IPL Auction 2020: 3 players who were probably overpaid
Every year at the IPL auction, certain situations arise which are beyond anyone's control - and they often lead the owners to bid above what you'd call conventional limits. If a player is on the wish-list of a franchise then things tend to go a little crazy, frequently ending with big money contracts being splashed out that don't seem wise in hindsight.
On that note, here is a look at three players that were probably overpaid at the IPL 2020 auction:
#3 Sheldon Cottrell
The West Indian fast bowler was bagged by Kings XI Punjab for a whopping amount of INR 8.5 crore. That was likely a product of Punjab's desperation to buy an overseas fast bowler, but it may not have been the safest move.
Although Cottrell has been performing well in the past 12 months, he doesn't look like someone who can be the backbone of a team's pace attack throughout the season. Perhaps his team-mate Chris Jordan (bought for INR 3 crore), who is more suited to the T20 format, will be the first choice to play in the starting XI.
Buying the left-arm pacer is undoubtedly a good choice, but an amount in the region of INR 4 crore might have been more appropriate for him.
#2 Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla was roped in by Chennai Super Kings for INR 6.75 crore, to add to their already crowded spin attack.
CSK had retained Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma and Mitchell Santner as their spin bowling options ahead of the auction. Accordingly, shelling out hefty money on someone who will play second fiddle to these players looks a tad unwise.
Though the 30-year-old Chawla brings an experience of over 150 IPL matches to the table, spending over INR 6 crore on him seems bizarre given he has not produced too many match-winning performances in recent years.
#1 Nathan Coulter-Nile
The Australian fast bowler was picked up by Mumbai Indians after a bidding war with their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings, for a massive INR 8 crore. Nathan Coulter-Nile has played only 26 games in the T20 extravaganza, with his last appearance coming back in 2017.
Though he is a good zippy bowler with useful lower-order batting abilities, the 32-year-old is quite injury-prone. Considering the fact that he often tends to sit out matches or even tournaments due to his body breaking down, the amount that was spent on him seems beyond the value that he will bring.