IPL 2021 Auction: A look at purse left with teams ahead of the mini-auction

Only a few hours left until we get to see the gavel go down. The various permutations and combinations make the IPL auction such a fascinating event for cricket fanatics. Social media platforms are inundated with hashtag #IPLAuction. The fans are seen donning the coach's hat, plotting analysis to see which player suits best the team they support. Be it mega-auction or a mini-auction, every IPL auction generates an enormous amount of excitement among the fans. 

A day before the end of the IPL retention deadline, teams released quite a few players keeping in mind their needs for the upcoming season of the IPL. While Royal Challengers Bangalore released 10 players, the KL Rahul-led KXIP were second in terms of released by letting go of 9 players. So, let us take a look at how different teams stack up ahead of the IPL auction. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB released the likes Chris Morris, Aaron Finch, Moeen Ali, Isuru Udana, Dale Steyn, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Mann, and Parthiv Patel. In addition to this, Australia's Daniel Sams and Harshal Patel were traded in from Delhi Capitals for an all-cash deal. The move means that we now head into the auction with a purse of INR 35.40 crore. 

• Purse available: Rs 35.40 crore
• Total available slots: 11
• Overseas slot remaining: 3

Chennai Super Kings

CSK have let go of some of the prominent names like Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav and Piyush Chawla among others. The yellow brigade snapped up Robin Uthappa from Rajasthan Royals in an all-cash deal. They now have a total of INR 19.90 crore to fill the remaining slots.

• Purse available: Rs 19.90 crore
• Total available slots: 6
• Overseas slots remaining: 1

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals have made some of the most surprising calls this year. They released skipper Steve Smith and have now handed over the reins to young Sanju Samson. The Royals are left with the second-best purse of INR 37.85 crore and would have a tricky task finding someone who can fill in the big boots of Steve Smith. 

• Purse available: Rs 37.85 crore
• Total available slots: 9
• Overseas slot remaining: 3

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab were quite generous with releasing players for the new season, Glenn Maxwell being the most famous name to be released. The move aimed at overhauling the squad has left them with the biggest purse ahead of the auctions. KXIP will have INR 53.2 crore to play with in the auctions.

• Purse available: Rs 53.20 crore
• Total Available slots: 9
• Overseas slot remaining: 5

Mumbai Indians

Mumbai have released seven players. The list also features the name of Lasith Malinga. The release of the Sri Lankan has brought an end to a glorious era. The franchise has also released pacers including Mitch McClenaghan, James Pattinson, and Nathan Coulter-Nile. The defending champions now have INR 15.35 crore in their kitty.

• Purse available: Rs 15.35 crore
• Total Available slots: 7
• Overseas slots remaining: 4

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad seems to have kept their core intact, releasing names like Sanjay Yadav, Bavanaka Sandeep, and Billy Stanlake. They have one of the smallest purses with ₹10.75 crore which they will use to fill the quota of two domestic and one overseas player. 

• Purse available: Rs 10.75 crore
• Total available slots: 3
• Overseas slots remaining: 1

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR too have released just five players in Tom Banton, Chris Green, Nikhil Naik, Siddharth M and Siddhesh Lad. The two-time champions will have ₹10.75 crore to buy eight more players this season.

• Purse available: Rs 10.75 crore
• Total available slots: 8
• Overseas slots remaining: 2

Delhi Capitals

The runners-up from the last season have the third-lowest purse available ahead of the auctions. Having released players like Alex Carey and Jason Roy, DC are left with ₹13.4 crore to play their trick at the auction table.

• Purse available: Rs 13.4 crore
• Total available slots: 8
• Overseas slots remaining: 3

As many as 292 cricketers will be up for grabs on 18 February in Chennai. The Auction event will begin from 3:00 PM (IST) onwards.