IPL 2020: 4 foreign batsmen who could make their tournament debut with a huge contract
The Indian Premier League brings many surprises every year, with most of them being related to the price tags of fresh faces. The franchises are always keen to invest in players that can go on to become the backbones for them in the future, and to that end they take punts with young players.
But those punts don't always work out. Batsmen like David Warner and Chris Lynn went on to become mainstays of their respective teams, but others like D'Arcy Short and Moises Henriques didn't quite live up to the expectations.
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On that note, here is a list of four IPL newcomers that might earn big in the upcoming auction.
#4 Brandon King
The powerful Jamaican top-order batsman came into the limelight after the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League, where he finished as the leading run-getter with 496 from 12 matches including a big century (132 off 72 balls). In his T20 journey of 36 matches, the right-hander has scored 816 runs at a strike rate of around 134.
King also got an opportunity to represent the West Indies, although he didn't utilize that fruitfully. Despite his failure at the international level, the 25-year-old is expected to be picked for a hefty amount, given the flavor that Caribbean cricketers bring to the table.
#3 Janneman Malan
The young South African is an aggressive top-order batsman, who had a successful Mzansi Super League. Malan scored 358 runs from 9 matches, including 3 half-centuries, ultimately finishing as the second-highest run-getter.
The 23-year-old has scored over 1300 T20 runs at a strike rate of over 130. He also has two hundreds to his name. The IPL franchises would all want to have a consistent player like him on their side in the upcoming season of the T20 extravaganza.
#2 Cameron Delport
Cameron Delport is a South African cricketer who specializes in T20 cricket. He is a destructive batsman, having the experience of playing franchise cricket all around the world. In addition to that, he also bowls medium pace and can be utilized as an extra bowling option.
The 30-year-old has played 218 T20s where he has scored over 5000 runs at a strike rate of 140.
Delport was picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL auction last year but was unfortunate to warm the benches for the entire season and was subsequently released.
#1 Rassie van der Dussen
Rassie van der Dussen has marked his arrival in international cricket in style. He has used all his domestic experience to become South Africa's middle-order mainstay, taking over the role vacated by the retirement of AB de Villiers.
In his 14 outings in ODIs so far, the 30-year-old has scored over fifty runs in half of the games.
He has played over 100 T20s and has 3200 runs to his name at a strike rate of 130. The IPL franchises would look towards Van der Dussen for solidity, and try to rope him in to reinforce their middle order.