IPL 2020: Ranking the all-rounders of all 8 teams

IPL 2020 isn't far off and the analysis and breakdown of the various teams and their squads have begun. A lot of cash was shelled out during the auction and many notable bids were seen.

While Pat Cummins was the most expensive buy at ₹15.5 Crore, all-rounders attracted the majority of the bids in the auction. Glenn Maxwell (₹10.75 Crore- KXIP), Chris Morris (₹10 Crore- RCB), and Sam Curran (₹5.5 Crore-CSK) were some of the top buys of the auction.

This comes as no surprise as we all know how important all-rounders are to add value to every T20 team. They provide balance to any team and give room for the team to play an extra batsman or bowler according to the surface, and other conditions.

On that note, here is a ranking piece of the all-rounders' contingents from the teams.

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#8 Rajasthan Royals

Stokes will be a key figure for RR next season.

Overseas Options: Ben Stokes

Indian Options: Riyan Parag, Mahipal Lomror, Shashank Singh, and Rahul Tewatia

Despite having one of the best all-rounders in the world, RR's list of all-rounders seems to be the weakest, at least on paper. Stokes isn't a great T20 all-rounder and he hasn't adapted to the slowness of the wickets in India both with bat and with the ball. But his World Cup performances might have prompted RR to hold onto him and hope that he delivers.

But sadly, there is no backup for Stokes in this RR side as Tom Curran hasn't done enough with the bat to be considered an all-rounder.

The Indian options too aren't as convincing as you'd expect them to be. While the exciting Riyan Parag will be one to watch out for, the rest of the names don't inspire too much confidence. Rahul Tewatia has proved to be a decent utility option in the past but has lost his value.

Final Verdict: No backup for Stokes and lack of quality Indian options makes RR's list of all-rounders pretty weak.

#7 Delhi Capitals

Stoinis needs to justify his huge price tag

Overseas Options: Chris Woakes, Keemo Paul and Marcus Stoinis

Indian Options: Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, and Lalit Yadav

The Delhi Capitals have a pretty decent squad ahead of next season but their list of all-rounders isn't as sound as you'd expect it to be.

DC needed to sign some quality all-rounders and addressed the issue by signing Marcus Stoinis for a substantial sum of ₹4.8 Crore in the auction. But the Aussie all-rounder doesn't have as great a record as you'd expect him to have. He is certainly among the runs for the Melbourne Stars but that's because he opens the batting for them.

Stoinis hasn't been effective batting in the middle-order and doesn't have the power to go big right from the onset like someone like Maxwell. His bowling too hasn't been too great in recent times.

Chris Woakes would've been a decent buy if it wasn't for the conditions in India. He made very few runs with the bat and was too expensive with the ball to be considered a death bowling option. Keemo Paul is a handy backup option but he's more of a bowling all-rounder. His bowling stats in T20s aren't that impressive and he's just a utility option.

The Indian all-all-rounders' list isn't bad as Axar Patel is a proper all-rounder for the side to back. Harshal Patel, however, has been very erratic with the ball although he has played a couple of good cameos with the bat.

Final Verdict: DC have a couple of good overseas all-rounders but their suitability to Indian conditions remains a doubt. The Indian options aren't great but are good enough.

#6 Sunrisers Hyderabad

Vijay Shankar will have to do well for SRH.

Overseas Options: Mohammad Nabi, Mitchell Marsh, and Fabian Allen.

Indian Options: Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, and Sandeep Bavanaka

SRH lacked power in the middle-order last season and they didn't address it very well in the auction. SRH signed all-rounder Mitchell Marsh for ₹2 Crore but the Aussie doesn't seem to be such a convincing option. He doesn't have such a convincing record with both bat and ball and has scored his runs at a sub-par strike-rate of 122.24. He has picked up just 43 wickets from 79 T20s and this stat questions his all-round ability.

While Mohammad Nabi remains the side's standout all-round option, the Afghan hasn't done too well with the bat in the IPL.

When it comes to the Indian options, Vijay Shankar has to do the brunt of the work. Amidst a lot of expectations, Shankar had a poor 2019 season and his performances post IPL didn't get any better.

Abhishek Sharma will be a player to watch out for next season and SRH must utilize the hard-hitting all-rounder. Fabian Allen is a puzzling buy, considering that SRH already have decent Indian left-arm spinners in Nadeem and Abhishek.

Final Verdict: SRH don't have any explosive all-rounder to turn to, and it will be tough to accommodate certain overseas players into the XI. Players like Vijay Shankar will have to step up if they're to have a good season.

#5 Chennai Super Kings

Sam Curran is a player to watch out for this season.

Overseas Options: DJ Bravo, Sam Curran, and Mitchell Santner

Indian Options: Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav.

The Chennai Super Kings have always banked heavily on their all-rounders and have invested highly in them. CSK did well to sign exciting English all-rounder Sam Curran for ₹5.5 Crore in the auction.

Ravindra Jadeja is in great form and he's one of the best Indian all-rounders in the league. Mitchell Santner is a great backup option for Jadeja and deserves more chances in the playing XI.

