IPL Auction 2020: One player each team should have retained

The preparations for IPL 2020 are going on in full swing as the teams have announced the list of retained players and those who will head back to the auction pool. The trade window closed on November 15 and it witnessed a lot of action with big names like Ajinkya Rahane, R Ashwin and Trent Boult changing camps.

With a lot of big names released and many set to join them in the auction pool, IPL 2020 Auction is set to be a huge affair. But even before the auction, teams must look at the names they could target to fill the void left by released players.

While most of the players released had underperformed or didn't fit in, few players shouldn't have been released.

On that note, let's take a look at one player from each team who shouldn't have been released.

Also see - IND vs WI schedule 2019

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Chennai Super Kings- David Willey

Willey should've been retained.

Chennai Super Kings head into the auction with a decent purse and very few spots to be filled. They released three overseas players, Sam Billings, Scott Kuggeleijn and David Willey. CSK had good reason to release Billings and Kuggeleijn; Billings didn't have a place in the side and Kuggeleijn was just a replacement for Lungi Ngidi. But David Willey didn't have anything against him and should have been retained.

Willey played just three games for the Super Kings, all in 2018. He picked up just 2 wickets and was used sparingly by MS Dhoni. But outside of the IPL, Willey's stats in T20s are brilliant. Willey is a good opening bowler and a powerful batsman who even has a T20 hundred to his name. He has been a key part of the national T20I side and possesses enormous T20 experience from playing in leagues all around the world.

Yes, he missed IPL 2019 due to the birth of his child. But that doesn't mean he should be released, especially since CSK need an all-rounder like Willey in their side.

CSK don't have a proper all-rounder as DJ Bravo has lost his flair with the bat and isn't doing so well with the ball as well. In fact, the big shots have been missing from the No 6 and No 7 batsmen in the team. It was one of the major issues for CSK last season.

Also, CSK don't have a single left-arm seamer in their side and Willey, who is excellent in the powerplay, could've been a great partner for Deepak Chahar.

With many other ageing players in the side not being released, it makes no sense to release a proven T20 performer.

Delhi Capitals- Chris Morris

Morris is a great fielder. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Delhi Capitals enjoyed a brilliant IPL 2019 and have been brimming with enthusiasm throughout the trade window. Capitals acquired the services of R Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane for the upcoming season and traded out four players. In addition to this, they released a host of players including Colin Munro, Colin Ingram, and Chris Morris.

Had Trent Boult been retained, this would've been fine. With him traded to MI, DC seem understaffed when it comes to the pace bowling department as they have only Keemo Paul and Kagiso Rabada. Death bowlers are sure to become hot property at the auction and Delhi have to pay a big sum to get another death bowler anyway.

Chris Morris has been an integral part of the Capitals' setup and has been brilliant with the ball for them sometimes contributing with the bat too. The Proteas pacer had a pretty decent 2019 season picking up 13 wickets from 9 matches and did nothing wrong. With such a great track record, it's weird to see a player like him getting released.

He performed very well in the Vitality T20 Blast for Hampshire and is now doing well in the Mzanzi Super League. Morris is one of the best T20 bowlers in the game and he has shown that on a lot of occasions. Even if they're planning to buy him back at the auction, there are a lot of chances that they might end up paying a lot more than they initially did.

DC should've held on to Morris and saved themselves the job of hunting down another death bowler.

Kings XI Punjab- Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

After another dour season, Kings XI Punjab went for a revamp, letting go of nine players ahead of the auction including skipper R Ashwin. This list included Sam Curran, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and IPL 2018's Purple Cap winner Andrew Tye. KXIP were justified in releasing the Aussie pacer as he had a poor 2019 season picking up just 3 wickets from 6 matches at a poor economy rate.

But they must have practised some patience because Tye has impressed in all the other T20 leagues. He has picked up 194 wickets from just 142 T20 matches and is a real T20 specialist. Currently undergoing rehab after an elbow surgery, Tye did very well in the Vitality T20 Blast and was a key figure in the Australian T20I setup.

Also, Punjab doesn't have another death bowler in the side and should fight it out among the other teams to sign one. His variations and slower ones have always deceived the batsmen and Punjab should've held on to him as he could have changed their season as he did in 2018.

Kolkata Knight Riders- Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn is a great striker of the ball. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

One of the most baffling decisions ahead of the auction was Kolkata Knight Riders releasing Chris Lynn. The Aussie opener was released by the franchise along with big names like Robin Uthappa and Carlos Brathwaite. But while KKR had good reason to release Uthappa and Brathwaite, their decision to release Lynn is a potential blunder.

Chris Lynn performed pretty well at the top for KKR scoring 405 runs in 13 matches at a healthy strike-rate of 139.65 and an average of 31.15. He was the one who often made the runs for KKR at the top as both Narine and Uthappa looked out of form last season.

