IPL 2023 Pre-Auction Analysis
The time is here!
The IPL 2023 mini-auction takes place tomorrow (Friday, 23rd December 2022) so now is as good a time as any for an in-depth analysis of the general marketplace, chances of players getting picked up plus thorough analysis of each team.
Obviously I couldn’t do this ahead of the mega auction given my commitments with Punjab Kings, but sadly the franchise have gone in another direction so I’m unattached for this auction. I guess PBKS loss is Substack and Twitter’s gain!
If you haven’t already checked it out, I’d also definitely recommend the show I recorded with cricket.com - two hours of IPL pre-auction chat! That’s available here.
Points of Order
Moving on, a quick point of order, or three.
First up, I won’t reply to any comments on social media about player x offering brand value, or people somehow defending a player being recruited for that reason. Quite simply, it doesn’t benefit a team’s expected success to pick players for branding reasons - all it does it help the owner’s profits. It’s just such a weird thing for supporters to defend, and I’m bored of it.
Secondly, player pool dynamics. Almost as boring is how ex-players don’t understand the supply and demand of the marketplace. One area where this dynamic is particularly prevalent is overseas spinners, because IPL teams are reluctant to use an overseas spot on one. So, before you tweet ‘I can’t believe Adil Rashid didn't get an IPL contract’, think twice. Overseas, one-skill batters (e.g. those who don’t keep or bowl) also struggle to attract bidding wars. There’s only 30 overseas slots available, so it’s far from easy for whoever your favourite player is to get a deal!
Also, I see plenty of people complaining about the high base prices for English players. Simple explanation - it’s because they have to rebate their county contract while they are away, so they need to set a high base price otherwise they’ll make a loss in the tournament.
Further marketplace dynamics
The marketplace is plentiful for some skillsets and scarce for others. If you want a domestic anchor batter, you have your pick of tons. If you want an all-rounder who genuinely adds value with both bat and ball, then there’s not many at all. The same goes for death bowlers, particularly at mini auction where even fewer high quality players are available.
This is what causes these random bidding wars which always grab the attention at auction. It’s how Chris Morris, for example, sold for 16.25 Cr several years ago. It’s not that the player is necessarily worth that much, but when 10 teams all want the same player, it’s carnage. It’s no different to an art auction for example - if 10 collectors all want the same piece in an auction, it’s going to sell for far more than the guide price. Throw in a few egos as well, and it’s not difficult to see why teams struggle to avoid raising their paddle consistently.
Recency bias, as always, is likely to play a big part. For example, I can see Narayan Jagadeesan being the beneficiary of multiple bids despite having previously shown a pretty limited ceiling at this level. Jaydev Unadkat would be another example - a player who has generally struggled in the IPL but has done well domestically of late. Generally speaking, I’d prefer to invest in high potential young players instead, who have a less limited ceiling and remember - career turnarounds don’t happen that often for players in their late 20s or early 30s.
Analysis of the players in the first two sets
You can’t win an auction in the early sets, but you can go a long way to losing it. Teams who go too heavy lack spending power for later rounds, while teams who are too cautious early on could find their options constrained for certain skillsets. It’s a tough balancing act. Generally, bidding set 1 is a little more cautious than in set 2, and given the names in each set this time around, I can see that dynamic continuing.
The first thing that many people don’t always realise is that the players in each set don’t get auctioned in order that is on the list. The order on the player list is first sorted by set order, and then alphabetically by player in each set. So, for example, Mayank Agarwal, is top of set 1 but it doesn't mean he will be the first player to be auctioned - each set has a random draw which will be done by the people in charge of the auction. This draw order can affect so much, particularly for skillsets which are more scarce than others. For example, in set 2, I think Jason Holder and Odean Smith will get bigger bids if they are drawn late in the set as opposed to the start, because at the end of set 2 there will be 5+ teams still needing to fight over an all-rounder, but if they are drawn at the start of set 2, teams will be waiting for a chance to bid on Sam Curran, Ben Stokes and Cameron Green instead.
Here are some thoughts on the players featuring in the first two sets.
