IPL 2019: 3 teams who should acquire Anton Devcich

The IPL auction ,2019 is fast approaching and the T20 specialists around the world are seeking a spot in the best T20 league in the world.

All the teams have already announced their retained players and have parted ways with those not fitting in their scheme of things anymore. In the upcoming auction, fresh faces and old stalwarts will be pooled together for a few places in the eight teams.

One name that will be eager to showcase its talent in the IPL is New Zealand’s all-rounder Anton Devcich. The bearded cricketer has developed himself into a T20 freelancer, an option many of the New Zealand cricketers are opting for in recent times. Devcich has already been a part of the Pakistan Super League, the Caribbean Premier League, the Global T20 and the Afghanistan Premier League.

The 33-year old has been successful in these leagues, and his performances have improved with him growing wiser. Devcich holds the experience of 122 T20 matches in which he has scored 2663 runs with 18 half-centuries at a strike rate of 132.

In the limited opportunities with the ball, he has snared 62 wickets with his left-arm spin at an economy rate of 7.24. Being a live-wire in the field, Devcich can contribute in all three departments. Here are the three teams who will be stronger with Anton Devcich in the squad.

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#3 Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils

The Delhi franchise had a disastrous campaign in 2018. The team won only one match from its first six encounters. It resulted in Gautam Gambhir stepping down as the captain and Shreyas Iyer being promoted as the leader. Rishabh Pant’s pyrotechnics and Prithvi Shaw’s brilliant debut season were the highlights for Delhi Daredevils, but they still ended at the last position in the league phase.

For the upcoming season, DD released 10 of their players and now have three overseas players spots that can be filled in the auction. One of these spots can be used to acquire Anton Devcich. The New Zealand all-rounder can cover the areas where the Daredevils need help.

The Daredevils struggled this year due to a lack of big hitter in the end overs. Vijay Shankar could not quite perform as expected and was released by the franchise. Devcich can come in handy in such situations where the team needs acceleration in the death overs. He will add value with his part-time spin as well.

#2 Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab

Another franchise that has not yet lifted the IPL trophy for the last 11 years is Kings XI Punjab. With a new captain at the helm of affairs and a strong Indian batting lineup, KXIP built a remarkable winning streak of five matches from the first six matches. Their form tapered, and they ultimately ended at the seventh position marking another season failure.

The performance forced the franchise to have a hard look at themselves, and they have released as many as 11 players from their squad. KXIP sent off Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis and Ben Dwarshuis and presently have space for four overseas players that they can add for IPL 2019.

At KXIP, Anton Devcich will be effective in adding depth to the batting order. Punjab does not have a lower order all-rounder who can smash the opposition's bowlers. He can be the big-hitter that KXIP desires and will be a beneficial spin option alongside Ashwin and Mujeeb.

#1 Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals

For IPL 2019, Rajasthan Royals released 10 players. These include the high-profile buys like Jaydev Unadkat, D’Arcy Short and Heinrich Klaasen. This allows space for RR to buy three more overseas players in the upcoming auction. With these reinforcements, they will be hoping to taste success in the next season.

In their current team formation, Rajasthan Royals have quite a few seam all-rounder options but in terms of spin, they have only one. Krishnappa Gowtham was bought for 6.2 crores and is a spin option who has won his team matches with his batting skills also. Anton Devcich will compliment Gowtham if selected by the Royals.

Devcich will be the left-handed batsman batting down the order who can clear the ground when needed. His left-arm spin will provide a fresh dimension to the Rajasthan Royals bowling lineup. Buying Anton Devcich imparts depth to both the batting unit and the bowling attack and will be an interesting addition to the IPL.