There will be bidding wars for batsmen in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 auction on Thursday and we take a look at the five who could be top draws:
Chris Lynn (AUS)
Released by Kolkata Knight Riders, Lynn will still have many suitors owing to his destructive nature at the top of the order and has a steep base price of Rs2 crore. Lynn holds the record of most sixes in Big Bash League history with 123 maximums and is also two runs adrift of the most runs scored (1947 by Michael Klinger) in the tournament's history.
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Eoin Morgan (ENG)
Kings XI Punjab might be the first ones lining up for the England World Cup-winning captain as they need a captain who can fill the shoes of R. Ashwin. Besides his captaincy skills, Morgan is a big-hitting batsman and one who can hold the middle-order together. The left-hander's 71-ball 148 against Afghanistan in the 50-over World Cup will be remembered forever.
Shimron Hetmyer (WI)
The 22-year-old West Indian is yet to make it big in the IPL and was not at his best for Royal Challengers Bangalore last season, but the big-hitter who was released by RCB ahead of the auction has already made a case for himself with a match-winning 85-ball century in the first ODI against India in Chennai.
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Robin Uthappa (IND)
He might seem to be over the hill and was released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the auction after a quiet 2019 season. But Uthappa might still be of interest to many franchises owing to their needs and the right-hander's ability to play big shots at the top of the order. Uthappa is a clean hitter of the cricket ball and also comes in with a lot of IPL experience.
Aaron Finch (AUS)
The Australian limited-overs captain is again likely to be on top of Kings XI Punjab's list as a leader. Finch is also an explosive opener who, once gets going, can give a team a great start. He can also be part of the leadership group in any side and provide his key inputs.
War Chest
Chennai Super Kings: Rs 14.60 crore, Delhi Capitals: Rs 27.85 crore, Kings XI Punjab: Rs 42.70 crore, Kolkata Knight Riders: Rs 35.65 crore, Mumbai Indians: Rs 13.05 crore, Rajasthan Royals: Rs 28.90 crore, Royal Challengers Bangalore: Rs 27.90 crore, and SunRisers Hyderabad: Rs 17 crore.
As many as 332 cricketers (186 Indian, 146 overseas players) will go under the hammer at the auction at a plush hotel at Kolkata.
The auction will be broadcast LIVE on Star Sports channels – Star Sports 1/HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi/HD, Star Sports Select 1/HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Bangla, Star Sports First. It will also be live-streamed on Hotstar.
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(With IANS inputs)
