Let me help you with a quick recap
How the squads stack up
Chennai super Kings
No. of players bought: 18 (8 Indian, 10 foreign)
Money spent: $8.6 million
Big-ticket signings: R Ashwin ($850,000), S Badrinath ($850,000)
Bargain buy: Michael Hussey ($425,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Dwayne Bravo ($200,000)
One that got away: Muttiah Muralitharan (Chennai bid up to $1million)
Chennai were perhaps the most disappointed at being disbanded ahead of this auction, and understandably so. They had reached two IPL finals (they won one), a third semi-final, and were also champions of the Champions League. And so they attempted to keep the core of their unit intact, first by retaining four players - three of whom are Indian batsmen who would have been highly sought-after at the auction - and then by buying back as many of their players as they could. They managed seven. Chennai are unlikely to ever be short of bowling options because, in addition to the eight specialists, they have three allrounders in their squad. A rather well-balanced side in terms of skills and the Indian-foreign break-up.
Squad
Batsmen: Suresh Raina (retained), M Vijay (retained), Michael Hussey ($425,000), S Badrinath ($850,000), George Bailey ($50,000)
Bowlers: Doug Bollinger ($700,000), R Ashwin ($850,000), Ben Hilfenhaus ($100,000), Joginder Sharma ($150,000), Nuwan Kulasekara ($100,000), Sudeep Tyagi ($240,000), Suraj Randiv ($80,000), Faf du Plessis ($120,000)
Allrounders: Albie Morkel (retained), Dwayne Bravo ($200,000), Scott Styris ($200,000)
Wicketkeepers: MS Dhoni (retained), Wriddhiman Saha ($100,000)
No. of players bought: 14 (5 Indian, 9 foreign)
Money spent: $6.88 million
Big-ticket signing: Dale Steyn ($1.2 million)
Bargain buy: Kumar Sangakkara ($700,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Dan Christian ($900,000)
One that got away: Yuvraj Singh (Deccan bid up to $1.6m)
At first glance, Deccan appear light on Indian talent, especially Indian batting talent, but they have enough money left over from the auction to snap up domestic players. They are thin in the multi-skilled department as well, with surprise purchase Dan Christian being their only allrounder. They also have only one wicketkeeper at present, Kumar Sangakkara, who is likely to lead the team as well. They, however, have a rich batting line-up that includes Kevin Pietersen, Cameron White and JP Duminy. The price range among their several bowlers varies from $1.2 million (Dale Steyn) to $20,000 (little known Chris Lynn).
Squad
Batsmen: Kevin Pietersen ($650,000), Cameron White ($1.1m), JP Duminy ($300,000), Shikhar Dhawan ($300,000), Michael Lumb ($85,000)
Bowlers: Ishant Sharma ($450,000), Dale Steyn ($1.2m), Pragyan Ojha ($500,000), Amit Mishra ($300,000), Manpreet Gony ($290,000), Chris Lynn ($20,000), Rusty Theron ($85,000)
Allrounders: Dan Christian ($900,000)
Wicketkeepers: Kumar Sangakkara ($700,000)
No. of players bought: 17 (7 Indian, 10 foreign)
Money spent: $8.25 million
Big-ticket signing: Irfan Pathan ($1.9 million)
Bargain buy: Andrew McDonald ($80,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Umesh Yadav ($750,000)
Ones that got away: Zaheer Khan and Sreesanth (Delhi bid $850,000 for each)
The man raising Delhi's paddle at the auction was the fastest among all the franchises and he spent quite a bit of money, especially on Irfan Pathan, who bats and bowls but hasn't been a match-winner at either skill for some time. Delhi have several allrounders in their squad but they lack a top-class Indian batsman, apart from Virender Sehwag. They also have only one spinner in their roster of 17 players - Roelof van der Merwe. The batting line-up, however, is solid, and in Sehwag and David Warner, they perhaps have the most explosive opening combination of the IPL. They bought back only four players of their old squad and bid aggressively against Deccan Chargers for a lot of players.