DJ Bravo's dwindling form and Kedar Jadhav's struggles will be the major concern with CSK as they banked heavily on these players last season but the returns didn't come.

Bravo hasn't delivered with the bat for the last couple of seasons and his death bowling skills have begun to fade. It will be interesting to see how CSK accomodate either Bravo/Curran in the playing XI.

Final Verdict: CSK has a couple of really good options in their squad but them backing a couple of older players could backfire on them.

#4 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Morris is a very good T20 player.

Overseas Options: Chris Morris, Isuru Udana, and Moeen Ali

Indian Options: Shivam Dube, Pawan Negi, and Washington Sundar

RCB broke the bank to sign Chris Morris and ended up paying a huge ₹10 Crore for the Proteas all-rounder. His addition along with that of Isuru Udana makes RCB's list of all-rounders quite formidable.

Morris is a brilliant bowler who can wield the willow to good use. The fact that he's scored his runs in the IPL at a brilliant strike-rate of 157.62 is testimony to his prowess. Udana is a wily bowler with a lot of variations up his sleeve. He's a good backup option for the injury-prone Morris.

Moeen Ali meanwhile is one of the best spin-bowling all-rounders in the world and is a proper batsman. He is very versatile and flexible and showed glimpses of his true potential last season, scoring his runs at a great strike-rate of 165.41.

Coming to the Indian options, Shivam Dube seems to have peaked and has gained a lot of confidence after breaking into the Indian team. Washington Sundar too is a great player and should be used more often by Kohli.

Pawan Negi, despite not finding a lot of game time is a capable hitter lower down the order and can also bowl a couple of overs of lef-arm spin.

Final Verdict: RCB has a well-rounded set of all-rounders with enough backup options at their disposal.

#3 Kings XI Punjab

James Neesham will be a key figure for Punjab.

Overseas Options: James Neesham, Glenn Maxwell, and Chris Jordan

Indian Options: Deepak Hooda, Krishnappa Gowtham, and Harpreet Brar

KXIP have undergone a tremendous transformation under Anil Kumble and have assembled a very potent squad ahead of next season.

Their first big buy of the auction was star Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for a whopping ₹10.75 Crore. Maxwell last played in IPL 2018 for the Delhi Capitals and had a poor season. But times have changed since then and given that he mixes his innings with patience and aggression, he can add great value to the middle order as a floater.

Jimmy Neesham who was bought for ₹50 Lakh is another player to watch out for. The Kiwi all-rounder has been in great form since the start of the year and has excelled with both bat and ball.

England's bowling all-rounder Chris Jordan is another quality player. Jordan, who was signed for ₹3 Crore is a tremendous fielder and a good death bowler. He's also a decent batsman and has essayed quite a few cameos towards the end of the innings.

While they don't have any capped Indian options, both Krishnappa Gowtham and Deepak Hooda are fairly experienced and Gowtham especially has been brilliant in the domestic circuit.

Final Verdict: Punjab have a great set of overseas all-rounders and a couple of decent Indian options to go with them.

#2 Kolkata Knight Riders

Russell had a brilliant season.

Overseas Options: Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Chris Green

Indian Options: Nitish Rana

KKR had a pretty sub-par season last year but the only bright spark in their campaign was MVP Andre Russell, who single-handedly turned many games around for the side. Russell has carried that form with him even after the last season and will undoubtedly hold the aces for KKR in IPL 2020.

Sunil Narine too will be very important for KKR. The spin bowler has succeeded both with bat and ball in the IPL. He'll have to open the batting along with Shubman Gill as KKR need overseas slots to accommodate fast bowlers into their playing XI. Chris Green provides solid backup for Narine, while with the ball, the Australian has done well to keep a check on the run flow.

Nitish Rana is the side's only Indian all-rounder and he's more of a batting all-rounder. Rana will have to play the anchoring role for the side and bat at No.3 or 4. He can also send down some overs with his spin.

Final Verdict: KKR has some of the best all-rounders in the world playing for them and that makes their small, yet compact list, the best in the league.

#1 Mumbai Indians

Pollard will be a key figure for MI.

Overseas Options: Kieron Pollard, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Sherfane Rutherford

Indian Options: Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, and Prince Balwant Rai

Mumbai Indians have the most well-balanced squad ahead of the auction and has a good set of all-rounders.

In Hardik Pandya, they have India's best all-rounder in their squad although they lack backup for the injury-prone player. His elder brother Krunal Pandya has made a name for himself in the Indian T20I squad and is a clever spinner and handy batsman.

Kieron Pollard isn't much of a bowler but is an all-rounder when it comes to batting and fielding. His 83 off 31 deliveries to collect an improbable win against Punjab revived his fortunes and he has been in great form for both franchise and country since then.

He'll certainly be a key figure for them while the hard-hitting Sherfane Rutherford is a decent backup option for Pollard though the latter hasn't proven himself too much in Indian conditions.

New signing Nathan Coulter-Nile is a handy batsman who can make quick runs in the death overs. He can be expected to play a major role as the season progresses.

Final Verdict: MI has a destructive set of all-rounders with solid backup for their overseas players. The backup for their Indian players is underwhelming and injuries to the Pandya brothers might cause a problem.