The Indian Premier League auction is only a few days away and it goes without saying that the franchises and teams have started planning for the mega event. The auction is all set to take place on 19 December in Kolkata. The list of players retained and released was announced a few days back and it would be fair to say that there were quite a few surprising calls taken by the teams. Star players like Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn of Kolkata Knight Riders; Sam Curran, David Miller of the Kings XI Punjab and Chris Morris of Delhi Capitals were released by their respective franchises.
The trade window prior to the auction also saw some massive changes. Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin are set to don the Delhi Capital colours in the forthcoming edition of the Indian Premier League. Another massive deal saw Trent Boult move from the Delhi capitals from Delhi Capitals to the Mumbai Indians. Similarly, Mumbai Indians find Mayank Markande was traded twice in a single trade window as he first went from Mumbai to Delhi and later shifted base from Delhi to Rajasthan.
971 players, including 258 overseas stars are all set to go under the hammer this year.
Let us have a look at 3 overseas stars who could end up as the most expensive picks.
3. Chris Lynn
One of the biggest surprises from the player retention list was Chris Lynn not being retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders. He has been a key player for his side over the years and won them matches not only with his insane ability to score at a rapid pace in the power play overs but also with his heroics as a fielder.
Lynn has been a consistent run-getter for KKR. He scored 405 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 140 in IPL 2019 and even had close to 500 runs (491) in the season prior to that. This season, Lynn’s base price is set at INR 2 Crore.
The idea behind releasing Lynn might have been to buy him back at a lower price from the auction table but given the form he has shown in the T10 League, it no longer seems feasible. Lynn in fact accumulated 371 runs, averaging 53 in 8 innings and had a strike rate of 236.6 in the T10 League.
Lynn also came close to scoring a century in a 10 overs game which goes on to show his unbelievable form.
Other than KKR, teams like CSK, KXIP and RCB might go after Lynn.
Imagine the possibility of Gayle and Lynn opening together!
2. Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell seems to be one of the most wanted cricketers in the forthcoming auction. The reason is simple. Add consistency to the old hard-hitting Maxwell and one gets Maxwell 2.0. Maxwell has become just that in the last year and a half. He had a great stint in the Big Bash League and was in superb form in the Vitality Blast.
Maxwell’s base price has also been set by him at INR 2 Crore. After scoring a ton in the T20I against India in India and looking good in the series against Sri Lanka prior to taking a break, Maxwell might attract some big bids. Teams like SRH, KXIP and RCB might be interested in roping him in.
1. Pat Cummins
It is a known fact that although batsmen might make the game for the team, it is quite often that the bowlers decide the fate of the match as well as the team. In the absence of Mitchell Starc, his national teammate Pat Cummins is expected to be ‘the’ fast bowler that everyone would want to add in their squad.
Interestingly, he is one of the only 7 players to have listed his base price at INR 2 Crore. Cummins, along with raw pace, has an excellent bouncer and a perfect Yorker which makes him quite a difficult bowler to score against.
Can Cummins prove to be the game-changer in cricket’s biggest league next season? We shall find out.
RCB will desperately want him in their squad. Other teams like KKR, KXIP and DC might also want to bid for him.
Other players like Tom Banton, Jimmy Neesham, Eoin Morgan, Aaron Finch, Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy and Chris Woakes might also go on to become the most expensive overseas players in the upcoming IPL Auction.