The $100M game: how IPL teams will spend the big bucks

At the IPL auction on Saturday, a lot of study and analysis will come to the board as player go under the hammer and the bookies are already drawing up the odds.

This weekend will see the return of Chennai Superkings and Rajasthan Royals to the IPL draft. But, who will they pick. Who will be their star players? Big money is up for spending, and has to be spent wisely as teams hope to score big. This year, again, there will be only eight teams. The Gujarat Lions and Pune Rising Super Giants have not been given an extension to participate in this year’s IPL.

Here are some highlights of the spending:

• Chennai Super Kings.

Money spent: Rs 33 crore

Money left: Rs. 47 crore

Star Players: M S Dhoni, R Ashwin, Suresh Raina

Players they may want: Dwayne Bravo

• Delhi Daredevils.

Money spent: Rs 33 crore

Money left: Rs 47 crore

Star Players: Chris Morris, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant.

Players they may want: Lungi Ngidi and Carlos Brathwaite

• Kings XI Punjab.

Money spent: Rs 12.5 crore

Money left: Rs 67.5 crore

Star Players: Axar Patel

Players they may want: Glen Maxwell, Hashim Hamla and David Miller

• Kolkata Knight Riders.

Money spent: Rs 21 crore

Money left: Rs 59 crore

Star Players: Sunil Narine, Andre Russell

Players they may want: Umesh Yadav and Yusuf Pathan

• Mumbai Indians.

Money spent: Rs 33 crore

Money left: Rs 47 crore

Star Players: Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya

Players they may want: Y Chahal, K Pollard

• Rajasthan Royals.

Money spent: Rs 12.5 crore

Money left: Rs 67.5 crore

Star Players: Steve Smith

Players they may want: Ben Stokes

• Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Money spent: Rs 31 crore

Money left: Rs 49 crore

Star Players: Virat Kohli, Sarfraz, A B deVilliers

Players they may want: Chris Gayle, Kagiso Rabada, Ewin Lewis

• Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Money spent: Rs 21 crore

Money left: Rs 59 crore

Star Players: David Warner and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar

Players they may want: Joe Root

All selections will go through the analytics team, which will guide each team’s selectors to pick the champion squad. It is all dollars, but one must remember that it is all numbers and figures. In the end we are all averages, and talent is what makes analysts go after the right combination through numbers. Welcome to the Moneyball.