IPL 2020: Most significant foreign pick for each franchise

As the Indian Premier League is approaching, the excitement of seeing the mix of Indian and foreign cricketers playing together is increasing. Every year the IPL teams bank upon their foreign players to get what the Indian mix couldn't provide. Some get lucky to bag them for a bargain price while some of them are forced to go over budget due to the auction pressure.

After all these years, players like Chris Gayle, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, David Warner, Andre Russell, and many more have raised their game by a notch or two after joining the new teams. Here is a list of one player from each franchise, who can be influential in the upcoming IPL season.

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#1 Sam Curran (Chennai Super Kings)

Can Curran rise for CSK in 2020

Chennai Super Kings got the better of the bid-war against Delhi Capitals to get the services of Sam Curran for INR 5.5 crores. The English all-rounder made his IPL debut last year for Kings XI Punjab and his more than decent performances earned him a contract for the upcoming season as well. The 21-year-old cricketer took a match-winning hat-trick against DC last year that gained him limelight. Curran can swing the new ball and partnering him with Deepak Chahar might turn out to be fruitful for CSK. Furthermore, he has yorkers and slower cutters in his armoury which can be useful in the death overs, especially at the slow wicket of Chepauk.

Also see – IPL Players List

The Englishman can also strike the ball coming lower down the order at 6 or 7, and extends the CSK batting order with Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja already performing that job. MS Dhoni loves to have plenty of bowling options and it will be interesting to see if he can slot in Sam Curran in the XI on a regular basis.

#2 Shimron Hetmyer (Delhi Capitals)

Hetmyer scored only 90 runs from 5 matches last season

Shimron Hetmyer is probably the most suitable pick for Delhi Capitals (DC) after an ordinary show by their middle-order last season. DC lost matches that they should have won as they failed to pace the game in overs 7-15. The West Indian batsman was roped-in by the Delhi-based franchise for a whopping INR 7.75 crores and the amount displays their desperation to correct the things from the past.

The 23-year-old made his IPL debut last year, but after a forgettable outing, Royal Challengers Bangalore released him from their set up. The southpaw, on a recent tour to India, grabbed attention once again by leading his side to a win in the ODI match by scoring 139 off just 106 balls to help them chase a target of 288. Going by the combination of DC, Hetmyer is expected to be slotted at either 4 or 5 to strengthen their middle-order.

#3 Glenn Maxwell (Kings XI Punjab)

Glenn Maxwell helped KXIP reach the finals in 2014

Kings XI Punjab got hold of their old friend, Glenn Maxwell for a jaw-dropping INR 10.75 after a tussle against the Delhi Capitals at the auction. Though the Punjab-based franchise had an extraordinary top-order last season, they struggled a lot to finish the games on a high note as they overly relied on the likes of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle.

They lacked a quality batsman who can tonk the ball in the final phase of the innings. In addition to that, their struggle for an extra bowling option was evident as they had to go to Mandeep Singh for a bowl in a game. Glenn Maxwell is the answer to both of their weaknesses from the past season. The Australian all-rounder is in exquisite touch with the bat in the ongoing edition of the Big Bash League and will reinforce the KXIP middle-order.

#4 Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Cummins picked 15 wickets from 12 matches in his last season

The Australian fast bowler is currently the best Test bowler in the world and the biggest ever overseas buy in the history of IPL. Pat Cummins was in the wishlist of many and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) perhaps pushed their pocket limits to grab him for a gigantic amount of INR 15.5 crores.

They struggled with the ball in the last season with a considerably inexperienced Indian attack having Shivam Mavi, Prasidh Krishna, and Sandeep Warrier. Their overseas arsenal too was unable to step up due to which KKR leaked plenty of runs at the death. The 25-year-old bowler made his debut in the IPL for KKR way back in 2014 before moving to Delhi-based franchise in 2017. He missed the last two seasons due to injury and workload concerns. He will be hungry to perform in his comeback.

#5 Chris Lynn (Mumbai Indians)

Aussie Lynn has the highest score of 93* in the IPL

Mumbai Indians (MI) looked ecstatic when they got hold of the Australian T20 beast at his base price of INR 2 crores after Kolkata Knight Riders surprisingly released him ahead of the auction, which is being considered as one of the best deals. MI is power-packed in the middle with Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, and Krunal Pandya and the addition of Chris Lynn in the top-order will take the pressure off of Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock.

The 29-year has scored 1380 runs in his IPL career so far at a staggering strike rate of 140, and he has been a regular feature in the playing XI from the past two seasons. Chris Lynn is known for dominating in the powerplays and the batting paradise of Wankhede might just turn out to be the best launchpad for him to take off for the 4-time IPL champions.

#6 Tom Curran (Rajasthan Royals)

Tom Curran went unsold in the first round of auctions

The elder of the Curran brothers was bagged by Rajasthan Royals at his base price of INR 1 crore. For someone possessing the kind of skills he has, Tom Curran is one of the most underrated T20 bowlers currently. He has the T20 weapons like steaming yorkers and slower balls up his sleeve, which he puts to good use. Not only good with the ball, but the English cricketer also contributes with his bat lower down the order and is a brilliant fielder as well.

Tom Curran had a forgettable outing in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018 where he picked wickets from 5 games at a very expensive economy of 11.6. Having said that, he has come miles from then on, playing T20 cricket all around the world. Partnering him and Jofra Archer can make a deadly combo whenever the opportunity comes as the Royals have a settled overseas group to feature in the XI.

#7 Chris Morris (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Chris Morris made his IPL debut in 2013

After all the struggles with their combinations in the playing XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore have finally stumbled upon a reliable fast-bowling all-rounder. They bagged Chris Morris for INR 10 crores after being challenged by Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians at the auction.

Morris is a very capable bowler at the death and has been doing the job for South Africa and his former IPL team Delhi Capitals for years. In addition to that, he can muscle the ball out of the park and has all that it takes to be a genuine all-rounder. The South African cricketer has picked 69 wickets from 61 IPL games at an economy of just under 8. In the limited opportunities that he gets with the bat, Morris has scored over 500 runs at an average of 27 striking at 157 with the highest score of unbeaten 82.

#8 Mitchell Marsh (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Mitchell Marsh should bring balance to SRH's side

The Australian all-rounder was roped-in by the Sunrisers Hyderabad at his base price of INR 2 crores. Mitchell Marsh will be making a return to the IPL after 4 long years after being a part of Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016. Though he doesn't have the big numbers to show, he will be crucial as a middle-order batsman and an extra bowling option in the upcoming edition of IPL.

SRH was unfortunate to miss out on Shakib-Al Hasan due to a 2-year ban and the release of Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda created a hole in their batting order. Mitchell Marsh can just fit in at 5 or 6 to give them firepower when needed as their overseas quota seems to be complete with Jonny Bairstow, David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Rashid Khan. The 28-year-old cricketer is in good batting form in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) and is the current captaining the Perth Scorchers.