IPL 2020: 3 debutants who can make an impact
IPL 2020 will begin on 29th March as all the eight teams will try to give their best and win the elusive trophy. The IPL Auction for the 13th IPL season happened in December 2019. Pat Cummins stole the limelight by becoming the most expensive overseas signing in IPL history. Glenn Maxwell and Chris Morris also earned mega contracts in the auction.
Apart from the regular names, there were also a lot of new players who entered the auction. While a majority of the newbies went unsold in the auction, there were a few players who came into the auction after some impressive performances hence, they earned their maiden IPL contract.
Here’s a look at the three debutants who can make the maximum impact in IPL 2020.
#3 Sheldon Cottrell - Kings XI Punjab
The left-arm fast bowler from West Indies, Sheldon Cottrell, will garner a lot of attention in IPL 2020 as he was one of the top performers of the 2019 World Cup. The 30-year-old has achieved little success in Tests, but he has been phenomenal in the T20 format.
Cottrell has featured in 86 T20s where he has scalped 121 wickets at a strike rate of 15.40. His wicket-taking abilities have helped his teams win several matches. Besides, he has an economy rate of 7.43 which shows that he does not leak runs.
The Jamaican player has taken 2 four-wicket hauls in T20 cricket and he will form a partnership with the in-form Mohammed Shami at Kings XI Punjab. Thus, Cottrell could emerge as a match-winner for the Mohali-based franchise.
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#2 Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore - Chennai Super Kings
After troubling the batsmen with his left-arm spin in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore will look to carry forward his good form in IPL 2020. Making it to the match squad of Chennai Super Kings will be a big challenge for the youngster as the squad has two international left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner in the team.
If Sai Kishore gets an opportunity to prove himself, then he could wreak havoc in the world's biggest T20 league. His numbers in T20 cricket back the aforementioned claim. In the 22 T20s he has played, the Chennai-based player has taken 25 wickets while giving away runs at an economy rate of just 5.45.
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His best figures of 4/6 reflect the high-quality skills that he possesses. Sai Kishore played a match-winning role for Tamil Nadu in the 2019-20 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and, in case he plays regularly for MS Dhoni's side, he can play the same role for CSK.
#1 Tom Banton - Kolkata Knight Riders
Although there were no bidding wars for Tom Banton in the IPL Auction 2020, the cricket universe cannot rule out the fact that he promises to be the best debutant of this year’s IPL. Banton made a name for himself playing in the English T20 competitions and later, he carried on his fine form in the Big Bash League.
The opening batsman has played 26 innings in T20 cricket where he has amassed 870 runs at an average of 34.80. His strike rate of 160.22 shows his destructiveness while the right-handed batsman has showcased his consistency by hitting one century and seven fifties in the T20 arena thus far.
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It will be intriguing to see if Kolkata Knight Riders include him in their playing XI right from the start or not. But, Banton will look to capitalize on the golden opportunity of playing in the IPL.