Set 1 - Capped Batters
Mayank Agarwal - has an excellent chance of being the highest-priced domestic player in the auction. While he had a disappointing 2022, he has long-term pedigree, isn’t particularly old, and has captaincy experience. Also one of the better Indian batters against spin. Let’s also not forget he was a 14 Cr player last year, and while that is unlikely to be replicated, Agarwal could quite conceivably pick up around half of that. A lot of teams need quality domestic batters, and he should be in demand.
Harry Brook - has burst onto the scene across multiple formats in the last 12-18 months, and is one of the most exciting young batters in the world. If Brook can address a slight vulnerability to the ball turning away from him early in his innings in T20, he could achieve anything. However, that has to be tempered with the fact that one-skilled batters don’t tend to sell for much. I think he will get bids but won’t go for huge money.
Ajinkya Rahane - Veteran Indian batter who has been released by KKR. His performances last year don’t inspire, and in an efficient market, there’s a pretty decent chance he goes unsold. However, IPL teams seem to overvalue reputation/experience more than they should, so a base price sale can’t be ruled out.
Joe Root - Over the last few years, Root has rarely made himself available for the IPL, so this year marks a big chance for the former England captain. The problem for Root is that teams are starting to become more aware that recruiting overseas anchor batters doesn’t really make any sense, given you can find an 80/90% version of whoever they are for base price in the domestic market and then use overseas slots on potential match-winners or players from scarcer skillsets. Wouldn’t shock me if Root went unsold.
Rilee Rossouw - Several teams have people on their table who rate Rossouw (I’m thinking of Lucknow and RCB immediately) and I’d pick him up ahead of Root if I was forced to go with one of the two. However, Rossouw could be yet another victim of the one-skilled overseas batter issue, and it’s debatable as to whether he will attract any bids, despite being an accomplished left-hander.
Kane Williamson - I think the overwhelming majority of people who know anything about cricket would have felt Williamson retained at 14Cr by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of last year’s mega auction was terrible business by SRH, and so it proved. Williamson’s level in the format since that retention has been pretty mediocre, and in an efficient market, it’s tough to see him attract bids. However, some teams might value him as a captaincy option (which I think would be a mistake, as overseas captains tend to produce more problems than they solve if they can’t justify a place in the team on performance), so it’s difficult to be sure one way or the other on Williamson. Although I don’t think he should, I can see him going for 3-4 Cr on Friday.
Set 2 - Capped All-Rounders
Sam Curran - I said during the World Cup that Curran will be the highest-priced player in this auction, and I don’t see anything which changes my point of view. Just simply has skills which teams love - left-handed batting, left-arm bowling, massively improved hitting and death bowling. Some people think he will go for 20 Cr but I would be amazed - but Morris’ 16.25 Cr record could be under threat.
Cameron Green - Another all-rounder who many are tipping up to be sold for big prices, despite not having had much of a track record in his domestic T20 competition. However, he has done superbly for Australia (particularly opening the batting) when called upon, but is far more unproven, and therefore more of a gamble at big prices than the likes of Curran. Will definitely be sold, and probably for plenty, but I think his bowling could get exposed at this high level and I’d be surprised if he represented good value for money when we look back at this auction.
Shakib al Hasan - Has struggled to get big contracts in recent years and likely to still do so, although recency bias (Test ton vs India) might help. In my view, needs to improve his hitting markedly to become more of an asset to teams - still amazed that a team thought he would be a good T10 player.
Jason Holder - Will definitely get picked up as one of the better bowling all-rounders in the auction, although price will depend a lot on his draw order in set 2. Could be anything from 5Cr upwards depending on that draw order, might be a lot higher if he’s one of the last to be auctioned.
Sikandar Raza - This is where my viewpoint varies a lot from a lot of other people. I know people really want Raza to be picked and some properly rate him but a 36 year old off-spinning all-rounder from an associate nation isn’t likely to be in huge demand. This will all depend, though, on whether teams do their homework properly & filter out his performances against mediocre opposition - far from a given though. Prediction - unsold or base price, perhaps after returning for the accelerated part of the auction.
Odean Smith - Was in big demand last year and still remains an all-rounder with a really high ceiling. Anyone who has seen Smith play T10 can see how brutal his batting can be, but his bowling is still a work in progress and I’m surprised how many teams haven’t worked out he’s just a middle over option at this stage of his career. Any team buying him (and there will be a few interested for sure) should see him as a player who can contribute a bit now, but also buying him for what he can become.
