IPL 2020: 5 major steal deals from the auction

In the recently-concluded IPL Auction 2020 held at Kolkata, all the 8 teams spent an aggregate of ₹140.3 crore for signing 62 players. Pat Cummins went for ₹15.5 crore after Kolkata Knight Riders entered the bidding war at the very last moment. His Australian team-mate Glenn Maxwell went for a whopping ₹10.75 crore. South African all-rounder Chris Morris, the West-Indian spearhead Sheldon Cottrell also garnered eyeballs during the auction. Among the Indian players, Piyush Chawla was bought by Chennai Super Kings for ₹6.75 crore and the young uncapped players also became expensive buys.

There is always buzz around many foreign and Indian players before the auction and some go for huge deals but some players do not get the privilege to be part of a bidding war and as always, some players went under the hammer and were bought by the franchises for less than expected and these players are expected to light up the IPL 2020 with their performances. Some honourable mentions include Joshua Phillipe, Isuru Udana and Fabian Allen

Here are the top 5 steal deals of IPL Auction 2020:

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#5 David Miller (Rajasthan Royals)

David Miller

Country - South Africa

Type - Batsman

Base Price - ₹75 lakhs

Sold at - ₹75 lakhs

David Miller was one of the main players in IPL for KXIP for a long time before the franchise decided to release him ahead of the auction. Even though his performance in the last few seasons of the IPL hasn't been excellent, he is a proven match-winner. Rajasthan Royals made a very smart buy with David Miller as he can prove to be a huge asset for them, especially in Jaipur's Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

The team looks ferocious with the addition of David Miller in the lineup with other names like Steven Smith, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and if he can win even 2 matches for RR, he is worth the buy at ₹75 lakhs. KXIP releasing might prove to be a blessing in disguise for Miller, who will be looking to revive his career with the Royals. With KXIP, he was burdened with being the lynchpin of the middle-order. In RR, however, due to the presence of Steven Smith and Ben Stokes, he could be given the free license to go hammer and tongs from the word go.

Statistics in IPL:

Matches - 79

Runs - 1850

Highest - 101

Average - 34.26

Strike Rate - 138.78

#4 James Neesham (KXIP)

James Neesham

Country - New Zealand

Type - All-rounder

Base Price - ₹50 lakhs

Sold at - ₹50 lakhs

James Neesham is a medium-fast all-rounder who has been a vital cog in New Zealand's recent success. Kings XI Punjab boasts of an explosive and dynamic top-order with names like Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal while their bowling department is led by India's in-form fast bowler Mohammad Shami and Windies' Sheldon Cottrell.

As such, the only missing link for them was their middle order and all-rounders who can form the core at 4,5 and 6. The franchise did what was expected of them when they bought players like Glenn Maxwell and James Neesham. Neesham can provide quick runs at the death overs and can provide 3-4 overs of seam bowling which would be very useful at the Mohali Stadium. Though his IPL career hasn't been a hit, his recent form for New Zealand in T20 cricket gets him on this list.

Statistics in T20s:

Matches - 114

Runs - 1615

Highest - 59*

Average - 25.23

Strike Rate - 138.86

Wickets - 108

Economy Rate - 9.17

#3 Josh Hazlewood (CSK)

Josh Hazlewood

Country - Australia

Type - Fast Bowler

Base Price - ₹2 crores

Sold at - ₹2 crores

One of Australia's top 3 fast bowlers, Josh Hazlewood is the sort of pacer which Chennai Super Kings missed desperately in IPL 2019. CSK has no reliable option for the death overs with Dwayne Bravo losing his magic and the Indian pacers not delivering the goods. In such a scenario, the fast bowling duo of Lungi Ngidi and Josh Hazlewood could become potentially become the best fast bowling pair of IPL 2020.

MS Dhoni loves playing spinners in his squad and it would be interesting to see how he uses the services of Hazlewood and how he fits the team dynamics. Josh Hazlewood could become CSK's potential weapon on hard surfaces. Only time will tell if he will be able to leave a mark at this year's IPL

Statistics in T20s:

Matches - 30

Wickets - 37

Average - 24.35

Economy Rate - 7.77

Best Bowling Figures - 4/30

#2 Tom Banton (KKR)

Tom Banton

Country - England

Type - Batsman

Base Price - ₹1 crore

Sold at - ₹1 crore

Tom Banton has been the talk of the town with his performance in the domestic circuit. He amassed 549 runs at a strike rate of 161.47. Just after getting a contract from Kolkata Knight Riders, Tom Banton scored a 29-ball 50 in the Big Bash League. Everyone expected a bidding war to ensue for the young Englishman and it came as a shock when he went for his base price to Kolkata Knight Riders.

The team can use this explosive batsman at the top with Shubman Gill to provide the much-needed impetus at the start followed by reliable and dynamic players like Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and Nitish Rana. He is expected to become an important catalyst in KKR's journey towards an IPL title in 2020.

Statistics in T20s:

Matches - 22

Runs - 727

Highest - 100

Average - 36.35

Strike Rate - 158.04

#1 Chris Lynn

Chris Lynn

Country - Australia

Type - Batsman

Base Price - ₹2 crores

Sold at - ₹2 crores

The shocker of the IPL Auction was when the first name came up and it was that of Chris Lynn. Lynn has scored runs across various leagues but hasn't been able to leave a mark in IPL yet. KKR released him ahead of the auction due to his below-average performances but the fans expected teams to spend a lot for the Australian opener, especially after his heroics in the recently concluded T10 league in Abu Dhabi.

Mumbai Indians camp's reaction on getting Chris Lynn at his base price talks about his stature and the fans would like to see how he performs for the Paltan. The interesting part would be whether he gets enough games to play with Mumbai Indians who heavily rely on its core and uses the tried and tested overseas combination of Kieron Pollard, Quinton de Kock, Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan.

Statistics in IPL:

Matches - 41

Runs - 1280

Highest - 93

Average - 33.68

Strike Rate - 140.66