IPL 2020: 5 unsold batsmen who can return as replacements

All the eight franchises of the Indian Premier League are gearing up pretty well for the upcoming edition of the cricketing carnival. The 13th edition in the history of Indian Premier League is all set to kick-start in a few months. The auction for the same took place last month in Kolkata where Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins emerged as the most expensive player.

There were a few more stars who received mega IPL contracts in 2020 namely Chris Morris, Glenn Maxwell, Sheldon Cottrell, and Piyush Chawla. Players like Chris Lynn and James Neesham were also in the headlines after the only one franchise showed interest in them. Apart from this, a plethora of talented batsmen went unsold in the auction. Over the years, the fans have witnessed that the unsold names return to the league after any player is ruled out of the tournament. This article features the list of 5 unsold batsmen who can return as replacements in IPL 2020.

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#5 Colin Ingram

Colin Ingram featured for the Delhi Capitals side in last year's IPL.

Delhi Capitals (DC) exceeded expectations in last year’s IPL as they emerged as one of the top 3 teams of the tourney. Even though they failed to lift the title, they ended the tournament in 3rd position. The team management has changed a few of its players ahead of the next edition as they have dropped players like Chris Morris and Colin Ingram while bagging the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Shimron Hetmyer, and Chris Woakes.

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Unfortunately, Ingram went unsold in the IPL 2020 auction despite having a base price of ₹50 lakhs. He had a decent IPL season for the Delhi side last year. The left-handed batsman played 12 games where he aggregated 184 runs at the strike-rate of 119.48. He hit 25 boundaries in that season which showcase his hard-hitting skills. Since he is a global T20 star, the Proteas star can to return to the IPL if a top-order batsman of any team cannot play due to injury.

#4 Shahrukh Khan

Shahrukh Khan plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket.

The cricket universe regards the Indian Premier League as the best platform for the youngsters to show their talent to the world. Every emerging cricketer wishes to play in the IPL once because it can prove to be the turning point of their career. Shahrukh Khan is one such Indian domestic star who has gained the fans’ attention with his batting skills. However, he went unsold in IPL 2020 auction.

The 25-year-old from Tamil Nadu had set his base price of just ₹20 lakhs hoping to get bids from the franchises. But the franchises didn’t wish to have him in the side. Since he had performed well in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, the right-handed batsman should stay hopeful of making it to the 2020 edition of IPL. He has played 5 first-class matches in his career, scoring 231 runs with his top score being 92*. He has got the strike-rate of 112.02 in T20 cricket where he has scored 205 runs from 23 matches. Looking at his stats, he can be considered as a back-up option if a player gets injured in IPL 2020.

#3 Rohan Kadam

Rohan Kadam played for Karnataka in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019.

Rohan Kadam is a rising star who has gained the limelight with his domestic records and statistics. He has been one of the most consistent players at national level. Rohan plays for his home side Karnataka in the domestic tournaments. His fantastic performances in the limited overs format recently earned him his maiden first-class cap for Karnataka on 3 January 2020.

The 25-year-old left-handed batsman had enrolled his name in the IPL Auction 2020 but not a single side bid for him in the auction. Kadam has a good amount of experience in the domestic circuit. He made his List A debut in 2017 and began his Twenty20 career in the year 2019. He has scored 794 runs in 20 matches in T20s, with a strike-rate of 130.37. His highest individual score of 89 and a total of 91 fours and 22 sixes in this format indicate how handy he can be in the IPL. Given that he has got the calibre to play well, Kadam can make his IPL debut in 2020 as a replacement.

#2 Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill has played for 3 franchises in his IPL career

The New Zealand opener, Martin Guptill did not get many chances to prove his worth in IPL 2019. He was a part of the Hyderabad-based franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, owing to the presence of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, SRH did not use Guptill much. The marvellous performances of Warner and Bairstow ultimately led to Guptill’s exit from the side. He got to play just 3 matches in IPL 2019 where he scored 81 runs with his top score being 36 runs. However, his strike-rate of 152.83 showcases his destructive power as an opener. The right-handed batsman smashed 4 fours and 7 sixes in that season.

Since SRH released him ahead of IPL 2020, he was hoping to get a bid or two in the 2020 auction and he set his base price of ₹1 crore. However, the Kiwi opener got no buyers in the auction as he returned to the auction pool unsold. Given that he has played for Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in the past, the teams would keep an eye on him if any of their openers cannot take part in the 13th IPL season.

#1 Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis played only 3 matches in IPL 2019.

Mumbai Indians (MI) have always had a star-studded line-up in the Indian Premier League. Their squad is full of skillful cricketers who can turn the game at any moment. However, because of their stacked roster, very few stars get adequate chances to prove their worth. Evin Lewis is one such player who had the potential but could not realise it fully in 2019.

Lewis got to bat in 3 matches during the entire IPL 2019 in which he scored 48 runs. His highest score was just 32 runs while his average and strike rate were 16.00 and 92.30, respectively. These statistics do not showcase the real talent of this West Indian star as he can decimate any bowling attack of the world. He had a great season for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2018 where he aggregated 382 runs in 13 matches with his top score being 65 runs. His strike-rate of 138.40 was also impressive. As he went unsold in IPL 2020 auction even though he had the base price of just ₹1 crore, he would hope to get back in the league if any player misses out because of injury.