IPL 2017 auctions: Everything you need to know about the franchises and what they need to do

The player auction for the 10th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held on Monday in Bengaluru, and a total of 351 players, which includes 122 capped internationals, are set to go under the hammer. Each of the eight franchises of the cash-rich league can have a maximum of 27 players, including nine overseas players. Seven cricketers — fast bowler Ishant Sharma, all-rounder Ben Stokes, England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan, all-rounder Chris Woakes, Australian pacers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins, and Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews — enter the auction with the highest base price of Rs 2 crore. The full list also contains six players from the associates nations. These include five from Afghanistan: captain Asghar Stanikzai, Mohammad Nabi, Mohammad Shahzad, Rashid Khan and Dawlat Zadran. Shahzad and Rashid have the highest base prices among the five at Rs 50 lakh. UAE batsman Chirag Suri is the other associate player in the list. [caption id=“attachment_3291240” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representative photo.[/caption] As has been the trend in the previous couple of auctions, teams are likely to buy a majority of their players at prudent prices. This is the last auction of the 10-year cycle after which all players are set to go back into the auction pool. Despite a lot of England players attracting a lot of attention, the team management will take into account the fact that they maight be only available for the month of April due to their international commitments. South African players are also likely to leave IPL 2017 after 7 May. Here’s a look at how the teams stack up currently, what they need and whom they might buy on 20 February. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Number of players they can buy: 10 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 4 How much they can spend: Rs 20.9 crore A specialist spinner and some smart, yet quality additions to the batting line-up would make this Sunrisers squad almost indomitable and with enough money left in their purse, the Sunrisers might not find it very hard to get the players they want. Read more about what the defending champions need to do to bolster their squad for the upcoming IPL season. Royal Challengers Bangalore Number of players they can buy: 7 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 2 How much they can spend: Rs 17.825 crore RCB are known for their explosive batting and that being said, they have enough striking power but must add fuel to their bowling unit. They also need an all-rounder, keeping Shane Watson’s injury woes in mind. Read more about what last year’s runners-up  need to do to be able to win the title in 2017. Gujarat Lions Number of players they can buy: 11 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 3 How much they can spend: Rs 14.35 crore With spinners always doing well on Indian conditions, the Gujarat Lions should look to buy a top-quality spinner, who can work in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja. In addition, they need to buy a few Indian players, who could bring variety to their attack. They are slightly handicapped with the limited money left in their purse but if they can target a few players and bid accordingly, they could end up as winners on the auction day. Read more about their team and what they should be looking to do on Monday. Kolkata Knight Riders Number of players they can buy: 14 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 6 How much they can spend: Rs 19.75 crore Expect some big bang purchases by KKR, with a focus on the pace department and batting. They need an all-rounder to replace Andre Russell and will be eyeing Stokes or Mathews to fill in his role. Read more about what the Gautam Gambhir-led team need to do in the auctions to become the team to beat in IPL 2017. Mumbai Indians: Number of players they can buy: 14 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 6 How much they can spend: Rs 11.555 crore After failing to reach the playoffs in the previous edition, the Rohit Sharma-captained team will look for players who can plug a few gaps. They will be targeting an explosive opening batsman, preferably an overseas player. They will also want to bag a few Indian batsmen for flexibility. For more details on what the team is missing, read our detailed analysis . Delhi Daredevils: Number of players they can buy: 10 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 4 How much they can spend: Rs 23.1 crore Delhi need to strengthen their middle order, and Stokes, Mathews or Morgan could be potential targets. They they could also look at getting a back-up seamer for Mohammed Shami. Expect Delhi to go all aggressive at the auctions. They are in desperate need of a change of fortune, and playing their cards right in the upcoming auctions is one place they can start off their quest from. Read more about what they need to do to balance their team for IPL 2017. Rising Pune Supergiants Number of players they can buy: 10 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 4 How much they can spend: Rs 17.5 crore If there was a team that grossly underperformed in the IPL last year, it was Rising Pune Supergiants. To add to it, the powers-that-be have decided to remove MS Dhoni from captaincy, and appoint Steve Smith instead. There are a quite a few top overseas all-rounders that they can target, who can importantly also fill in the void in the pace-bowling ranks. They would also need at least a couple of quality specialist spinners in the side to support Ravichandran Ashwin and Adam Zampa and one expects them to go after Imran Tahir, Mitchell Santner and Brad Hogg. For more details on their team and how post a strong comeback this year, read our in-depth analysis . Kings XI Punjab Number of players they can buy: 8 Number of overseas players they can accommodate: 4 How much they can spend: Rs 23.35 crore KXIP enter the auction with the highest balance purse, but they also have the lowest purchase options, having retained 19 players from last year’s squad. The team lack a star pacer, especially one who can dry the runs up at the start of the innings. They also need to invest in someone like a Jason Roy, Martin Guptill or even Afghan batting prodigy Shahzad to give their batting innings an explosive start. Getting their purchases right would be but one step forward towards glory, read more on how they can finally taste some silverware in the T20 league. Click here for when and where to watch the auction, live coverage on TV, online streaming