IPL 2019: 3 teams that can benefit by picking up Brendon McCullum at the auction
The IPL 2019 auction is approaching in a month’s time and the franchises are all set with their team strategies and formations. All eight teams have declared the list of players who have been released from their contracts for the upcoming season, and one of the released players from Royal Challengers Bangalore is New Zealand’s legend Brendon McCullum.
Both the IPL and Brendon McCullum are indebted to each other. It was McCullum’s spectacular 158 not out in the inaugural IPL match in 2008 that ensured a blockbuster opening for the marquee event. The knock was a great advertisement for the league and in the next 10 years, it took great care of McCullum.
The New Zealander has featured in all the IPLs so far and has represented five different franchises over the years.
Even at the age of 37, McCullum will not be a burden on any team. In the 2018 IPL season, he played six matches in which piled up 127 runs at a strike rate of 144.31. The former Black Caps captain plays in T20 leagues all around the globe and is still fit to take the field.
Apart from his batting, McCullum also brings with him the years of experience that he has amassed.
Here are three IPL teams that can benefit from having Brendon McCullum in the side for IPL 2019.
#3 Rajasthan Royals
The Royals returned to the IPL in 2018 after a hiatus of two years. They acquired a few players at exorbitant prices, but failed to extract good enough performances from them.
They have released the Australian opener D’Arcy Short, who failed to get going in the 2018 season. This creates a spot for an opening partner for Jos Buttler, and Brendon McCullum can fulfill that role perfectly.
McCullum is an explosive batsman in T20s, to state the obvious. More often than not, he gets the team off to a flier. The right-hander is capable of destroying any bowling attack and making the best use of the powerplay overs as well.
Batting at the top, he can solve a major problem that RR confronted in the last season.
The Royals struggled to find the right opening combination throughout the season. It was in a rain-curtailed match that they decided to promote Jos Buttler to the top, and that worked like magic. Buttler single-handedly revived the team’s fortunes and brought them on the cusp of playoff qualification.
With D’Arcy Short released, McCullum and Buttler can unleash fury on the opposition from the beginning. McCullum can also come in handy as a backup opener once Buttler leaves for his World Cup preparations.