IPL auction 2020: 3 England players who could be among the top 10 buys
English players have traditionally not made much noise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), either at the auction or on the field. Of course, there have been a few exceptions in the likes of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and, to an extent, Kevin Pietersen in the early years of the tournament. The key reason behind this is that England weren’t that great in the limited overs' formats till a few years back. All that has of course changed post England’s embarrassing ouster in the 2015 World Cup.
Also see - Live cricket score
England are now the proud world champions, and have players that can take on the best in the world in the shorter formats. As a result, for perhaps the first time in the history of IPL auctions, a number of English players are likely to be in demand. With the IPL 2020 auction all set to be held in Kolkata on December 19, here’s a look at three England players who may end up being among the top 10 buys.
#1. Tom Banton
The English youngster Tom Banton has become a sensation even before being purchased by an IPL franchise. The 21-year-old swashbuckling talent is likely to start a bidding war between most franchises at the auction. In fact, if a Daily Mail report is to be believed, both Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are interested in purchasing Banton. The man himself told a cricket-specific website recently that he would love to play for Mumbai Indians.
Banton has been constantly making news for his aggressive batting, which has grabbed plenty of eyeballs. He put together 454 runs for Somerset in their successful One-Day Cup campaign. Further, Banton smashed 549 in the Vitality Blast, including a brilliant 100 from 52 balls against Kent. The talented batsman’s good run continued in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, in which he slammed two fifties, including a whirlwind 80 off 28 for Qalandars against Karnataka Tuskers.
Banton’s reverse-slaps and scoops have gathered a lot of attention, and even invited comparisons with Kevin Pietersen and Jos Buttler among others. There should be no shortage of excitement when his name comes up for bidding during the auction.