Ben Stokes - The World Cup ensured Stokes will be hot property at this auction, although his T20 record (and IPL record too) in recent years is far from spectacular. I don’t really view him as a four-over bowler in the format, and his T20 batting against spin in particular looks constrained. On this basis, I view Stokes as a gamble and certainly so at the price he’s likely to be sold for. Can see PBKS going for him with Bayliss as head coach. Will easily be sold for 10+ Cr.
Which overseas players might go unsold?
Here are some thoughts about some overseas players who many are tipping up for deals or big contracts, but who I think will struggle to get deals or go for much.
Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Sikandar Raza, Adil Rashid, Tabraiz Shamsi, Adam Zampa, Rassie van Der Dussen. I saw a few mentions on various websites/social media of players like Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka and Taskin Ahmed too - in an efficient marketplace, those three have no chance in my view.
Overseas players who might pick up a deal
Conversely, there are some players who, if teams are smart, might represent good value for money and/or an investment in the future.
Jhye Richardson - after some injury issues has started the BBL well and at his peak, would go for big money at auction as we’ve seen before. Can also be a lower-order hitter. Potentially worth taking a punt on given that high ceiling which we’ve seen before.
Will Jacks - I’m not convinced about Jacks’ bowling at the highest level but teams might see his six wickets in the recent Test vs Pakistan and be influenced. However, I am convinced about Jacks’ brutal hitting and future potential with the bat, and as an off-spinning batting all-rounder, I’d far rather take Jacks than Joe Root.
Will Smeed - Has just gone white-ball only in county cricket and is already with Mumbai Indians for the ILT20. First player to score a hundred in The Hundred (Jacks was the second days later) and has similarly brutal hitting to Jacks, and is much younger as well. Huge future potential as a white ball superstar.
Donovan Ferreira - A few people might not have heard of Ferreira but I’m sure they will after the South Africa T20 in a couple of months time. A devastating lower-order hitter/finisher who can also bowl some off spin but features in one of the uncapped wicket-keeper sets - the South African Glenn Phillips?
Naveen-ul-Haq - I’ve worked with Nav for a couple of years when I was at Leicestershire and he’s an exceptional talent. Has put on 5kph in the last year and even though he took fewer wickets in the Blast in 2022, was in my view a better bowler this year than last. Devastating chance of pace and full of tricks, and an intelligent guy who has a photographic memory for batters. IPL teams seem to keep a close eye on T10 for their recruitment and he was magnificent in that tournament recently as well. Still amazed he didn’t play regularly in the World Cup.
Josh Little - When Little first broke on the scene I wasn’t sure about how good he was, but he’s proven me wrong with his rapid improvement this year in particular. Left-arm pacers are always in demand, particularly those who can be 2/2 Powerplay/death over operators, although after his recent comments, perhaps CSK will be reticent to raise their paddle!
Rehan Ahmed - Yes, we know that overseas spinners don’t tend to be in favour much with IPL teams but with Rehan, you get his batting as well, he drops nothing in the field and you’re investing in his future potential as a world-class superstar. Worked with Jayawardene at Southern Brave so MI could be interested. Recency bias is also likely to be in his favour.
Now, it’s time to have a brief look at the teams and see what they might be thinking ahead of the auction.
Chennai Super Kings
Where did they do well in 2022?
Middle overs with the ball (7.72 economy, 21 balls per wicket, 12.73% boundaries conceded). Should continue to be the case now they have fortress Chepauk back as their home venue, too.
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Pedestrian Powerplay batting - 117 SR, plus 2nd worst death over (17-20) SR in the tournament (162). Struggled in the Powerplay with the ball without Deepak Chahar (8.10 economy). Death bowling - economy of 11.41 rated 2nd worst in the comp.
Major Releases
Bravo, Jordan, Uthappa (retired), Milne. Not surprised about those except for Milne who, if injury free, is world-class and wasn’t expensive already.
What type of players do they need?
Based on the release list and Powerplay/Death issues last season, definitely several potential 2/2 Powerplay/death pacers. Josh Little could have been an option, although his relationship with CSK might not be there now. Maybe also a bowler who can bat - wouldn’t be shocked if they picked up David Wiese, he’d be a very CSK type signing.
