IPL 2020: Aakash Chopra picks 5 overseas batsmen who can light up this season
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has picked a list of five overseas batsmen who could be the star performers for their respective franchises in IPL 2020. He shared this list in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra's first pick of an overseas batsman who could do well in the upcoming IPL was Faf du Plessis. He mentioned that the South African could fill the void created in the CSK lineup due to the absence of Suresh Raina.
"Let me start with Chennai Super Kings. With Raina not there, they have some difficulties but Faf du Plessis could be the answer to that. He has been playing for South Africa for a long time, is very experienced and the good thing is that he plays spin well. He has a different style of playing but can play the sweep, cut and down the ground as well with a flat bat and is a super-fit guy."
Glenn Maxwell was Aakash Chopra's second choice for an overseas batsman who could set IPL 2020 on fire. He reasoned that the maverick Australian has shown a sense of maturity recently, which, along with his outstanding record in UAE, would stand Kings XI Punjab in good stead.
"Next is Glenn Maxwell. I feel this could be Maxwell's best IPL. This is because if you see his record for the last 12-18 months although he had not played cricket for some time due to mental health issues. The temperament with which he is playing and the responsibility he is showing, we have never seen him play like that. He will justify his huge price tag and he has a very good record in UAE."
The former KKR player picked Steve Smith as the third foreign batsman who could perform well in the upcoming IPL. While calling the latter an excellent player of spin bowling, Aakash Chopra spoke highly of the Rajasthan Royals captain's urge to perform well on the big stage.
"Then we have Steve Smith. He plays spin very well. With Ajinkya Rahane not being there and Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes not that good against spin, if Steve Smith does well, Rajasthan Royals would also do well. And I feel he will do well because other than playing spin well, he has an outstanding temperament and unbelievable experience. And he likes the big stage and wants to be in the thick of things."
Aakash Chopra's final two picks of overseas batsmen who could shine in IPL 2020
Aakash Chopra's penultimate pick of an overseas batsman likely to set IPL 2020 ablaze was Eoin Morgan. He added that the KKR batsman would have the advantage of having performed well in international cricket recently.
"Eoin Morgan is my fourth pick. He is in amazing form, which is his advantage over the rest of the players I named. He is a master of spin with shots like sweeps, reverse sweeps and huge sixes. I think he will do well and he will have support from other team members. So he will not have as much pressure as Steve Smith."
David Warner, unsurprisingly, made it to Aakash Chopra's list of overseas batsmen to watch out for in the upcoming IPL. The latter pointed out the SRH captain's hunger to perform, coupled with his exceptional record in the past editions of the IPL.
"Last but not the least, I am going with David Warner. His performances in the IPL are generally very good. He also plays spin very well and he is a hungry lion. Last year he said that he will score 500 runs before he leaves and he did that. He also has additional responsibility as a captain and he has a point to prove always."
David Warner is the highest run-scorer among overseas batsmen in the history of the IPL. The Aussie opener has scored 4706 runs at an excellent average of 43.17 along with an impressive strike rate of 142.39 in his IPL career.