IPL Auction 2020: 5 all rounders that the Royal Challengers Bangalore could have bought instead of Chris Morris

In the recently concluded IPL 2020 Auction, the Royal Challengers Bangalore made 8 new additions to their squad. Having let go of 12 players before the auction, they definitely had a task ahead of them at the auction table.

Out of the 8 buys that they made on 19th December, Chris Morris was by far the most expensive buy that the RCB managed. With the winning bid of Rs 10 crores, RCB have shown immense faith in Morris's abilities. The only concern, however, has to be his recent form.

Morris was released after a disappointing season with the Delhi Capitals in 2019, where he could neither control the flow of runs in the death, nor could he make any real impact with the ball. To add to this, Morris lately has not been a regular in the South African squad and finds himself struggling to cement his place in the playing XI.

That being said, Morris's stats in the IPL ever since his debut season with the Chennai Super Kings in 2013 have been nothing short of impressive. Having played 61 matches in the IPL, Morris has 69 wickets at an economy of 7.99 and has also made 517 runs in 39 innings with the bat, giving him a handy average of 27.21. While a player of his skill set would no doubt fit right into this RCB unit, one would wonder if RCB made the right choice to go as far as to bid a whopping 10 crore rupees in order to get him into the team. Pat Cummins was clearly RCB's first choice all rounder as they went up to Rs. 15.25 crores while bidding for him, until they were outbid by KKR.

Despite Morris's recent slump, there's no doubt in his ability to contribute with both bat and ball. The only question is, will he really justify the massive pay check that RCB are about to write him?

Here are 5 alternatives that RCB could have gone for, who would've been lighter on the pocket!

#1 Jimmy Neesham

Jimmy Neesham

The quirky all-rounder from New Zealand is famous for far more than just his social media. After a great World Cup campaign in 2019, Neesham hasn't looked back and has been a real asset to the New Zealand international side.

A handy bowler who can control the flow of runs in the middle overs as well as don different roles with the bat in the middle order, Neesham did not have the payday that most people would have expected him to have.

While his stats in the T20 format are not worth boasting about either for the Black Caps or in the IPL, everyone is aware of the balance he can bring to the side he plays for. Despite him having a bowling economy of over 10 and a batting average of just 14 in the IPL, the fact that he has played just 4 matches needs to be considered. With time, he could have proven to be one of the main players of the team; and yes, of course, RCB could have gotten him for much cheaper than what they got Morris for.

#2 Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan

The English all-rounder, Chris Jordan, has already been a part of the RCB set up when he was brought in for the 9th edition of the IPL in 2016. He was part of the RCB unit that won 9 straight games to go from 7th place to 2nd and enter the finals that year.

His performances with the ball in that season were abysmal and he didn't get to bat much thanks to the season that Virat Kohli was having in 2016. But since then, the Barbados born English cricketer has improved a lot.

The 31-year-old, who has been known for bowling tight overs in the death, doesn't have much experience in the IPL, having just played 11 matches. However, he does have 54 wickets for England in just 43 matches and has also been known to hit the ball hard.

RCB did try to get him into their squad, but due to the money already spent on getting Morris and Finch, they were outbid by KXIP who eventually got him for Rs 3 Crores.

#3 Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis didn't have too much of an opportunity to bring out the 'Hulk celebration' in IPL 2019, while he was with the Royal Challengers. As a result, he was released from the squad and eventually went on to be bought by the Delhi Capitals, who got him for Rs 4.8 crores.

Despite having a mediocre couple of years with the Kings XI Punjab and RCB in 2018 and 2019 respectively, there is no doubt in Stoinis's ability as an all rounder. The big Aussie has done well for both Australia as well as his BBL team, the Melbourne Stars. In fact he has even opened for the Stars and performed well, which showcases his versatility as an all rounder.

The 30-year-old has been known to tonk the ball a long way and also chip in with some valuable overs that can take the load off of other bowlers who may be having a bad day. Considering that he was traded in from KXIP for the 2019 season, RCB could have chosen to extend a longer rope to Stoinis who would've still costed them less than Morris did.

#4 Jason Holder

Jason Holder

The 28-year-old Caribbean all-rounder found himself with no bids on the day of the auction. Not many would have really seen this coming, especially after Holder led the Barbados Tridents to victory in the 2019 edition of the Caribbean Premier League.

A cricketer who is more than handy with the ball, Holder has proven he can bowl any time in the game, be it the 1st over or the 20th. Apart from that, he is also a valuable middle-order batsman to have on your side who can rotate the strike and maybe even hit a few boundaries.

While he has not been given enough opportunities in the IPL, the former West Indian skipper definitely has all the makings of a good fast bowling all-rounder. Considering that no other team expressed interest in him during the auction, RCB could have made the most out of the situation and could've added him to their squad with just one bid.

#5 Sam Curran

Sam Curran

The young all-rounder from England made headlines in the last IPL auction as he went on to be bought by KXIP for a whopping Rs. 7.2 Crores. While Sam Curran didn't have the season that KXIP would have wanted him to have, we did see a glimpse of why he's rated as highly as he is.

The 21-year-old from Surrey had a few moments of glory in the 2019 edition of the IPL as he went on to take a hat trick against the Delhi Capitals and also hit a few balls out of the park batting in the middle order. In fact, he even opened the batting in a few matches and performed well in the absence of Chris Gayle. What stood out was his ability to swing the ball to deceive batsmen, despite the fact that he didn't have the raw pace that most teams look for nowadays.

Given the fact that he was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings for Rs. 5.5 Crores, he could have been a great option for RCB to have and would've come for cheaper than Chris Morris.