IPL Auction 2020: One Batsman who each team must look to sign

IPL 2020 has become the talk of the town as just over 3 weeks remain for the auction which is scheduled to take place on December 19 in Kolkata. This will be the most important event for all the teams and they would have carefully planned for the event.

Each team would have a specific type of player who they're looking for and would already of a list of players who they should target at the auction. Some teams like the Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians were very active during the trade window and whipped their squad into shape ahead of the auction.

While some teams like CSK were very conservative in releasing their players, teams like KXIP, RCB, and RR have a lot of spots to be filled during the auction.

So on that note, let's take a look at one batsman who each team could target at the auction.

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Chennai Super Kings- Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis could be a good acquisition for CSK.

The Chennai Super Kings issued a huge statement ahead of the auction by holding on to some of their older players like Shane Watson and Harbhajan Singh. And while that sounds pretty confident, CSK does need an injection of youth. They need firepower at the top of the innings as both Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis failed to score well during the power play.

There have been rumors linking CSK with England opener Tom Banton but considering his recently acquired popularity, he's likely to go for a lot of money at the auction. CSK aren't a side who spend a lot of money on one particular player and hence could look to sign someone like Evin Lewis.

The southpaw has a great T20 record and has played in over 140 T20 matches scoring excess of 4000 runs at a good average of 30.57 and brilliant strike-rate of 142.86. He's a regular in the West Indies limited-overs setup and was the highest run-scorer in the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan.

The Caribbean opener was released by the Mumbai Indians ahead of the auction as he was surplus to their side. The 27-year old will be overshadowed by the other big names like Chris Lynn and is sure to cost less than the others. CSK can hence look to get him at a decent price and focus the remaining money elsewhere.

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Delhi Capitals- Eoin Morgan

Morgan is a great striker of the ball.

The Delhi Capitals were very active during the trade window and added ace Indian players Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin to their roster. They released a lot of overseas players and this included Chris Morris, Colin Ingram, and Colin Munro. They have a strong Indian batting line-up but lack a strong No.5 or middle-order batsman and must target England skipper Eoin Morgan at the auction.

Eoin Morgan has played in close to 280 T20s scoring more than 6100 runs at a good strike-rate of 131.37. He also led the Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10 League where he scored 175 runs in 6 matche at an astounding strike-rate of 186.17. He also finished as the second-highest run-scorer in the T20I series against New Zealand where he scored 192 runs from 5 matches averaging 48.00 at a strike-rate of 193.93

One of the most experienced T20 batsmen in the world, Morgan went unsold last season after setting himself a base price of ₹2 Crore. But his recent form and his exploits in the World Cup might result in huge bids for him at the auction. And the Capitals have a huge purse for this auction and can afford him.

He can play the role of both anchor and aggressor and is known for his great ball-striking abilities. He can provide both stability and firepower to the Delhi middle order and also adds value with his leadership skills and should be signed by Delhi.

Kings XI Punjab- JP Duminy

Duminy has played for Delhi and MI in the IPL.

Kings XI Punjab has gone for an overhaul ahead of IPL 2020 and chose to let go of skipper Ravichandran Ashwin along with other players like Andrew Tye, David Miller, and Sam Curran. As a result, they have the biggest budget ahead of the auction and can address all the issues they had last season. One of the main issues they had last season was the lack of a strong No.4 or No.5 batsman to hold the innings together and to play the big shots when required.

And one player tailor-made for them is JP Duminy. The Proteas batting all-rounder has rediscovered his form in T20s and is in great space ahead of the auction. He led the Winnipeg Hawks to victory in Global T20 Canada with 332 runs from just 8 games averaging 83.00 and at a strike-rate of 167.67. He also did well in CPL 2019 scoring 285 runs at a good strike-rate of 136.61.

He has scored more than 2000 runs in the IPL and was an integral part of the Delhi Capitals before featuring for MI in 2018 where he was underused. He went unsold in the 2019 auction but has a lot of chances of securing a huge bid this time around.

Kolkata Knight Riders- Tom Banton

Tom Banton made his national debut a few weeks back.

Tom Banton has been the talk of the town ever since CSK and MI expressed their desire to sign the young English batsman. The 21-year-old is sure to be hot property at the auction given that many teams lack good openers and need someone to provide them fiery starts. A team that's at the top of that list is KKR and they'll certainly look to sign someone like Banton.

