IPL 2020 auction: 4 players who can replace Sam Curran at Kings XI Punjab
At INR 7.2 crore, Sam Curran was the costliest overseas recruit of 2019 IPL. Kings XI Punjab signed the 21-year-old all-rounder after a long and intense bidding war with Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Curran, who played nine matches for Ravichandran Ashwin's men last season, managed 95 runs apart from picking up 10 wickets - which included a sensational hat-trick against Delhi Capitals at Mohali. The talented Englishman finished with figures of 4/11 in that game and turned the tide in his team's favour with that fiery spell.
He also proved his worth with the bat, scoring 55* off just 24 balls at home against Kolkata Knight Riders.
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Considering all of this, it was surprising to see Curran being released ahead of the auction by Kings XI Punjab. The franchise needs major reinforcements ahead of IPL 2020 now that they are without a player like Curran.
Let us look at four quality all-rounders who can replace Curran at Kings XI Punjab for the 13th edition of IPL.
#4 David Willey
David Willey began his IPL career with the Chennai Super Kings after coming in as a replacement for the injured Indian all-rounder Kedar Jadhav during the 2018 season. Despite playing just three games in Season 11 for MS Dhoni's men, Willey was retained for the 2019 edition - which he ended up missing due to personal reasons.
The Englishman was eventually released ahead of the 2020 auction. An ideal T20 player, the left-arm fast-medium bowler is equally good with the bat, having amassed 2695 T20 runs at a strike-rate of 139.78 which includes 11 half-centuries and two centuries in 185 appearances.
The 29-year-old, who narrowly missed out on a 2019 World Cup spot, was England's highest wicket-taker during the 2016 World T20 held in India, with 10 wickets. The vastly experienced Willey, who played for Delhi Bulls in the recently concluded Abu Dhabi T10 league, is capable of troubling the batsman with his pace, angle and accuracy.
With his power-hitting and left-arm bowling, the Englishman could be an ideal replacement for his fellow countryman Curran at Kings XI Punjab. Having proved his worth in T20 leagues like Big Bash League and Vitality Blast, the Northampton-born player will be hoping to make a mark in IPL as well - which unfortunately he couldn't during his stay at Chennai Super Kings.