IPL 2020: 5 players who were unlucky to be released by their franchises

It was quite a busy start to the weekend in the context of the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) scheduled to take place next year. As all the teams confirmed their list of released and retained players, it also marked the beginning of the countdown for the IPL auction next month in Kolkata.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals, two teams which witnessed an awful season in 2019 looked to revamp their team by releasing most of the players who were an integral part of the team.

While most of the teams released players who didn't offer great returns in the last two seasons, there were a few surprise releases that didn't justify the logic. However, it might have happened considering the dynamics of this process of buying more players in the IPL auction.

Some of the players who were the key members for their side were also released and could be in major demand at the auction. With a host of players now released by the franchises, it will only offer more excitement in what was assumed to be a mini-auction at the onset.

Here's a look at 5 such players who didn't deserve to be released ahead of the player auction in December.

Also see - Live cricket score

---

#5 Sam Curran

Curran's performance couldn't retain his place in the team

The most expensive buy for the Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2019, Sam Curran made his first-ever IPL appearance with a high price-tag accompanying his profile. A lot was riding on the English all-rounder, with the Kings XI expecting him to deliver as per his reputation that helped him to earn such a hefty bid in the IPL auction.

To everybody's expectations, Curran played a decent hand in his maiden IPL outing in 2019. In nine matches for the franchise, the 22-year old played majorly as a bowler and managed to pick 10 wickets. He even displayed his ability to tonk the ball with a match-winning 55 against the Kolkata Knight Riders at Mohali.

Bowling for the first time in the Indian conditions that generally don't suit his style of bowling, Curran adapted well to bowl good lines while sticking to his strengths. His hat-trick against Delhi Capitals was one of the major highlights during his stint at Punjab for the very first time in the league.

Despite a decent season, he was released ahead of the auction next month. He would consider himself unucky even when he showed the promise to emerge as a real match winner for Kings XI.

#4 Piyush Chawla

Chawla's ouster from the team is quite astonishing

A warhorse in the IPL, Piyush Chawla was released by Kolkata Knight Riders, bringing an end to a six-year long association with the cricketer. Chawla, who first played for KKR in 2014, was a crucial part of the IPL winning team. In fact, he even scored the winning runs that helped KKR lift the trophy for the second time in three years.

It was quite a surprise to see the 30-year old released by only his second franchise in the IPL. In the seasons gone by, Chawla was taking up the tough job of bowling in the power play inside the first six overs. Though his wicket-taking abilities took a considerable dip, he still was one of the first-choice spinners for the Kolkata-based franchise along with Sunil Narine until last season.

Given that Chawla picked 10 wickets in the 13 games played last year that too on tracks with did not offer too much purchase for spinners, he did relatively well. However, KKR releasing him ahead of the auction could be quite harsh on him.

#3 Marcus Stoinis

Stonis was a real asset for RCB in IPL 2019

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis shifted from the Kings XI Punjab to Royal Challengers Bangalore prior to IPL 2019 in a pre-season trade between both the franchises. Stoinis, who's known for his blistering cameos with the bat apart from his contribution with some handy medium-pace was expected to play a vital role at RCB.

In 10 matches for the Virat Kohli-led side, Stoinis scored 211 runs at a nominal strike rate of 135.25 but picked up just two wickets in the limited opportunities he received with the ball in hand.

His major role to provide RCB with a cameo lower down the order didn't pan out as expected, but he did a decent enough job to be given another opportunity in the upcoming season. However, in the list of players released by RCB, Stoinis was a debatable name, since they will now need to invest big on a lower order big-hitter.

#2 Chris Morris

Morris' ability to deliver in the death is stil one of the best in the world

Chris Morris was a notable absentee from the list of retained players for Delhi Capitals this season. It came in as surprise after the South African all-rounder was released despite his good show last year for his franchise.

In nine matches for the Capitals, Morris accounted for 13 scalps in the entire season. Bowling the tough overs in the death, Morris formed a good partnership with Kagiso Rabada and was an imperative part of the Delhi setup. Though his ability to muster quick runs in the slog overs has taken a certain hit, he is still one of the most valued all-rounders in the T20 format.

The 32-year old would consider himself unlucky to be left out of the retained players list. However, it is highly possible that with his credentials over the past few years, Morris could earn quite a big contract from the IPL auctions.

#1 Chris Lynn

Lynn was a perfect match for KKR in the opening

One of the most shocking releases came from the Kolkata Knight Riders camp, given that they released Australian opener Chris Lynn, either due to inconsistent show last season or the fact that he was in the team with a heavy price tag.

Lynn, who was drafted into KKR as a specialist opener a few seasons back, had a relatively below-par season as per his own standards in IPL 2019. One of the three retained players in IPL 2018, Lynn was supposed to form the core along with Andre Russell and Sunil Narine for the Karthik-led side in 2018.

Although Lynn scored 405 runs from 13 matches at a strike rate of 139.65 in IPL 2019, he was slightly off his mark throughout the tournament, and was not in the best of form. However, given the fact that Lynn formed a good alliance with Narine at the top, he could have been retained by KKR.