Five bowlers who can fetch hefty sum in IPL 2020 Auction
T20 cricket has always been associated with firepower, and so, it makes an appropriate investment in bowlers even more critical. With the exception of a few buys, the IPL franchises have been investing smartly in their bowling department. The auction for the 2020 Indian Premier League sees a plethora of bowling talent up for grabs. While some are renowned names in world cricket, we also see the emergence of a new pool of bowlers.
Let’s take a look at five major bowlers who can make big bucks in the auction on December 19.
The South African pacer was called in as a replacement by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the last season of the IPL. However, he suffered with an injury early into his season, forcing him out of the tournament.
Even as age is catching up with Steyn, his quality in the shortest format of the game hasn’t diminished. Playing for the Cape Town Blitz in the Mzansi Super League, Steyn took 15 wickets in 8 matches. He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in the league, only behind Imran Tahir.
In the IPL, he boasts of an economy rate of just 6.76, taking 96 wickets in 92 matches. Injuries may have caught on in the later stages of his career, but Steyn remains a prime pacer for the auctions.
Ranked seventh in the T20I Rankings for bowlers, Pat Cummins has emerged as an impressive bowler in the shortest format of the game of late. The Australian pacer has a brilliant economy rate of 6.77 in T20Is, taking 32 wickets in 25 games.
While Australia boast of multiple death-over specialists like Mitchell Starc and Kane Richardson, Pat Cummins comes in as a handy option to resist the flow of runs in the final overs of the game.
In his T20I career, he has bowled 29 overs during the 16-20 overs of the match, conceding 222 runs at a decent economy rate of 7.6, taking 9 wickets. His ability to bowl at any given point of the game could be an important factor for multiple IPL franchises, which could make him a highly sought-after player at the auction.
Kane Richardson
The Australian pacer ended the Big Bash League 2018/19 season as its highest wicket-taker. In 13 games throughout the season for Melbourne Renegades, Richardson took 24 wickets at an economy rate of 7.8. His impressive form in franchise cricket also reflected in international colors in the recently-concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Richardson last played in the IPL in 2016 for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He may not have had significant experience of playing the league in India, but his recent form could attract IPL sides.
Let’s be honest – the Indian left-armer had an underwhelming previous two seasons in the IPL. However, he comes from a rare breed of domestic left-arm pacers, which always gives him an edge. Besides, his performance in the 2017 season of the IPL speaks volume about his potential, and it isn’t surprising that CSK – whose captain MS Dhoni was his teammate in 2017 at Rising Pune Supergiants, had chased him in the previous auction.
In India’s limited-overs domestic season this year, the 28-year-old bowler had a decent outing for Saurashtra. While he took 15 wickets in 8 matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he picked up 12 wickets in 7 games at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
R Sai Kishore
He bowled at the nets for Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 season of the IPL but he can now land a bumper IPL contract on December 19, courtesy his brilliant performances in the domestic season.
The Chennai finger spinner ended as the highest wicket-taker in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. He took 20 wickets in 12 matches, with the best figures of 4/6 against Tripura. However, the more impressive stat in his overall tournament figures is his economy rate. Having bowled most of his overs in the powerplay, Sai had an incredible ER of 4.63.
Moreover, 15 of his 20 wickets have come in the powerplay overs.
