose on paper, the combination of Bhuvi, Natarajan, Jansen or Farooqi, and hoping Umran can maybe bowl in other parts of the game. Their biggest bowling issue was taking wickets in the middle, they may feel they nailed that.
Also, they got rid of Williamson, so they need a captain, and that will be, Markram, Bhuvi, I have no idea.
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