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The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction for the 2020 season was held in Kolkata on Thursday. Star Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins was the most expensive buy at the auction, purchased by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs 15.5 crores. Another Australian, Glenn Maxwell, also went for an impressive price of Rs 10.75 crores to the Kings XI Punjab
While the auction did see some intense bidding, three-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings had a rather relaxed day, purchasing only four players. CSK are one of the most settled units in the T20 league, and had retained most of their key players suuch as Shane Watson, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Suresh Raina before the auctions itself. On Thursday, as the bidding war began, CSK decided to focus on their bowling department.
CSK came into the auction with a purse of 14.60 crores and spent 14.45 crores.
Here’s a closer look at CSK’s three big purchases during the IPL 2020 auction.
#1 Piyush Chawla (Rs 6.75 crores)
Veteran leg-spinner Piyush Chawla (base price Rs 1 crore), who is one of the most successful bowlers in the league, became the costliest Indian purchase as CSK bought him for Rs 6.75 crores. Chawla is fourth on the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in IPL, with 150 wickets in 157 matches at a strike rate of 20.82 and an average of 27.14.
After representing Kings XI Punjab from 2008 to 2013, a stint during which he was consistently among the wickets, Chawla was sold to KKR in 2014 for Rs 4.25 crores. While he claimed 14 wickets in his debut season for KKR, Chawla is most remembered for hitting a six and a four (winning runs) in the final against Kings XI Punjab.
The 30-year-old continued representing KKR, but had a poor 2019 edition, in which he managed only 10 wickets in 13 games. While KKR released him, CSK, it seems, remain confident in his abilities.
#2 Sam Curran (Rs 5.5 crores)
Although England all-rounder Sam Curran (base price Rs 1 crore) was released by Kings XI Punjab after just one season, he was expected to be picked for a good price again. KXIP purchased Curran for Rs 7.2 crores at the last IPL auction. He made 95 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 172.72, and claimed 10 wickets with the ball.
What has stood out in Curran’s short international career is his ability to perform under pressure. Indians will never forget how Curran frustrated them with both the bat and the ball in the Tests during the team’s last visit to England.
In the T20Is against New Zealand that recently ended, he kept chipping in with crucial breakthroughs. In his 69-match T20 career, the all-rounder has 838 runs at a strike rate of 130.93 and 63 wickets at a strike rate of 21.
#3 Josh Hazlewood (Rs 2 crores)
One must say CSK sprang a surprise of sorts by picking Australia’s line-and-length bowler Josh Hazlewood for his base price of Rs 2 crores. But then, considering CSK’s successful IPL streak, one is sure they would have their own reasons for the choice.
Hazlewood, currently out of action due to a hamstring injury, last played a T20I for Australia in March 2016. In his overall T20 career, he has only played a total of 30 games, in which he has claimed 37 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 18.7. At the 2018 auction, Hazlewood went unsold at a base price of Rs. 2 crores.
Often compared to the legendary Glenn McGrath, CSK might use Hazlewood as someone who can keep things tight at one end, and thus build up pressure.
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