IPL 2020: 3 players that could be bought back by their last franchise
The IPL franchises have to optimize the strength of their squad keeping in mind the purse they have available. That may not sound too difficult but amid the pressure of the auction, they can easily go over-budget in their desperation to rope in their target cricketers.
There are situations where franchises try to buy back their released players in order to get them at a cheaper price or considering their recent rise in form. Here are three players from this year's draft that are likely to be bought back by their last year's franchises.
#3 Chris Lynn
Since his arrival in the IPL, Chris Lynn has been the backbone of Kolkata Knight Riders' top order. For his ruthless batting displays at the top, the Australian batsman was rewarded last year as KKR retained him for a hefty amount of INR 9.6 crore.
But this time around the Kolkata-based franchise have released the 29-year-old opener, perhaps in an attempt to widen their purse. Going by his red-hot form in the T10 league in UAE, it won't be a surprise if they try to get Lynn back at a cheaper price.
#2 Sam Curran
The English all-rounder was roped in by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping INR 7.2 crore during the IPL auction last year. Punjab invested big in him due to the lack of balance in their squad, which consisted of many one-dimensional players.
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As far as the IPL 2020 auction is concerned, releasing Curran might have been a move made with a view to re-buy him at a reasonable price.
KXIP have the highest purse of all the franchises; they would want to use it judiciously to bring balance to their squad. And Curran could help in that greatly.
#1 Shimron Hetmyer
After the end of a bidding war between Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore snatched Hetmyer away by coming up with the highest bid of INR 4.2 crore.
But he failed to fulfill the expectations, and RCB releasing him seemed inevitable. Hetmyer scored only 90 runs from five matches in the 2019 edition, 75 of which came in a single game.
The West Indian southpaw now seems to have turned the tables around; his recent heroics against India on their ongoing tour have caught everyone's eye. Keeping that in mind, RCB could well try to get hold of him once again.