With one of the bigger purses, can see CSK going for one of the marquee all-rounders in set 2, although they may get outbid for Sam Curran, who would surely be their number one target having played for the franchise previously. May have to compromise with Jason Holder instead.
Delhi Capitals
Where did they do well in 2022?
High batting intent against opposition pacers - overall SR of 149 was 2nd highest in the tournament, as was their 22.03% boundary-hitting.
Also, Powerplay batting (31/144) was impressive.
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Struggled to maintain batting impetus after the Powerplay - middle overs 25/128 one of the lower phase performances in the comp.
28 balls per wicket bowling in the Powerplay tells a story of a team lacking incisiveness in the early phase of opposition innings, while middle overs was tough too (8.49 economy, 17.02% boundaries conceded).
Major Releases
KS Bharat - he might be in demand with a couple of other franchises who need a domestic keeper. Shardul Thakur was traded to KKR.
What type of players do they need?
Evidently from their weaker areas listed, bowling reinforcement. Potentially a high quality wrist spinner and a 2/2 pacer. These don’t really exist in the domestic market though, so they may have to reconsider their overseas combos and leave out Marsh/Powell to improve their bowling options - that would be what I’d do, anyway.
Gujurat Titans
Where did they do well in 2022?
Very high batting stability - best overall of all teams by far (23 balls per dismissal). Particularly strong stability vs opposition spinners, while their 27 BPD in each of the Powerplay and middle overs allowed them to post competitive totals and try and push at the death.
Strong boundary prevention with the ball and their death economy (9.6) was the best in the tournament by a mile.
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Batting intent - one of the lowest team boundary percentages. Standard trade-off with that increased stability already noted.
Lacked particular intent vs spin - 125 SR with just 13% boundaries.
Won a lot of matches via fine margins - unlikely to be consistently reproduced.
Major Releases
Lockie Ferguson/Rahmanullah Gurbaz (both traded to KKR). Jason Roy, Dominic Drakes.
What type of players do they need?
With Gurbaz/Roy gone, you’d think they’d be after an overseas opener or overseas batter. Harry Brook, Will Smeed? Or if their stability is something they have deliberately tried to achieve, could this be the team for Joe Root? Maybe a keeper/batter to compete with Matthew Wade - Phil Salt?
They’ll also need a death bowler to cover the loss of Ferguson, with the likes of Adam Milne, Tymal Mills or Jhye Richardson potentials there. Could they be one of the teams drawn into a battle for Jaydev Unadkat?
Kolkata Knight Riders
Where did they do well in 2022?
High middle overs intent (139 SR) - the best in the tournament by a fair distance.
Boundary prevention in the Powerplay when bowling (second best in tournament), and similar dynamic in middle overs also.
Where did they do badly in 2022?
General stability - Bazball didn’t work for their batting group last season. Struggled badly vs opposition pacers (133 SR, 15 balls per dismissal) while they had a similar BPD vs spin, albeit with a strong 138 SR which was best in the comp vs spin.
Powerplay batting - 18.7 BPD, 114 SR isn’t good at all.
Death hitting - the lack of stability came back to bite them with fewer wickets left in hand.
Death bowling - 11.35 economy, 25.4% boundaries conceded says it all.
Major Releases
Pat Cummins, Shivam Mavi, Sam Billings, Aaron Finch, Alex Hales, Ajinkya Rahane. They’ve bought in Ferguson/Gurbaz from GT, and Shardul Thakur from DC pre-auction. Gurbaz is a bargain, I don’t mind Ferguson even at a fairly high price, but Thakur looks very over-priced at 10.75 Cr.
What type of players do they need?
A lot of new players - they have 11 slots (3 overseas). They struggled with opener and wicket-keeper combos last year, so Gurbaz is already a nod to those issues, although they might be tempted to bring one other in also - Phil Salt overseas, Bharat/Azharudeen from the domestic market?
Need a lot of proven quality pace bowling also, even with the trades, and ideally a back-up for the injury-prone and ageing Andre Russell. Tough to do all that with only 7.05 Cr budget though!
Lucknow Super Giants
Where did they do well in 2022?
Very strong non-boundary run production.
30/133 in middle overs and 180 SR at the death was best in comp.
