The IPL 2020 auction will be conducted in Kolkata in mid-December and franchises will want to cleanse their squads to clear up their purses to buy the right players at the auction.
A few trade-offs could also be in the offing in the build up to the bidding event with the cut-off date for transfers set at 14 November.
Here we take a glance at one player from each franchise who might be dispensable at this stage given the kind of money it would free up for the franchise.
Mumbai Indians: Barinder Sran
Mumbai Indians did not make a whole lot of purchases in the auction last year. Among their six picks were names like Lasith Malinga and Yuvraj Singh but one other pick cost them more than these two veteran players combined. India discard Barinder Sran. The left-arm seamer was bought for a whopping Rs 3.4 crore.
Sran failed in the two games that he did manage to play after Mumbai bizarrely went all out for him. An economy of 12.75 combined with zero wickets in his kitty means that Sran never justified his price tag. Releasing him could help Mumbai could free up a bulk amount before the auction.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Shimron Hetmyer
Guaranteed he is one of those rare West Indian talents who hog headlines, but Hetmyer and Royal Challengers Bangalore have somehow failed in their chemistry. His six-hitting skills and calculated slogging has made him a T20 League favourite across the globe and Royal Challengers Bangalore earned much appreciation when they went after him last auction and ultimately won him with a Rs 4.2 crore bid.
Hetmyer had found success in India prior to the last auction scoring 259 runs in the ODI series at a strike rate of 140. But the southpaw disappointed in the season making a total of just 75 runs in 5 matches.
While he remains a potent force in any middle-order, RCB have been fickle with their player retentions and the allure of Rs 4.2 crore being freed up to splurge in the auction could be too much to resist for the Bangalore-based side.
Rajasthan Royals: Jaydev Unadkat
Rajasthan Royals raised quite a few eyebrows when they splashed a whopping Rs 11.2 crore for Unadkat ahead of IPL 2018. The left-arm seamer underperformed and was duly released by the franchise ahead of the 2019 auction. But in a twist of events, he was bought back for a lower, yet no less shocking, price of Rs 8.4 crore by Rajasthan themselves.
Unadkat yet again underwhelmed on the big stage. In the 11 matches he played, he took just 10 wickets while leaking runs at a poor economy rate of 10.66. With Rajasthan sorely needing some good local talent, they will want to let Unadkat go to free up a considerable amount in their purse.
Chennai Super Kings: Kedar Jadhav
Chennai Super Kings aren't the kind of team to chop and change too much. Hence they are unlikely to make wholesale changes to the line-up. Two players who they might be aiming to release would be Murali Vijay and Kedar Jadhav. The India all-rounder hasn't quite fit into the CSK scheme of things and could be far more easily dispensable than Vijay.
With Ravindra Jadeja stepping up with the bat for India and local talents like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Dhruv Shorey waiting in the wings, Jadhav might be surplus to Chennai's requirements. They also have enough all-rounders including Jadeja, Mitchell Santner and David Willey to make up for Jadhav's absence.
Delhi Capitals: Colin Ingram
Bought for Rs 6.4 crore at the 2019 auction, South Africa Kolpak talent Colin Ingram could be let go by Delhi Capitals ahead of the upcoming auction. While Ingram was expected to be a reasonably influential performer in the middle-order last season, he disappointed with an average of 18.4 in the season after 12 games while striking at less than 120. That he couldn't quite get the measure of bowlers, spinners in particular, on the slow Delhi deck works against him.
The franchise has a stable base of young, local talent who can replace and fill in for Ingram. With Colin Munro, a terrific T20 player, also waiting on the bench, Ingram's release could help Delhi fill in the voids in their squad during the upcoming auction.
Kings XI Punjab: Varun Chakravarthy
One of the eye-catching buys of the 2019 auction was mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. The spinner played just one game last season and leaked 25 runs in his opening over, the worst by any bowler in a debut over in the history of the league. In the three overs he bowled, Chakravarthy leaked 35 runs for one wicket and the hype around him was quickly dispelled.
With Kings XI Punjab having a slew of spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Murugan Ashwin, Chakravarthy will barely be needed and the 8.4 crore tag he carries could be too much for the franchise. Even if they do plan on another spinner, they could let Chakravarthy go and find someone else in the auction. There also remains the possibility of them buying back the spinner at a lower price tag at the auction after releasing him.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Carlos Brathwaite
Surprisingly picked for Rs 5 crore in the 2019 auction as a back-up for Andre Russell, Brathwaite went wicketless in the two matches he played for Kolkata Knight Riders last season while conceding runs at a rate of 9.66. He also failed to find success with the bat from the lower order and KKR might want to let him go to find another suitable like-for-like replacement in case Russell gets injured.
Brathwaite's overall record in the IPL also does not ooze much confidence. In 16 matches, he has averaged 13.92 with the bat and leaked runs at nearly 9 runs per over with the ball. Contrary to the kind of impact player he was expected to be, Brathwaite has underwhelmed and it would be no surprise to see him being released.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Martin Guptill
Another insurance buy, Martin Guptill was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad to step in for Jonny Bairstow as and when the England opener would make himself unavailable to join his national team for the World Cup. In the three matches he did play last season for the strong franchise, Guptill underperformed, scoring 81 runs in all with a highest of 36.
With players like Sreevats Goswami and Kane Williamson available to open the innings, Sunrisers might not need Guptill at the top. He was bought for just Rs 1 crore, but with the franchise not being a fan of too much chopping and changing, fitting in the right players, rather than freeing up auction money, could be priority. There might also be a few underrated openers they would be eyeing in the auction in December to replace Guptill if they let him go.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)