IPL Auction 2020: 3 teams who will be looking to sign Indian batsmen

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is heading to our television screens within a few months but before that, all the franchises would have to build their team, fine-tune the edges and accordingly prepare a balanced squad in the upcoming auction.

The trade window closed on 14th November and so the teams announced their final list of the players whom they have released from their squads.

With a mega auction in front of all the franchises in 2021, they might not really look to go bonkers and spend a massive amount this time around. However, placing your hands over some local talents is always laudable and hence we would look forward to three teams who would be ideally looking to sign some Indian batsmen on the 19th of December.

#1 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Rahul Tripathi broke through the ranks in the 2017 edition of the IPL as he opened the batting for the Rising Pune Supergiant. However, he was moved to Rajasthan Royals in the next year and his impact deteriorated by a mile. One of the major reasons for the same was the fact that the Royals wasted his potential by using him in the middle-order and tried to shoehorn him into the role of a finisher. Tripathi’s major strength lies in carving the gaps to fetch boundaries and scoring the maximum number of runs in the field restriction overs.

Virat Kohli

The auction for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 is all set to be held on December 19 in Kolkata. Before that, all the eight franchises have announced their complete list of players released and retained. All the franchises will now be working on strategies to get things right at the auction so that they can spend their money right.

While the franchises were allotted Rs 82 crore each for the IPL 2019 season, Rs 85 crore has been allocated to each team for the 2020 season. The franchises will also have an additional purse of Rs 3 crore apart from the balance in their kitty, which will be carried forward from the last auction. The 2020 auction will be the last one before the franchises disband, and fresh squads will be assembled at the 2021 mega auction. This adds another interesting aspect to the bidding war this year.

Also see – Ranji Trophy points table

He is an impressive stroke-maker who doesn’t shy away from playing his shots against pacers either. The 28-year-old could be of good use for the RCB who might be on the lookout for some good batsmen after releasing a plethora of players.

Manjot Kalra is another player whom RCB could set their sights on. He was highly rated in the U19 circuit but was released by Delhi Capitals this season due to the sheer number of batting options that they have at their disposal currently. Kalra is a lucid stroke-player and could benefit from the conditions on offer at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

#2 Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians

Dhruv Shorey has been in a scintillating run of form in the domestic circuit but given the options that CSK had in their side, he didn’t receive an opportunity to prove his mettle for an extended run of time. Shorey too might be edging to move ahead, so that he can attain regular opportunities for some other side. Mumbai Indians have released Siddesh Lad too; who they didn’t provide with many chances either throughout his long association with the franchise.

Deepak Hooda is another player who Mumbai Indians can target in the upcoming auctions. They would want to beef up their middle-order options and Hooda, being the strong hitter of the ball that he is, would immensely benefit from the pitch and the stadium conditions in the Wankhede Stadium. He is a credible domestic player to bank on if the team would look to possess options for that particular position.

#3 Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab need a solid figure to lead their middle order and preferably have the ability to finish off the game with a high-scoring rate. Now, Hanuma Vihari might not really look like someone who can be extremely explosive in the end but he does possess a very radical style of play and can switch gears as the innings progresses.

The right-hander could be an ideal number four/five batsman for KXIP, and given the ultra-attacking nature of their openers, it would always be ideal to have someone with a bit of steel and flair both going down in the order.

Stuart Binny is someone who has fallen off the radar in recent times but he didn’t really have a disappointing season with the Rajasthan Royals last time around. In fact, his strike rate seems to have improved and he does have the sheer strength to clear the boundaries when required. Considering the wider and longer ground in Mohali, Binny could prove to be extremely effective if used well with both the bat and the ball.