With the 2019 Indian Premier League fast approaching and the all-important player auction set for Tuesday, 18 December, we break down all the need-to-knows regarding who is in, who is out, and what we are to expect this time around.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) returned to the fold in 2018 in scintillating style following a two-year absence, capping off a blistering campaign by toppling Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final. Shane Watson's unbeaten century guided the side to an emphatic eight-wicket victory.

CSK will be a firm favourites again this year, given their strong track record in the competition – they have three wins – but expect a high standard of opposition, as usual, as a plethora of fresh talent has emerged, and some eye-catching global stars have thrown their hat into the mix. Delhi have even changed their name from the Daredevils to the Capitals, so they will be hoping that a change in moniker sparks a twist in fortunes.

Eight teams will battle it out to lift this trophy on 19 May

All eyes on Tuesday will turn to the franchise owners as battle commences in the auction room to fill the remaining vacant squad positions. While the majority of slots have already been filled with retainees from last season, 346 players, all currently without a side to their name, will look to make their way into one of the eight teams, into the 70 remaining places available.



The auction will start at 2:30pm IST (9am GMT). Richard Madley has been replaced as auctioneer after over a decade wielding the gavel, and is to be replaced by Hugh Edmeades.



Let's take a look at each side and break down which players have stayed put, who has been let go and which areas each side might need to strengthen in order to mount a title challenge.

Delhi have changed their name from the Daredevils to the Capitals

Chennai Super Kings



Position finished last year: Winners



Star players retained: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, David Willey, Dwayne Bravo, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Billings, Harbhajan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur



Star players released: Mark Wood



Budget: Rs 8.40cr



Areas in need of strengthening: Chennai have a strong and stable squad, with some of the world's most coveted T20 players. With only two vacancies to fill in the already 20-man strong squad, the current holders are looking very comfortable going into this year's auction. With bags of experience in their ranks, perhaps some young Indian bowling options would be useful to provide competition for the likes of Harbhajan, Tahir and Ngidi.





Dhoni and Bravo have been at the helm of all things good for Chennai for a number of years

Delhi Capitals



Position finished last year: Eighth



Star players retained: Sandeep Lamichhane, Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Colin Munro, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Amit Mishra, Chris Morris



Star players released: Gautam Gambhir, Jason Roy, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Shami



Budget: Rs 25.50cr

Areas in need of strengthening: The departure of Jason Roy and the retirement of Gautam Gambhir left a gaping hole at the top of the order for Delhi, but the astute acquisition of seasoned opener Shikhar Dhawan is a world-class replacement. With 10 squad vacancies to fill, expect the Capitals to be busy on auction day, as a fairly scarce line-up of middle order batsmen provides a means of direction in terms of where the money must go. Rabada and Morris will also likely depart for South African international duty on 10 May, so don't expect any more Proteas players to join up.

Dhawan could be a huge coup for the Capitals

Kings XI Punjab



Position finished last year: Seventh



Star players retained: Chris Gayle, David Miller, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mujeeb ur Rahman



Star players released: Axar Patel, Yuvraj Singh, Marcus Stoinis



Budget: Rs 36.20cr



Areas in need of strengthening: Kings XI have a hectic auction day in prospect, and with 19 spots to fill, all departments require reinforcement. It could be a new-look side once the season comes about, and finding a balanced line-up alongside hitters Gayle and Miller could prove a tough task. Expect the arrival of some young domestic Indian talent, particularly in the seam department, as the home-grown bowling options look scarce.

Afghanistan's teenage spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman could be in for a big IPL campaign after an impressive year with the ball

Kolkata Knight Riders



Position finished last year: Third



Star players retained: Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla



Star players released: Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson



Budget: Rs 15.20cr



Areas in need of strengthening: Losing the two Mitchells is certainly a blow for the Knight Riders, and much like the Kings XI, here is another outfit somewhat depleted after last year's campaign and in search of a whole host of new players. There are 17 spots to fill, and the obvious gaps left by the Aussie pacemen need plugging, as well as options at the top of the batting order. The presence of Russell and Narine could be the key for Kolkata, as the Windies' limited-overs experts should be present for the whole tournament.