Having released both Chris Lynn and Robin Uthappa ahead of the auction, KKR doesn't have an opener ahead of the auction and has the budget to make big buys.

Banton caught the eye of the cricketing fraternity with his tremendous performance in the Vitality T20 Blast. The Somerset batsman scored 549 runs from 13 matches averaging 42.23 at a brilliant strike-rate of 161.47. He made his national debut against New Zealand scoring 56 runs in 3 matches at a strike-rate of 164.70. He played for the Qalandars in the T10 League and scored 162 runs in just 5 games at a brilliant strike-rate of of 200.0

With a promising career ahead of him and a lot of runs on offer, the bidding is sure to be high for Tom Banton. But KKR desperately needs a fiery opener and they should go all out on him in the auction.

Mumbai Indians- David Miller

David Miller has an IPL hundred to his name. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Mumbai Indians look a solid side ahead of the auction and this is due to the smart signings they made in the trade window as well as the choices of players retained. With almost all spots covered, the one area where they seem to be lacking is the middle order. While the Pandya brothers and Kieron Pollard have managed to cover-up fairly well, they do need a specialist middle-order batsman and should target David Miller at the auction.

Miller was released by KXIP after a lackluster 2019 season where he could score only 213 runs from 10 matches at a strike-rate of 129.87 and just 1 half-century. But the Proteas batsman was a key part of the Punjab side since 2013 and has had a great IPL career so far.

He's a perfect middle-order batsman and a great finisher who can clear the boundary with ease. In addition to that, he's an excellent fielder and even if he can't get into the XI, he'll make a great 'Power Player' if that rule comes to the fore. Many teams need a player like Miller in their team and now that he's back in the auction pool, MI must target him and get him into their squad.

Rajasthan Royals- Robin Uthappa

Uthappa can do well for RR. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

RR traded skipper Ajinkya Rahane to the Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction. This now leaves them with a huge hole at the top of the order as they lack an experienced Indian batsman. A perfect replacement for Rahane would be Robin Uthappa who was released by KKR.

Uthappa's performance for KKR has deteriorated over the years but he remains a good option to choose. He scored 282 runs from 12 matches last season averaging a decent 31.33 but at a poor strike-rate of 115.10. The low strike-rate was mainly because of his batting position which kept switching between No.3 and No.4.

Uthappa has been doing well for his new side Kerala in the various domestic tournaments and boasts of an illustrious T20 career.

If RR signs him, he can open the batting alongside Jos Buttler and can replicate the success he got in IPL 2014. The slow, spin-friendly surface In Jaipur will suit his style of play well and signing him will provide RR with an experienced and strong batting order.

Royal Challengers Bangalore- Chris Lynn

Lynn is sure to sell for big bucks at the auction. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

RCB's need for a proper opener was evident last season as Kohli struggled to find his feet juggling between the opening and No.3 positions. With a rather huge purse, they'll be looking to get a strong opener, someone like Chris Gayle and one player they should have their eyes on is Chris Lynn. The Aussie opener was surprisingly released by KKR after a decent season with the bat and is sure to become a big target for all the teams.

He was the top run-scorer in the T10 League scoring a whopping 371 runs in just 8 matches at a mind-blowing strike-rate of 236.30 and was adjudged the Player of The Tournament.

With more still to come as he's to play for Brisbane Heat in the BBL, Lynn's form can just get better and better. This fiery opener is capable of playing monstrous innings and is similar to Chris Gayle in many ways.

While the bidding is sure to go high, RCB have been known to go to any extent to get the players they want and they should do so and get Chris Lynn into their team.

Sunrisers Hyderabad- Sam Billings

Sam Billings played just 1 game last season. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

SRH had the best opening partnership in the league but they weren't able to go far last season as they were overdependent on them last season. They didn't have a solid middle-order last season as neither Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan nor Deepak Hooda were able to score consistently. That's why SRH need to sign someone like Sam Billings to add a backup to their batting order and bolster their squad.

CSK released Sam Billings ahead of the auction as he was surplus in their squad and didn't have a role even as a backup player. But the versatile English batsman could add value to SRH as he's a very innovative batsman capable of making big scores. He has played in more than 150 T20 games scoring more than 3000 runs and has a penchant for finishing off games.

He is a talented T20 batsman who can double up as a wicket-keeper when required and can be a good backup option for SRH to buy at the auction.