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IPL Auction 2020: 3 things we learned

Rajasthan Royals, with 11, bought the most players at the auction
Rajasthan Royals, with 11, bought the most players at the auction

The IPL auction is usually very entertaining, and this year was no different. The auction featured a good mix of young talent and seasoned pros on show, fierce bids, generous amounts of money and even friendly banter between players and their franchises.

The costliest player at the auction was Pat Cummins, who was bought for an overseas-record of Rs 15.50 crore (by Kolkata Knight Riders). Glenn Maxwell (Rs 10.75 crore) and Chris Morris (Rs 10 crore) also received princely sums for their services.

Apart from the overseas players, some exciting Indian youngsters such as Virat Singh and Priyam Garg were also bought. All in all, 62 players (29 of them overseas) were sold at the auction. 

On that note, here are three things we learned from the IPL auction 2020.

#3 New Zealand will have little participation in IPL 2020

Martin Guptill playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad
Martin Guptill playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad

Cricket can feel like a roller-coaster ride at times. One moment a sportsperson or team may feel on top of the world, but a few months later they may fade to the background.

That is exactly what happened to New Zealand’s cricketers in 2019. The Kiwis surprised everyone when they advanced all the way to the World Cup final in July, beating the highly-fancied India en route. Despite not boasting a star-studded team, they made up for it with plenty of determination and heart. 

Although they fell short at the final hurdle, the team was feted in the media afterwards.

But six months later, only one member of that 15-man squad was bought at the IPL auction (eight players listed their names). There were a few reasons for this, including poor form (Martin Guptill, Colin Munro and Ish Sodhi), substandard IPL records (Tim Southee and Colin de Grandhomme) and inadequate game-time (Matt Henry) in recent months.

The question is: can these players regain their form and force their way into IPL teams for 2021?

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