IPL Auction 2020: 3 players who could use T10 League to impress franchises
The 2020 IPL auction will take place on 19th December, 2019 at Kolkata. Before entering the event, each franchise will analyse their squads and release some underperformers to make room for potential recruits to give them the edge.
As a tournament that happens just one month before the Indian Premier League auction, the T10 League will grab the attention of most franchises. Therefore, the players who perform well at the competition have plenty of chances to land an IPL contract.
Naturally, it is tough to master the T10 format because of its fast-paced nature, which means that those who dazzle in it possess exceptional abilities. Before the start of an IPL season, the franchises tend not to overlook gifted performers.
In the 2019 IPL auction, Nicholas Pooran, the top scorer (324 runs) of the previous T10 League, received an IPL contract from Kings XI Punjab. Similarly, Jonny Bairstow, who held the season's highest strike rate (330.76), found a place in the Sunrisers Hyderabad team after the hammer fell.
Based on their form coming into the T10 League, here are three such players who could get the attention of the IPL teams if they perform well.
#3 Mohammad Shahzad
Afghanistan's right-handed opening wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad has played 118 T20 matches and scored 3457 runs. Deccan Gladiators is the home for Shahzad in the 2019 T10 League.
In the 2018 season, Shahzad played for Rajputs under the captaincy of IPL legend Brendon McCullum and made a significant contribution while chasing a target of 95. Shahzad scored a 16-ball 74 against the Sindhis, which helped the team win the match in four overs.
Courtesy of the pre-mentioned batting performance, Shahzad broke the record for the highest score in T10s ever and the competition's quickest half-century from just 12 deliveries. Despite these feats, Shahzad failed to find a buyer in the 2019 IPL auction.
However, there is a second chance for the man from Afghanistan to impress the IPL teams. If he produces similar performances in this year's T10 League, there could be an IPL contract for him. Shahzad will ask a reasonable base price, which is a further advantage for him.