IPL 2020: Will RCB regret releasing Marcus Stoinis?
When the list of released and retained players were announced by all IPL franchises last November, a few surprises were thrown up. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) releasing Chris Lynn despite him having put up a very good show for the franchise was definitely the biggest shocker of sorts.
At the same time, a few eyebrows were also raised as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) decided to let go veteran Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. The 30-year-old did not have a bad season with the bat last year, scoring 211 runs in 156 balls at a strike rate of 135.25. It was his bowling that let the team down as he managed only two wickets.
However, as the famous saying goes, form is temporary, but class is permanent. And Stoinis has proved the same true again, with some fantastic performances in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL). In 13 matches for Melbourne Stars, Stoinis has amassed 590 runs at an average of 65.55 and a strike rate of 133.78 with one hundred and five fifties, and is the leading run-getter so far.
He blasted the highest individual score in the BBL, smashing an unbeaten 147 from 79 balls against Sydney Sixers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on January 12. Stoinis hit 13 fours and eight sixes in his knock to go past D’Arcy Short’s record of 122 as the Stars registered a 44-run triumph. Stoinis’ efforts has been one of the key reasons why the Stars are leading the BBL points table this season so far, with 20 points from 13 games (10 wins, 3 losses).
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His exceptional form might make RCB regret their decision of releasing Stoinis. Interestingly, while RCB did not retain the burly Aussie at the auction, they picked up another all-rounder, South Africa veteran Chris Morris, for a whopping sum of INR 10 crores. While Morris is a quality player no doubt, there is a point of view going around that Morris is perhaps past his prime, and thus may have been overpriced.
32-year-old Morris has also performed well in the BBL, with the ball. In 10 matches for Sydney Thunder, he has 14 wickets to his name at an average of 22.07 and a strike rate of 15.5. These are impressive numbers no doubt, and will please RCB although his high economy rate of 8.54 might be a cause of worry.
Looking at his performance in IPL 2019, he claimed 13 wickets in nine matches at an average of 23.53 and a strike rate of 15.23, very similar to his numbers in the current BBL. Again, it was his economy that hurt Delhi Capitals (DC) last year. He conceded runs at 9.27 per over. With the bat as well, he managed only 32 runs in 37 balls, and was subsequently released.
Stoinis and Morris will swap places this year. While Morris will turn out for RCB, Stoinis was picked up DC for Rs 4.8 crore at the auction. On paper, Delhi seem to have walked away with the better deal. The actual picture, however, will only be clear after IPL 2020 gets underway.
Also read: 10 things to know about Australia's Marcus Stoinis