IPL 2020 - Rating the all-rounders of all 8 teams
The IPL Auction witnessed exhilarating bidding wars among the franchises to fill in their remaining slots and build a dependable squad for the upcoming IPL 2020 season. As per reports, the tournament will get underway on March 29th at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai featuring the home side.
All the eight franchises paid a total of ₹140.30 crores at the auction, where 62 players earned contracts among different teams in the season. Australian pacer Pat Cummins became the second-most expensive player in the auction history when Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for a mammoth ₹15.5 crores.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been growing year after year, with many all-rounders showcasing their talent both with the bat and the ball. All-rounders play a vital role in the balance and success of any team, especially in the shortest format of the game. They can contribute by extending the run tally with their hard-hitting ability and can clinch wickets for their side on any given stage.
On that note, let's have a look at the all-rounders of each team for the upcoming season and rank them based on their potential and experience in the IPL.
#8 Delhi Capitals
All-rounders: Chris Woakes, Keemo Paul, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Harshal Patel, and Marcus Stoinis
Delhi Capitals opted to end their association with Chris Morris after he struggled to finish matches on multiple occasions, both with the bat and ball. The Capitals' lack of a finisher down the order hurt them last season, and they looked to rectify it by spending a hefty ₹4.8 crores on the Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis.
In the past four seasons in IPL, Stoinis has batted at a strike rate of 129.24 and claimed 15 wickets in 29 matches at an economy of 9.30. Stoinis went unsold in the first round of this year's auction, but DC roped him later on after they couldn't buy a formidable all-rounder during the earlier bidding rounds.
Stoinis had a terrible World Cup outing with only 87 runs and seven wickets in eight matches for his national team and has remained out of the Australian side for a while. On the other hand, the likes of Chris Woakes and Keemo Paul have proven to be expensive with the ball in hand, with an economy rate of more than 8. Axar Patel couldn't deliver up to his potential last season, with only ten wickets in 14 outings.
DC purchased local-lad Lalit Yadav, who is known to have hit six sixes in an over during the DDCA T20 League in Kotla. They also have Harshal Patel in their ranks, a former RCB bowling all-rounder with 43 wickets in his IPL career. With the lack of a formidable all-rounder who can claim wickets and strike the ball hard, DC will pin their hopes on Marcus Stoinis in the upcoming season of IPL.