IPL 2020: 3 exciting players who could make their tournament debut this season

The anticipation towards IPL 2020 is building by the day. With the trading window done and dusted, the fans now have an idea of what the core squads for the 13th edition will look like.

IPL 2020 promises to be another season of high-quality cricket. A plethora of well-known names such as Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma will once again turn out for their respective franchises. We could also, because of the teams’ reputations for handing out debuts to talented international cricketers every year, see a few fresh faces.

On that note, here are three exciting players who could make their IPL debut in 2020.

#3 Janneman Malan

Janneman Malan at the crease

Janneman Malan is a very talented South African batsman on the verge of making a big breakthrough in cricket.

Malan is highly-rated at home and, looking at his domestic record, it is easy to see why. He has racked up 10 centuries in only 52 first-class innings, while he averages 30.94 in T20s with two centuries.

Recently, Malan came agonizingly short of a third century in the shortest format when he scored 99 not out against Jozi Stars in the Mzansi Super League. The batsman played a prominent part in his side Cape Town Blitz emerging victorious in the fixture (played on 8 November).

Opening the batting, Malan looked comfortable at the crease right from the start. He faced the Stars’ fast bowling pair of Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier (who have opened the bowling together for South Africa in the past) with aplomb, and even deposited them several times for sixes over cover. Malan dominated the pair, which is not easy to achieve against bowlers of such calibre.

The 23-year-old played some exquisite off-side shots to finish on 99 after 20 overs. His innings will definitely grab the attention of all the IPL teams.

A franchise that will be especially keen to buy Malan at the 19 December auction is Kolkata Knight Riders. KKR recently released their two stalwart opening batsmen Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn, and Malan, with his powerful ball-striking and good form, can be the ideal replacement.

#2 Patrick Brown

Patrick Brown

Patrick Brown, a 21-year-old fast-medium bowler from England, is another prodigy making headlines in cricket circles.

In Brown’s case, it’s his variations -- including a knuckle ball, a cutter, a leg-cutter, and an effective stock ball -- that have people sitting up and taking notice. The Worcester bowler is already one of the best slower ball practitioners in the world.

Brown shot to prominence when he ended as the top wicket-taker in the Vitality Blast 2018 (31 at 13.35). He followed it up with 17 wickets in the 2019 edition, including four in the semi-final.

In the last-four match against Nottinghamshire, Brown came on to bowl with 11 runs required off 12 balls. He showed immense composure for his age and returned figures of 2-4 in the penultimate over as Worcester miraculously emerged triumphant by one run.

After these successes, Brown will fancy his chances of being bought at the IPL 2020 auction. Several teams will be on the lookout for a death bowler who is cool and collected under pressure and has a good slower ball. Brown fits the bill perfectly, and so we could see him make his IPL debut in 2020.

#1 Alex Carey

Alex Carey

Alex Carey’s World Cup 2019 heroics would still be fresh in cricket fans’ minds. Although Australia did not win the tournament (they lost to England in the semifinal), Carey emerged as one of their most reliable players and showed his adaptability throughout the campaign.

In the group match against England, the team needed quick runs and Carey answered their call with 38 runs off 27 balls. In the very next match versus New Zealand, the situation was completely different: Australia slumped to 92-5 and needed someone to re-build the innings. Carey was that man.

The left-hander was disciplined with his shot-making at the start and continued to play risk-free cricket throughout his innings. A strong player off the front foot, Carey played a few sumptuous cover drives as well as a splendid straight push for four. At his dismissal, Australia sat more comfortably on 199-6.

Overall, Carey scored 375 runs during the World Cup at an average of 62.50.

The batsman will now have his sights on an IPL call-up. A team that will be keen to buy him is Royal Challengers Bangalore. Out of their current squad of retained players, RCB do not have enough quality middle-order batsmen and thus, Carey will be the perfect player to fill the void.