Very strong middle over bowling (25/7.8)
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Batting intent - one of the lowest team boundary percentages in the tournament.
Struggled with boundary prevention - only MI and SRH conceded a higher percentage. Big issue in Powerplay in particular (22% conceded).
Poor batting in Powerplay (25/116)
Major Releases
Jason Holder, Manish Pandey, Dushmantha Chameera, Evin Lewis, Andrew Tye.
What type of players do they need?
Overseas pacer and an all-rounder look logical given that there’s a clear gap at seven in the absence of Holder, and the release of two overseas pacers in Chameera and Tye. With 23.35 Cr in their purse, could be one of the challengers for the big-name all-rounders in set 2.
I’d also expect them to look at a domestic batter at number three or four following the release of Pandey - could they look to get Mayank Agarwal?
Mumbai Indians
Where did they do well in 2022?
Death hitting - only LSG had a higher strike rate in the last four overs.
Powerplay bowling - 7.65 economy, 22.91 balls per wicket one of the better numbers in the comp.
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Worst overall team strike rate and boundary percentage
131 SR was the worst vs opposition pace in the tournament, and that came with a poor 15.1 balls per dismissal too.
Powerplay batting - very cautious at 116 SR in the first six overs.
Lacked middle over intent - 121 SR, 13.2% boundaries.
Middle overs bowling - no premium spinner - 32.71/8.88 an indictment of that
Major Releases
Kieron Pollard, Daniel Sams, M Ashwin, Tymal Mills, Jaydev Unadkat, Riley Meredith, Fabian Allen, Mayank Markande
What type of players do they need?
Having let both domestic leg spinners go, and those shocking middle overs numbers last season, they surely will need to go down that route at some stage. However, there’s not much to choose from, and it wouldn’t shock me if they were tempted by the overseas market in that skillset instead. MI appeared to look to go with the future in mind in the last mega auction so Rehan Ahmed could be a surprise pick there.
A lot of people think they’ll look to replace Pollard with a batting all-rounder but they already have Tim David and Tristan Stubbs to play the finisher role which Pollard took for so long - I don’t think it will be a priority.
They also let go plenty of quicks although will be hoping for a fully fit Jofra Archer to make up for that. A great plan, but there’s no guarantees there. Back-up for him I think is critical. Someone like Jhye Richardson or Adam Milne.
MI’s main other issue this season is how they get more productivity out of Rohit Sharma, who is costing them plenty without an abundance of runs at a high strike rate. I’ve said in the past that they will have to make a tough decision on him, and they’ve swerved that to date.
Punjab Kings
Where did they do well in 2022?
Batting intent - second highest boundary % behind DC
Pace-hitting - 151 SR vs opposition pace was highest in the comp, hitting almost 23% boundaries
Powerplay hitting - equal highest SR with DC
Powerplay bowling - 22.91/7.86 is pretty decent, only GT, MI and RR managed to beat that
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Spin-hitting - just 108 SR vs opposition spin, and 17.44 Balls per Dismissal makes for miserable reading
Middle overs stability - a nod to those spin issues
Death hitting - knock-on effect from the above
Middle overs bowling - 8.56 economy with very poor non-boundary run concession
Major Releases
Mayank Agarwal, Odean Smith
What type of players do they need?
I don’t know what the new PBKS think-tank will be thinking ahead of the auction, but I just hope they stick to the high intent identity we tried to create last auction. I felt that a few fine margins was all that cost Punjab in the 2022 season and the fact that they had a net boundary percentage in excess of 1% shows they were pretty unfortunate not to qualify.
With one or two astute additions, they should be able to push further up the table in 2023. Recruiting a strong middle order player of spin, ideally domestically, makes sense, although I’m not sure one exists without taking a gamble. Perhaps trusting Prabhsimran Singh or Atharva Taide would be a better long-term plan.
That way PBKS can go all out for Sam Curran and deny other teams the English all-rounder, who would help with the bombardment of SLA/wrist spin likely, being a LHB, and bringing his bowling skills to the team as well. I’m not sure it gets better for four overseas than Bairstow, Livingstone, Curran and Rabada with the excellent Nathan Ellis as back-up.
Rajasthan Royals
Where did they do well in 2022?
