Everything About The 14th IPL Edition

With the completion of the IPL 2021 auction in mid-February, BCCI is gearing up to host the 14th edition of the league in India. Ahead of the upcoming IPL edition, here’s a complete IPL guide that covers everything you need to know about IPL 2021, from schedule and venues to the strengths and weaknesses of all the eight IPL franchises. Continue reading!

Schedule of IPL 2021

As per recent reports, the 14th edition of the IPL is likely to be hosted either in mid-April or the second week of April. Although the IPL 2021 date hasn’t been released by the BCCI yet, it’s likely that the tournament will start on April 11 and the final will be played on June 6.

Venues for IPL 2021

A limited number of venues are likely to host IPL 2021, owing to the increasing threat of the coronavirus pandemic. The Bradbourne Stadium, Wankhede Stadium, and D.Y. Patil Stadium in Mumbai could be chosen to play the league stage, with the finals being expected at the Sardar Patel Stadium.

IPL 2021 Teams with their complete squad

Mumbai Indians (MI)

Ahead of the 14th edition of the IPL, Mumbai Indians made some quality additions to their squad. MI headed into the IPL 2021 auction with not much to do as they had retained most of their core players, but they did buy some back-up players.    

MI were looking for some fast bowlers and they did manage to get them in the auction. Having released ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, Mumbai Indians re-signed Australian bowling all-rounder Nathan Coulter for INR 5 crore. Also, they spent INR 3.2 crore to acquire the services of Adam Milne, who is a like-to-like replacement for James Pattison in the squad.

Mumbai Indians further strengthened their bowling lineup by roping in Indian spinner Piyush Chawla for a hefty price of INR 2.4 crore. Singing in Chawla was a shrewd move by MI as the spinner is the third-highest-wicket-taker of the IPL with 156 wickets in 164 IPL matches.

Strengths and weaknesses of Mumbai Indians

Strength: Mumbai Indian’s batting mix, which comprises the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Saurabh Tiwary, makes for a solid batting lineup for the Mumbai-based franchise. The duo of Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan also makes for a lethal top order and this is evident from their stellar performances in IPL 2020.

The Indians have a stellar all-rounders unit in the form of Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya, with James Neesham being a good back-up this year. Apart from that, they already had a good bowling department with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and the addition of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Piyush Chawla have provided them the depth.

Weakness: MI has to rely on its all-rounders to play on the number 4 spot, which makes their tail a bit weak. Also, playing Saurabh Tiwary in this position doesn’t end their problem completely.

Players released by MI

Sherfane Rutherford, Prince Balwant Rai, Lasith Malinga, Mitch McClenaghan, Digvijay Deshmukh, James Pattinson, Nathan Coulter-Nile

Players bought by MI

• Nathan Coulter-Nile – INR 5 crore
• Adam Milne – INR 3.2 crore
• Piyush Chawla – INR 2.4 crore
• James Neesham – INR 50 lakh
• Yudhvir Singh – INR 20 lakh
• Marco Jensen – INR 20 lakh
• Arjun Tendulkar – INR 20 lakh

MI final squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Dhawal Kulkarni, Aditya Tare, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Jasprit Bumrah, Jayant Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Quinton de Kock, Rahul Chahar, Suryakumar Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Trent Boult, Chris Lynn, Saurabh Tiwary, Adam Milne, Piyush Chawla, Yudhvir Charak, Marco Jansen, James Neesham, Arjun Tendulkar.

Delhi Capitals (DC)

With a budget of INR 12.8 crore, Delhi Capitals spent INR 11.25 crore to buy eight players in the IPL 2021 auction. Steve Smith was one of the most profitable buys for the Capitals as he made his way into the Capitals’ squad for INR 2.2 crore price, just 20 lakh more than his base price of INR 2 crore.

The Capitals spent INR 5.5 crore to acquire the services of all-rounder Tom Curran, with Sam Billings attracting a bid of INR 2 crore. Umesh Yadav was also picked by the franchise for INR 1 crore.

Strengths and weaknesses of Delhi Capitals

Strength: With the presence of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Steve Smith, Prithvi Shaw, and Rishabh Pant in the squad, Delhi Capitals have plenty of quality batting options. Also, the addition of Steve Smith has strengthened their batting lineup even further.

