IPL 2020 auction: 5 top buys from 2019 who might be released by their franchises

The IPL 2020 auction is set to be held in Kolkata on 19 December, and the trading window will close on 14 November. In the biggest development during the build-up to the auction, it has been confirmed that last year’s Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin is being traded to Delhi Capitals for IPL 2020.

It is to be noted that this year's auction will be the last one before the franchises disband. The 2021 auction will be a mega one, where fresh squads will be created from scratch.

The 2019 auction saw a mix of domestic Indian cricketers and foreign names being among the top buys. However, very few of them could produce the desired results. As such, there is a chance that a lot of the players who earned big in the IPL 2019 auction might be released by their respective franchises.

In this feature, we look at five top buys from the 2019 auction who could be playing for a different franchise in 2020, and perhaps at a lower price .

#5 Varun Chakravarthy

Kings XI Punjab’s decision to purchase a relatively unknown Varun Chakaravarthy for a massive Rs 8.4 crore made him an overnight sensation.

At the time he was picked in the auction, Chakaravarthy had played only one first-class match an nine List A games. However, he was highly impressive in the Tamil Nadu Prenier League, where his variations troubled many opponents.

Shockingly though, Chakaravarthy ended up playing just one match for Punjab. He was taken apart by Kolkata Knight Riders, conceding 35 runs in his three overs.

All the hype and hoopla around the promising leggie was forgotten soon as Kings XI Punjab were left to rue a choice that probably wasn’t well thought out.

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