IPL Auction 2020: One released player each team should target
All eight Indian Premier League teams released some big names from their squads ahead of the next season. The teams have tried their level best to address their shortcomings from the previous season in a bid to form a strong squad for IPL 2020.
Now that all the teams have released players, the focus shifts to the player auction and the first thing that the teams will do is to figure out players they need to target from the pool of released players.
A player not performing well for a particular team does not mean he won't be useful to the other. Considering the current team combinations, here is the list of one released player each team should consider targeting at the auction.
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#8 Rajasthan Royals - Dale Steyn
Squad: Ankit Rajpoot, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Steven Smith, Varun Aaron.
One of the biggest reasons for Rajasthan Royals' poor performance last season was their weak bowling-attack. Lack of quality fast bowlers led to the downfall of the Royals. They seem to have realized that and have released as many as 3 fast bowlers from last year's squad.
Which means they will need to buy fast bowlers in bulk at the auction. One fast bowler who might be under their radar is Dale Steyn.
Steyn was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore despite performing well in the two opportunities he got last year. The Proteas speedster has already retired from Test cricket and is no more a regular member of South Africa's limited-overs side which means he might be available for the entire season. Also, Jofra Archer is now part of England's squad in all three formats which mean he might not be able to play all matches. Steyn can be an excellent back-up option.