The availability of R. Ashwin makes Delhi Capitals one of the few IPL teams to have a solid spin department. With the likes of R Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Amit Mishra in the squad, the Capitals have a fantastic bowling trio for the upcoming edition of the IPL.

Weakness: Delhi Capitals lack a strong Indian pacer in their squad. While their pacer Ishant Sharma has immense experience, he tends to fall short of skills in pressure overs Also, their reliance on Avesh Khan, who lacks enough T20 experience, for their pace attack might hurt them in the time to come.

Players released by DC

Alex Carey, Jason Roy, Mohit Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Keemo Paul, Sandeep Lamichhane

Players bought by DC

• Tom Curran – INR 5.25 crore
• Steven Smith – INR 2.2 crore
• Sam Billings – INR 2 crore
• Umesh Yadav – INR 1 Crore
• Ripal Patel – INR 20 Lakh
• Vishnu Vinod – INR 20 Lakh
• Lukman Hussain Meriwala – INR 20 Lakh
• M Siddharth – INR 20 Lakh

DC final squad: Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Pravin Dubey, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Lalit Yadav, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, M Siddharth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Chennai Super Kings came into the IPL 2021 auction with a purse of INR 19.9 crores. The Three-time IPL champions picked up 6 players during the auction – 3 domestic players and 3 overseas players. 

With CSK investing INR 9.25 crore, Krishnappa Gowtham was the biggest buy of the ‘Yellow Army’. Another top buy was Moeen Ali, from whom the franchise paid a healthy sum of INR 7 crore.

Strengths and weaknesses of CSK

Strength: Under the leadership of MS Dhoni, CSK failed to deliver consistent performances in the 13th edition of the league. But considering the recent records, IPL 2021 promises something special from one of the best finishers the cricketing world has ever seen.

This year, CSK has a quality spin attack in the form of Imran Tahir and Mitchell Santner. Moreover, the presence of Dwayne Bravo means that the Chennai-based franchise has the ability to contain the opposition’s batting lineup.

Weakness: CSK’s power-hitting is a bit concerning this year. Their star player Suresh Raina missed the entire season of IPL 2020, so there will be questions over his form. Also, the retirement of Shane Watson has certainly been a blow for the Dhoni-led side.

Players released by CSK

Shane Watson (retired), Murali Vijay, Monu Kumar, Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh.

Players bought by CSK

• Krishnappa Gowtham – INR 9.25 crore.
• Moeen Ali – INR 7 crore
• Cheteshwar Pujara – INR 50 crore
• K Bhagath Varma – INR 20 lakh
• C Hari Nishaanth – INR 20 lakh 
• Harisankar Reddy – INR 20 lakh

CSK final squad: MS Dhoni (C), Suresh Raina, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Ambati Rayudu, N Jagadeesan, Faf Du Plessis, Ravi Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Josh Hazlewood, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Moeen Ali, Krishnappa Gowtham, KM Asif, Imran Tahir, R. Sai Kishore, Deepak Chahar, Harisankar Reddy, Bhagvath Varma, Cheteshwar Pujara

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

With an available salary cap of INR 10.75 crore, KKR spent INR 7.3 crore to buy 8 players in the IPL 2021 auction. Out of these eight players, five were domestic players and eight were overseas players.

With a price tag of INR 3.2 crore, Bangladeshi all-rounder Shakib-Al-Hasan was KKR’s costliest buy in the auction. KKR bought Harbhajan Singh at his base price of INR 2 crore, with Ben Cutting becoming another KKR member for his base price of INR 75 lakh.

Strengths and weaknesses of KKR

Strength: The recruitment of Shakib Al Hasan and Ben Cutting means that KKR will have lethal power-hitters in IPL 2021. Also, KKR has a good fast bowling lineup in the form of Vaibhav Arora, Nagarkoti, and Mavi.

Besides, the likes of Sunil Narine, Harbhajan Singh, and Varun Chakravarthy ensure that the Riders have a variety in their spin department this year.

Weakness: There is a dearth of quality Indian bowlers in KKR’s squad. Their lack of inexperienced fast Indian bowlers and overdependence of overseas players might lead them to experience trouble in some games.