Outside of the IPL, Lynn's stats in T20s are even better. He was a key part of the Winnipeg Hawks who won the title and scored 295 runs from just 7 matches at an astounding strike-rate of 186.70. In the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, he scored an unbeaten 91 off just 30 balls showcasing his tremendous hitting abilities. He's a very experienced T20 player and has scored more than 4400 runs in 155 innings and has a great career strike-rate of 141.96.

With an impressive T20 record and a decent showing last season, there seems to be no basis for KKR's decision to release Lynn. They certainly don't need to look for an alternative as his performances have been more than satisfactory.

Even if it was for acquiring him for a cheaper price than what they initially bought him for (₹9.6 Crore), there are a lot of chances for the bidding to exceed that amount. This is a league in which even inexperienced and often unknown players go for big money, if proven performers like Lynn feature in the auction, the bidding is sure to be high.

Let's just hope that KKR does manage to get this quality opener back, how much ever it may cost them.

Mumbai Indians- Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis is a tremendous striker of the ball. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Of all the 8 teams, it's the defending champions who look the strongest ahead of the auction. By acquiring Sherfane Rutherford, Trent Boult and Dhawal Kulkarni in the trade window, Mumbai Indians have addressed all the holes in their side and let go of some bench-warmers ahead of the auction. If we have to find a flaw in their rather solid unit, they probably should have held on to Evin Lewis.

Bought by MI in 2018, the Caribbean player had a decent IPL 2018 before Quinton de Kock took his place. He got just 3 opportunities in 2019 and batted out of position and that was the reason for his poor tally of runs. Indeed, he doesn't have a place in the starting XI but MI doesn't seem to have a backup for the opening slot.

Lewis is in brilliant form for both country and the various franchises which he plays for in T20 leagues and was brilliant in CPL 2019 scoring 265 runs at a strike-rate of 149.61.

He'll surely be sought after by some team at the auction who'll need an explosive opener at the top.

Rajasthan Royals- Ajinkya Rahane

Rahane even scored a hundred last season. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Rajasthan Royals have opted to start fresh ahead of next season as they traded skipper Ajinkya Rahane to the Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction. Jaydev Unadkat, Oshane Thomas and Ashton Turner were the other players to be released while Krishnappa Gowtham and Dhawal Kulkarni were traded to KXIP and MI respectively.

Head Coach Andrew McDonald announced that Steve Smith would lead RR in IPL 2020 but RR has made a mistake in trading Ajinkya Rahane out.

Rahane did pretty well in IPL 2019 scoring 393 runs in 14 matches at a pretty impressive strike-rate of 137.89. Yes, his captaincy was shoddy but that doesn't necessarily mean that he should be traded. India's Test Vice-captain is in the form of his life and while that doesn't guarantee runs in the IPL, it's a good morale-booster for him.

Now that he's out, the team has no experienced Indian player in the batting lineup and to find someone at the auction will be very tough. RR trading Rahane out was a needless move and one which they could regret.

Royal Challengers Bangalore- Shimron Hetmyer

This knock should've convinced RCB to hold onto him. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Royal Challengers Bangalore is one of those sides which hasn't flourished at the auction and they'll look to turn a new leaf this season. They released a lot of players ahead of the auction but one surprising name on the list was Shimron Hetmyer.

Hetmyer was bought by RCB for a sum of ₹4.2 Crore at the 2019 auction. The Guyanese youngster made a name for himself by scoring well against India in 2018. But he didn't have a great IPL season and scored just 15 runs in his first 4 games before being dropped. If he was released right after this no-show, RCB would've made the right call.

But Hetmyer was given an opportunity in the last match of the season and scored 75 runs from just 47 balls against SRH winning RCB the game. That innings showcased his ball-striking prowess and RCB should've held on to the 22-year-old and groomed him well.

This combined with the solid outings for his country after the IPL should've kept him in the RCB squad but the side opted not to hold on to him.

The southpaw is a great striker of the ball and can go big right from ball one. RCB doesn't have that much power in their middle order and it'd be hard to get someone like Hetmyer at the auction and they must have held on to him.

Sunrisers Hyderabad- Deepak Hooda

Hooda could've added more value to SRH this season. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Sunrisers Hyderabad went about their business very quietly releasing just 5 players ahead of the auction and one of the expected names on the list was Deepak Hooda. But with Shakib Al Hasan out of the season after getting banned, releasing Hooda seems to be an iffy choice. He is slowly peaking and has been performing well for his state team as well as in other domestic tournaments.

After an initial stint with RR, Hooda has spent 4 seasons with SRH, each one worse than the previous. With just 64 runs from 11 matches, it was clear that his time was over and SRH releasing him doesn't raise any eyebrows.

But the reason why he couldn't make too many runs was that he was used more as a filler in the side and not given a prominent batting chance. He has impressed a lot in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and showcased his big-hitting abilities and his capability with the ball.

With Yusuf Pathan released, Hooda might have gotten more of a batting chance had he been retained and while it wasn't a wrong call, it shouldn't be a surprise if Hooda is picked by another team and he performs for them.