IPL Auction 2020: 3 major talking points before the bidding war begins
The much-awaited player auction for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season is fast approaching -- on December 19 in Kolkata. Ahead of the big day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Monday, announced that a total of 971 players had registered for the 2020 player auction. However, there are only 73 vacant slots available. Franchises have been given time until Monday, December 9 (5 pm) to submit their shortlist of players.
Seven players have listed their base price at Rs 2 crore. Five of them are Australians -- Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Chris Lynn, and Glenn Maxwell. While Lynn was surprisingly released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the auction, Maxwell recently took a break from international cricket over mental health issues. Veteran South African pacer Dale Steyn and Sri Lankan all-rounder Angelo Mathews are the two other players in the Rs 2 crore bracket.
As the auction day for IPL 2020 approaches, here’s a look at some major points of discussion.
#3 Will Eoin Morgan finally get his worth in IPL?
In spite of being one of the most dangerous T20 hitters in world cricket, England’s World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan hasn’t made it big on the IPL stage as yet. In fact, he hasn’t been part of the tournament in the last two seasons. While he went unsold in the 2018 edition, Morgan opted out of the 2019 season to focus on the World Cup, a move which worked wonders as England lifted the trophy for the first time. For the 2020 auction, the left-hander has listed his base price at Rs 1.5 crore.
Morgan had an impressive Abu Dhabi T10 season in which he smashed 175 runs in 94 balls at a strike rate of 186.17. His monster-hitting prowess was very much evident in the World Cup when he hit a record 17 sixes against Afghanistan while scoring 148 off 71 balls. Morgan, who formerly played for Ireland, has a highly impressive T20 record. He has featured in 282 games and has over 6,000 runs to his credit at a strike rate of 131.37.
In the IPL, Morgan last played for Kings XI Punjab in 2017, who purchased him for Rs 2 crore. However, he managed only 65 runs in four games. The southpaw’s overall record in IPL is also not great -- 854 runs in 52 games at a strike rate of 121.13. Given the kind of form he is in, that could change if Morgan gets picked at the auction.