Squad
Batsmen: Virender Sehwag (retained), David Warner ($750,000), Aaron Finch ($300,000), Venugopal Rao ($700,000), Travis Birt ($20,000), Colin Ingram ($100,000)
Bowlers: Morne Morkel ($475,000), Ajit Agarkar ($210,000), Ashok Dinda ($375,000), Umesh Yadav ($750,000), Robert Frylinck ($20,000)
Allrounders: Irfan Pathan ($1.9m), James Hopes ($350,000), Roelof van der Merwe ($50,000), Andrew McDonald ($80,000)
Wicketkeepers: Naman Ojha ($270,000), Matthew Wade ($100,000)
No. of players bought: 11 (4 Indian, 7 foreign)
Money spent: $6.95 millon
Big-ticket signing: David Hussey ($1.4 million)
Bargain buy: Shaun Marsh ($400,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Piyush Chawla ($900,000), Abhishek Nayar ($800,000)
Ones that got away: Irfan Pathan (Punjab bid $1.8m), Saurabh Tiwary ($1.5m), Mahela Jayawardene ($1.4m), Dale Steyn ($1.1m)
While the other franchises spent and shopped over two days in Bangalore, Kings XI Punjab were sparing with their purchases and bought only 11 players. They have a little over $2 million to fill their squad with uncapped domestic players. The challenge is to pick up several high-quality ones to fill the gaps in their team. And there are many. They have only two specialist batsmen and their two allrounders are nothing to write home about. They also possess only one spinner at present. Their strengths lie in their fast bowling and their wicketkeeping reserves - Adam Gilchrist and Dinesh Karthik. Curiously, Punjab bid over a million for four other players but were never ready to go the distance to buy them, even though their purse was heavy.
Squad
Batsmen: Shaun Marsh ($400,000), David Hussey ($140,000)
Bowlers: Stuart Broad ($400,000), Praveen Kumar ($800,000), Ryan Harris ($325,000), Piyush Chawla ($900,000), Nathan Rimmington ($20,000)
Allrounders: Abhishek Nayar ($800,000), Dimitri Mascarenhas ($100,000)
Wicketkeepers: Adam Gilchrist ($900,000), Dinesh Karthik ($900,000)
No of players bought: 12 (5 Indian, 7 overseas)
Money spent: $8.57m
Big-ticket signing: Gautam Gambhir ($2.4m) and Yusuf Pathan ($2.1m)
Bargain buy: Brad Haddin ($325,000) and Shakib Al Hasan ($425,000)
Eyebrow-raiser: Manoj Tiwary ($475,000)
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Kolkata hadn't chased any of the players they previously had in their squad over the past three years, but towards the end of the first day they decided to go after Tiwary.
One that got away: With two major buys in the first hour, Kolkata didn't have the money to raise the stakes high on too many other players.
Splashing the cash early meant they had a strong Indian batting core to rely on in Gautam Gambhir - their likely captain - and Yusuf Pathan. And, in a tournament where the strength of the Indian players determines team fortunes, they already have five players who should start most matches. They also supplemented that with three value-for-money foreign allrounders - Jacques Kallis, Shakib Al Hasan and Netherlands' Ryan ten Doeschate. One of their major drawbacks in previous seasons was the lack of a potent bowling attack, a weakness that persists with the current squad. They have Brett Lee, in his prime one of the finest limited-overs bowlers, but after being repeatedly ravaged by injury, it remains to be seen whether he retains the magic of old.
Squad
Batsmen: Gautam Gambhir ($2.4m), Manoj Tiwary ($475,000), Eoin Morgan ($350,000)
Bowlers: L Balaji ($500,000), Brett Lee ($400,000), Jaidev Unadkat ($250,000), James Pattinson ($100,000)
Allrounders: Yusuf Pathan ($2.1m), Jacques Kallis ($1.1m), Shakib Al Hasan ($425,000), Ryan ten Doeschate ($150,000)
Wicketkeeper: Brad Haddin ($325,000)