Batting intent - third highest boundary % behind DC & PBKS
Strong stability at almost 21 BPD - but influenced by Buttler’s stellar season
Performed well vs opposition pacers, SR 140/BP 21%
High spin stability without the negative SR tradeoff
Attacked Powerplay with the bat - only DC/PBKS had higher PP SRs
Strong death overs - 174 SR
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Not that much on the pitch, but they could have been vulnerable to opposition teams front loading their quality bowlers and looking to target a lengthy tail.
Overseas recruitment - their last four overseas picks came right at the end and seemed pretty random and mostly just squad fillers. They’ve been released now so they need to improve on that thought process, in my view.
Major Releases
Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell
What type of players do they need?
The main gap for me looks like a high quality overseas pacer. With a potential XI of something like:-
Jaiswal, Buttler, Padikkal, Samson, Hetmyer, Parag, Ashwin, Boult, Krishna, Chahal and one overseas pacer.
Their 13.2 Cr is one of the lowest purses ahead of the auction, so it will be interesting to see how active they are in the early sets - they could test the water a bit early but mainly wait until set 4 (capped fast bowlers) to get involved.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Where did they do well in 2022?
Superb middle overs bowling (23/7.8)
For a team which qualified, they didn’t excel particularly in other areas - with a negative net boundary percentage, were they fortunate to do so?
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Batting intent - one of the lowest team boundary percentages
22/125 vs opposition spin - not great
27/109 in Powerplay shows lack of firepower/lack of early over intent
Bowling leaked almost 21% boundaries in Powerplay
11.25 death economy not impressive at all
Major Releases
Sherfane Rutherford
What type of players do they need?
In my view, they have a big batting hole in the middle order which will be even worse if Glenn Maxwell fails to recover in time from his broken leg. Given this, I’d anticipate RCB looking to shore up this with domestic batters in those 3-6 batting order roles. The problem is, they only have 8.75 Cr to do so, which would make it tough to pick up, say, Mayank Agarwal. They may have to downgrade their expectations to someone like KS Bharat or Manish Pandey.
Another batting issue - Du Plessis/Kohli as an opening duo looks very vulnerable to early spin from opposition - could Finn Allen come in at some point?
They’re also likely to look to find a bowling option from that top six, with their 8-11 looking well established. So, a domestic batter who bowls - there aren’t many of starting XI quality out there, especially with RCB’s lowly budget.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Where did they do well in 2022?
Stability against opposition spinners (31/129)
Related - strong middle over performance (34/136)
Where did they do badly in 2022?
Boundary hitting - second lowest in tournament - a traditional SRH problem
Worst team economy in the comp by a long way - also highest boundary % conceded
Powerplay intent - woeful 109 SR in that phase
Death hitting - 4th worst in tournament despite their other phases laying the platform
Middle overs bowling - 32/8.6 - the loss of Rashid Khan hit them hard
Death economy - 11.48 was worst in the tournament
Major Releases
Kane Williamson, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Sean Abbott, Shreyas Gopal
What type of players do they need?
SRH enter the auction with 42.25 Cr, the biggest pot by some distance, after finally realising that Kane Williamson isn’t worth 14 Cr. This should give them a big edge on Friday (to use a poker term, they can bully with a big stack) but their auction performance in 2022 fails to give confidence that they will be able to take advantage of it.
This will be head coach Brian Lara’s first ever head coach job so it will be interesting to see how well they have prepared. Their first target, as ever with SRH, should be finding some intent merchants who can up their typically pedestrian style of batting. In 2022, this was a particular problem in the Powerplay, so let’s see who they target. English players make sense, given their generally high intent mentality (Salt, Smeed, Brook etc). Based on SRH’s recent auctions, they’ll probably end up with Joe Root instead.
By hook or by crook, they need a high quality leg spinner. Thinking they could replace Rashid Khan with Shreyas Gopal was a really bizarre strategy (they should have just gone all out for Wanindu Hasaranga instead) last year, but with the better spinners coming in the overseas market, maybe they’ll be a team to push for a Zampa/Rashid type piece of recruitment. Or, with the West Indian connection, left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein.
They also have to hugely reinforce their pace bowling stocks, particularly with regards to death bowling. It’s an area where they struggled last year, and their current pre-auction group doesn’t inspire any confidence it will get any better.