Narine has starred for Kolkata since 2012, and is a firm fan favourite

Mumbai Indians



Position finished last year: Fifth



Star players retained: Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Aditya Tare, Evin Lewis, Kieron Pollard, Ben Cutting, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Jason Behrendorff



Star players released: Mustafizur Rahman, Pat Cummins, JP Duminy



Budget: Rs 11.15cr



Areas in need of strengthening: Mumbai are blessed with a plethora of overseas superstars for this year's IPL, like they so often are, spearheaded by the imperious Indian limited-overs contingent of Sharma, the Pandya brothers and Bumrah. Securing the services of Proteas keeper Quinton de Kock nice and early was a smart move too. With just one space left for an overseas player, it is likely that they could cash in on a big-money top-order batter to compliment Rohit, while the rest of the side looks generally well balanced. There are seven spots remaining for domestic cricketers, so perhaps some seam bowling back-up will be the result.

Sharma has been Mumbai's talisman for a number of years

Rajasthan Royals



Position finished last year: Fourth



Star players retained: Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Stuart Binny, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni



Star players released: Jaydev Unadkat, D’Arcy Short



Budget: Rs 20.95cr



Areas in need of strengthening: Rajasthan are blessed with a mighty roster of English talent, notably the coveted duo of Buttler and Stokes, and have returning superstar Smith at their disposal too, but some back-up might be required in terms of overseas talent to fill the gap which will appear once they are forced to leave for international duties. Securing another top-tier all-rounder could also be a fruitful move for the Royals.

Buttler and Stokes could be a potent partnership for the Royals

Royal Challengers Bangalore



Position finished last year: Sixth



Star players retained: Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel, Washington Sundar, Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile



Star players released: Quinton de Kock, Brendon McCullum, Chris Woakes



Budget: Rs 18.15cr



Areas in need of strengthening: There are 12 available spaces to be stocked in the auction, and Kohli's Royal Challengers will certainly be looking to shore up their top-order, given that only three recognised batsmen are currently in the squad. After a disappointing campaign last time out, it could be a big spending evening for Bangalore.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have built a strong respect for each other while playing together in the IPL

Sunrisers Hyderabad



Position finished last year: Second



Star players retained: David Warner, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Shakib al Hasan, Billy Stanlake, Kane Williamson, Mohammad Nabi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Shreevats Goswami, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed



Star players released: Shikhar Dhawan, Carlos Brathwaite, Alex Hales



Budget: Rs 9.70cr



Areas in need of strengthening: The Sunrisers look equipped for another strong campaign having retained the services of the squad's core, with Afghanistan duo Khan and Nabi set to appear alongside captain Warner once again. Shakib's early exit (15 April) might mean that one of the five available slots is filled by a high profile all-rounder, while personnel at either end of the line-up look set to resume where they left off last year.

Sunrisers will need to find cover for Shakib, who leaves on 15 April for Bangladesh duty

Cut-off dates for international players



The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, which is preceded by the IPL, means a host of overseas players will be forced to leave early in preparation for the tournament which starts on 30 May.



Cut-off dates for international players: Bangladesh – 15 April; England (only World Cup squad members) – 25 April; Ireland (not for World Cup) – 30 April; Australia – 2 May, Sri Lanka – 6 May, South Africa – 10 May.



While Afghanistan are yet to clarify their intentions regarding withdrawing players for team preparations, the Windies and New Zealand will allow their players to stay until the IPL's conclusion before joining up with their respective squads. It is also worth noting that the Australian domestic Sheffield Shield final finishes on 1 April, which could further reduce the participation of many players.

Australia's players could potentially have short IPL campaigns

Players available for auction



All players available at Rs 2 crore (US$ 278,086) reserve price: D'arcy Short (AUS), Shaun Marsh (AUS), Chris Woakes (ENG), Sam Curran (ENG), Corey Anderson (NZ), Brendon McCullum (NZ), Colin Ingram (NZ), Lasith Malinga (SL), Angelo Mathews (SL).



All players available at Rs 1.5 crore (US$ 208,526) reserve price: Alex Carey (AUS), James Faulkner (AUS), Alex Hales (ENG), Jonny Bairstow (ENG), Liam Dawson (ENG), Luke Wright (ENG) Jaydev Unadkat (IND), Martin Guptill (NZ), Morne Morkel (SA), Dale Steyn (SA), Riley Rossouw (SA).



Notable players available for Rs 1 crore (US$ 139,017) reserve price: Moises Henriques (AUS), Usman Khawaja (AUS), Adam Zampa (AUS), Chris Jordan (ENG), Axar Patel (IND), Mohammed Shami (IND), Yuvraj Singh (IND), Ishant Sharma (IND), Wriddhiman Saha (IND), Hashim Amla (SA).



Big-hitting Australian stars Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch have opted out of the 2019 IPL auction in a bid to gear up for their country's jam-packed schedule in the new year.