The keenly-awaited player IPL Bidding 2020 is almost here. The mega event is set to be scheduled in Kolkata, the city of Joy on 19th December 2019.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in recent times, declared that as many as 971 players have recorded for the 2020 betting extravaganza. But there are a total of 73 plots still vacant. BCCI has allowed franchises time till Monday, December 9th (5 PM) to submit their shortlisted players.
As many as 7 players have listed their price at Rs.2 crore, and 5 of them happen to be Australian. They are Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Chris Lynn and Mitchell March.
While Lynn was the surprise exclusion by the Kolkata Knight Riders before the IPL bidding, Maxwell had taken a break from cricket owing to mental health issues. Sri Lankan all rounder Angelo Mathews and veteran South African fast bowler Dale Steyn are other players in the Rs.2 crore segments.
As the IPL bidding day approaches, let’s have a quick look at major points –
No 3) Will Eoin Morgan given his worth in IPL?
Eoin Morgan has the recognition of being one of the inexhaustible T20 players all across; the World Cup 2019 Winning Captain is yet to make it big on the IPL stage. He has not been a part of the cash-rich league for the last 2 seasons. He was unsold in 2018, while he opted out of the 2019 season to focus on World Cup – and it paid off well. For the IPL bidding 2020 season, the base price of the English player is set at Rs.1.5 crore.
Eoin Morgan has an impressive time with the bat in the recently concluded Abu Dhabi T10 Series – he smashed 175 runs in 94 balls at a huge strike rate of 186.17. His big-hitting was also on display during the 2019 World Cup, where he went to hit 17 sixes on the way to 148 off only 71 balls. Morgan played initially for Ireland holds an impressive T20 record. He has always been a part of 282 matches with over 6000 runs at a strike rate of 131.37.
In IPL, he had featured for Kings XI Punjab in 2017 who had signed him for Rs.2 crore. Sadly, he could manage only 65 runs in 4 matches. His record so far in IPL matches is something that he may not be proud of – 852 runs in 52 outings at a strike rate of 121.13. However, the kind of form that the southpaw has been in, that may change his fortunes and may be picked at the auction for a higher price. Fingers crossed!
No 2) Will the wish of Tom Banton playing for Mumbai Indians be granted?
Without thoughts, the 21-year old English sensation Tom Branton is set to be among the most sought after players in the upcoming IPL bidding season 2020. Reports suggest that bigger teams like Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have expressed in getting him aboard. He has also expressed his wish that he would love to play for Mumbai Indians.
Tom Branton has consistently been in the limelight as he has scored 2 fifties in the Abu Dhabi T10 League – it also included an amazing 80 off 28 balls against Karnataka Tuskers for Qalandars. He has made people sit up and take notice back home by hitting 454 runs for Somerset in the One-day Cup campaign.
No 1) Will Kolkata Knight Riders bring back Chris Lynn?
Without doubts, the release of the big-hitting Chris Lynn by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has to be on top spot when they left him by revealing their pre-auction squads. Once released, he replied by scoring a quick fire 91* off 31 balls in Abu Dhabi T10 Series. Lynn has said that he has no harsh feelings towards his franchise, it wonders if the snub was the inspiration for performing better. Even Yuvraj Singh, his teammate in the T10 Series was of the opinion that KKR made a blunder by not including him in the team.
The Australian right hander emerged as the leading run scorer in the T10 League as the top scorer with 371 runs in 8 games at a strike rate of 236.30 with 4 fifties. The kind of devastating form that the batsman is in, all franchises, including KKR, will find it tough to ignore him. Going by his records in the IPL for KKR, he has done little wrong in 2019 season to be given a cold shoulder in the first look. He clicked big time with the bat by scoring 405 runs at a strike rate of 130.23. He has been consistently among runs since 2017 when he blazed 295 runs at a sparkling rate of 180.98 in 7 matches.
We have already mentioned in the beginning that Lynn has listed the price of Rs.2 crore for franchises to availing his services. If you consider his existing form and record, he must end getting fantastic IPL biddings. It would also be quite interesting to see if Kolkata Knight Riders revive their decisions to bringing back Chris Lynn into the fold again for the 2020 season.
