IPL Auction: 5 Players who could break the bank at the IPL 2020 Auction

When one speaks about the Indian Premier League, terms such as brand, prestige, popularity will come to mind as that is how the tournament has evolved and become the flag-bearer for T20 leagues around the world.

Now, it is that time of the year when the much-expected IPL auction will be held as the teams look to strengthen their squads for the 2020 IPL season. It wouldn't be an exaggeration by any means to say that fans, players and experts have the same levels of anticipation as they would have for the actual tournament. After all, the IPL auction is the place for euphoria, agony because a player's life and a team's destiny could change in the gap of a bidding war.

This is why it isn't surprising when several IPL coaches regularly highlight the importance of the Auction and even go onto say that half the battle is won at the Auction table itself. At the same hall/arena, teams could pull off their best buys and also disrupt the available purses of the competing teams.

In the years gone by, several cricketers have become million-dollar players. Some like Ravindra Jadeja, Ben Stokes, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni have gone onto justify their price tag while others like Jaydev Unadkat, Pawan Negi, Shane Watson and Yuvraj Singh have been burdened by the huge money on their back.

While we aren't going to dissect who justified their price tag and who didn't right now, we will looking forward to the forthcoming IPL auction with a topic on similar lines. When the 2020 IPL Auction arrives on December 19, who will become the new Millionaires or Crorepatis?. Let us have a look at 5 players who could break the bank at the 2020 IPL auction.

#Chris Lynn

Not a new name by any means, big-hitting Aussie batsman Chris Lynn stands a chance of fetching huge money even after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the auction. Also, don't be surprised if KKR themselves go back for Lynn as his performances haven't been too bad and is still capable of winning matches on his own.

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The reason for KKR releasing Lynn might be owed to his big price tag. With Lynn coming up with an average tally of 405 runs in the 2019 IPL season, KKR were perhaps of the opinion that the 9.6 crores which were spent on him could be distributed in a much better way for the upcoming year.

With Lynn proving that he is still a destructive force in the shorter formats of the game during the recent T10 league, it will not be something out of the blue if teams go all guns blazing for him once again. Apart from KKR, teams like Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore might also want Lynn in the roster for the 2020 IPL season.

#Tom Banton

Tom Banton: IPL Auction 2020

A new kid on the block, Tom Banton is already on the lips of many fans across the world after his exploits in the T20 Blast earlier this year. The young Somerset batsman had an outstanding time while opening with Babar Azam and went onto end the tournament with 549 runs at a mouth watering strike-rate of 161.47.

The performance was so tempting that the England selectors quickly gave him a senior team call up for the T20 part of the ongoing tour of New Zealand. While Banton couldn't register big scores in the 5-match series, there were enough signs of his prodigious talent.

Just like Chris Lynn, Banton also served a good reminder to IPL teams with some eye-catchy knocks in the T10 League in Abu Dhabi.

In terms of his batting style, Banton is the perfect encapsulation of the modern-day batsman. This doesn't mean that he is a slogger as Banton maintains a fairly solid technique while still managing to attempt his jaw-dropping ramps and reverse sweeps even against quick bowlers.

Such talent never goes unnoticed amongst IPL teams who have superb scouting networks and this might see Banton becoming a rich man very soon. Interestingly, Banton mentioned that he has been a fan of Mumbai Indians and has followed them since his childhood. It would be exciting to see if his favourite franchise pick him in the IPL auction.

#Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc: IPL Auction 2020

Will Mitchell Starc make a comeback to the Indian Premier League ? Will he fetch as much as he did in the 2018 IPL auction. All these questions will be answered in Kolkata on December 2019.

But one thing is for sure, if Mitchell Starc makes himself available for the upcoming IPL season, several teams would be vying for his signature. Like mentioned before, Starc did go for big money in 2018 with the Kolkata Knight Riders shedding a humongous 9.4 crores to acquire his services. However, just like how it has been for the majority of his career, Starc was laid down by injuries and had to pull out of the IPL.

With a lot of money being spent on an injured player, KKR weren't willing to take a risk and promptly released Starc ahead of the 2019 IPL auction. While Starc hasn't played in the IPL since the 2016 edition, teams still recognize the value of his services and should be on the bucket-list during the upcoming auction.

Whichever side eventually acquires Mitchell Starc will get a complete bowler who will guarantee 20 wickets per season, provided he stays fit. His left-arm angle and pace combined with in-swing will be a threat to any opposition's batting line-up. Moreover, Starc is also invaluable during the death overs due to his tendency to hit the blockhole with a lot of consistency.

When the auction arrives, KKR might once again fight to get Starc back or it could even be Royal Challengers who might need him the most. The Royal Challengers fans, in particular, will want Starc in the team due to the success he had in his previous stint.

#Chris Morris

Chris Morris: IPL Auction 2020

Released a few weeks ago by the Delhi Capitals, it would be a surprise if Chris Morris doesn't get a big sum in the upcoming auction.

Just like Chris Lynn's scenario, Morris was also released just due to his price tag of 11 crores. With such a huge amount in the purse, Delhi Capitals could even buy back Morris along with a couple of other players now.

However, while Morris will definitely get bids, it might not be necessarily be from Delhi Capitals due to his disappointing performances in the 2019 IPL season. In 9 matches, the lanky South African only managed to score 32 runs and pick up 13 wickets. This might make Delhi hesitant while going for him.

Yet, Morris with his quick bowling and lusty hits during the death overs can be a valuable addition for quite a few other teams. Franchises like KKR and Kings XI Punjab might especially look at him after releasing some all-rounders of their own.

With a career strike rate of 150.87 and 233 wickets in 187 wickets, Morris brings the right mix of quality, explosiveness and experience to help any team do very well next year in the IPL.

#Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan: IPL Auction 2020

Another player could make a comeback to the IPL and get a big sum in his hands will be the World Cup winning English skipper Eoin Morgan. Unlike Mitchell Starc who is also part of this list, Morgan wasn't injured and had rather been out of favour with the IPL franchises due to his disappointing performances for Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

But things have completely changed in the last couple of years with Morgan being one of the world's best middle-order batsmen in the shortest format of the game. Just like how the world witnessed during the 2019 World Cup, Morgan has become one of the most lethal batsman against spin bowling.

Morgan's amazing ability to start hitting big without the need to settle down was also seen recently during the 3rd T20I between England and New Zealand when he smashed 91 runs off just 41 balls. Leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, in particular had to suffer at the hands of the southpaw and this reflects his productivity against spinners.

Since that New Zealand tour, Morgan continued to display his free-flowing exploits in the T10 League which concluded recently.

All these performances would have surely put Eoin Morgan in the radar of IPL franchises and this is why it shouldn't be surprising if there is a bidding war for the English skipper. You can win big at the betting game on 10CRIC, sign up and get a bonus of up to INR 10,000.