Players released by KKR

Tom Banton, Harry Gurney, Ali Khan, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Siddhesh Lad, Chris Green

Players bought by KKR

• Shakib Al Hasan – INR 3.2 crore
• Harbhajan Singh – INR 2 crore
• Ben Cutting – INR 75 lakh
• Karun Nair – INR 50 lakh
• Pawan Negi – INR 50 lakh
• Venkatesh Iyer – INR 20 lakh
• Sheldon Jackson – INR 20 lakh
• Vaibhav Arora – INR 20 lakh

KKR final squad: Eoin Morgan, Ben Cutting, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Shakib al Hasan, Karun Nair, Sheldon Jackson, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Pawan Negi, Venkatesh Iyer, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakravarthy

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

With an available salary cap of INR 35.90 crore, RCB spent most of its budget to acquire the services of eight players – five Indian players and three overseas players.

Glenn Maxwell and Kyle Jamieson were the biggest two buys for RCB, with the franchise spending INR 16.25 crore and INR 15 crore to acquire their services respectively. Also, RCB roped in Dan Christian for the price of INR 4.80 crore.

Strengths and weaknesses of RCB

Strength: RCB has an excellent top order in the form of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, and Devdutt Padikkal. Also, with the procurement of Kyle Jamieson, RCB seems to have addressed their issue of bowling in death overs this year.

Moreover, the availability of Dan Chrisitan and Glenn Maxwell ensures that the Kohli-led side has an abundance of quality all-rounders.

Weakness: With RCB releasing Aaron Finch ahead of the IPL 2021 auction, the franchise has limited its options of opening alongside Devdutt Padikkal. Also, RCB needs to strengthen up it’s middle and lower, and their newly acquired players may not completely fill in the gap.

Players released by RCB

Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, Shivam Dube, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Parthiv Patel, Umesh Yadav, Dale Steyn

Players bought by RCB

• Kyle Jamieson – INR 15 crore
• Glenn Maxwell – INR 14.25 crore
• Dan Christian – INR 4.8 crore
• Sachin Baby – INR 20 lakh
• Rajat Patidar – INR 20 lakh
• Mohammed Azharudeen – INR 20 lakh
• Suyash Prabhudesai – INR 20 lakh
• Kona Srikar Bharat – 20 Lakh

RCB final squad: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, Joshua Phillipe, Pavan Deshpande, Shahbaz Ahmed, Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Sachin Baby, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rajat Patidar, Kona Srikar Bharat, Mohammed Azharudeen, Suyash Prabhudesai.

Punjab Kings (PK)

With a maximum budget of INR 53.20 crore, Punjab Kings spent INR 47.90 crore to buy 9 players in the IPL 2021 mini-auction. Attracting a bid of INR 14 crore, Australian pacer Jhye Richardson was Punjab’s costliest buy in the auction.

Other notable picks by the KL Rahul-led side were Riley Meredith and Dawid Malan who were bought by the franchise for INR 8 crore and INR 1.5 crore respectively. Punjab Kings further went to strengthen their all-rounders’ department by acquiring the services of Shahrukh Khan for INR 5.5 crores.

Strengths and weaknesses of PK

Strength: Punjab Kings have a good set of opening batsmen, and their last three-year stats are evident of the fact. Also, the recruitment of Dawid Malan means Punjab has a good all-rounders department as well.

Weakness: The Indian bowlers in Punjab’s squad tend to lack enough T20 experience, which might prove a liability for the side in difficult times.

Players released by PK

Glenn Maxwell, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Karun Nair, Hardus Viljoen, Jagadeesha Suchith, Sheldon Cottrell, Jimmy Neesham, Tajinder Singh, Krishnappa Gowtham.

Players bought by PK

• Jhye Richardson – INR 14 crore
• Riley Meredith – INR 8 crore
• Shahrukh Khan – INR 5.25 crore
• Moises Henriques – INR 4.2 crore
• Dawid Malan – INR 1.5 crore
• Fabian Allen – INR 75 lakh
• Jalaj Saxena – INR 30 lakh
• Saurabh Kumar – INR 20 lakh
• Utkarsh Singh – INR 20 lakh

PK final squad: KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Dawid Malan, Fabian Allen, Jalaj Saxena, Saurabh Kumar, Utkarsh Singh.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

With Sunrisers Hyderabad retaining most of their crucial players, they had the least salary cap of INR 10.75 crore in the IPL 2021 auction. The Sunrisers spent INR 3.8 crore to acquire the services of three players.

SRH roped in Kedar Jadhav for his base price of INR 2 crore, with Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman attracting a bid of INR 1.5 crore. Jagadeesha Suchith was the third pick for the David Warner-led franchise for INR 30 lakh.

Strengths and weaknesses of SRH

Strength: Sunrisers Hyderabad has one of the most lethal opening pairs that come with the potential of destroying the bowling lineup of any franchise. The duo of David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha/Jonny Bairstow gives a good start to their side in most IPL games.

SRH also has a good middle order in the form of Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey. Moreover, with the addition of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, there is no shortage of good spinners in Hyderabad’s squad.

Weakness: Despite having a good set of middle-order batsmen, many of SRH’s players seem to lack IPL experience. Also, the Sunrisers don’t have a big name in their set of finishers, which might cause an issue in challenging situations.

Players released by SRH

Sanjay Yadav, B Sandeep, Billy Stanlake, Fabian Allen, Yarra Prithviraj

 Players bought by SRH

• Kedar Jadhav – INR 2 crore
• Mujeeb-ur-Rahman – INR 1.5 crore
• J Suchith – INR 30 lakh

SRH final squad: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Abhishek Sharma, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Shahbaz Nadeem, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, T Natarajan, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, Virat Singh, Abdul Samad, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Priyam Garg, Mitchell Marsh, Jason Holder, Jagadeesha Suchith

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

With an available salary cap of INR 34.85 crore, Rajasthan Royals bought 8 players in the IPL 2021 auction after spending INR 24.20 crore. With RR spending INR 16.25 crore, Chris Morris became the costliest-ever player IN IPL 2021 auction.

Shivam Dube attracted a bid price of INR 4.4 crore for Rajasthan Royals. The franchise invested INR 1 crore to pick Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman in their team. In total, Rajasthan purchased 5 domestic players and 3 overseas players in the auction.

Strengths and weaknesses of RR

Strength: With the likes of Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler, Rajasthan Royals has a good set of overseas players this year. Also, the recruitment of promising youngsters such as Kuldip Yadav and Shivam Dube have bolstered up their batting as well as bowling departments.

Weakness: Although RR has a good set of overseas all-rounders, their Indian all-rounders like Riyan Parag and Mahipal Lomror haven’t performed quite well so far. Also, the lack of experience of their left-arm spinning department could be a challenge for the side.

Players released by RR

Steve Smith, Akash Singh, Varun Aaron, Ankit Rajpoot, Oshane Thomas, Tom Curran, Anirudha Joshi, Shashank Singh.

Players bought by RR

• Christopher Morris – INR 16.25 crore
• Shivam Dube – INR 4.4 crore
• Chetan Sakariya – INR 1.2 crore
• Mustafizur Rahman – INR 1 crore
• Liam Livingstone – INR 75 lakh
• K.C Cariappa – INR 20 lakh
• Akash Singh – INR 20 lakh
• Kuldip Yadav – INR 20 lakh

RR final squad: Sanju Samson, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Ben Stokes, Christopher Morris, Shivam Dube, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Liam Livingstone, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia, Anuj Rawat, Kartik Tyagi, David Miller, Andrew Tye, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Robin Uthappa, Jaydev Unadkat, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Singh, Kuldip Yadav, K.C Cariappa

IPL 2021: An overview

 IPL 2021: FAQs

Will IPL 2021 happen?

Yes. As per recent reports by BCCI, the 14th edition of the IPL is likely to be hosted either in mid-April or the second week of April.

Will there be 10 teams in IPL 2021?

No, IPL 2021 will be played with the current eight franchises. The 10-team IPL will take place from IPL 2022.

Who is the No. 1 batsman in IPL?

With 5878 runs to his name, Virat Kohli is the most successful IPL batsman so far.

Which are the most dangerous batsmen in IPL?

Given his ability to hit the ball all around the ground, AB De Villiers is arguably the most dangerous batsman in the IPL.

Who is the most successful IPL captain?

Having led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles, Rohit Sharma is the most successful captain in IPL history.

Who is the highest wicket-taker in IPL?

With 170 scalps to his name, Lasith Malinga is the highest wicket-taker in the history of the league.