IPL 2020 auction: 4 players who can replace Sam Curran at Kings XI Punjab

At INR 7.2 crore, Sam Curran was the costliest overseas recruit of 2019 IPL. Kings XI Punjab signed the 21-year-old all-rounder after a long and intense bidding war with Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Curran, who played nine matches for Ravichandran Ashwin's men last season, managed 95 runs apart from picking up 10 wickets - which included a sensational hat-trick against Delhi Capitals at Mohali. The talented Englishman finished with figures of 4/11 in that game and turned the tide in his team's favour with that fiery spell.

He also proved his worth with the bat, scoring 55* off just 24 balls at home against Kolkata Knight Riders.

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Considering all of this, it was surprising to see Curran being released ahead of the auction by Kings XI Punjab. The franchise needs major reinforcements ahead of IPL 2020 now that they are without a player like Curran.

Let us look at four quality all-rounders who can replace Curran at Kings XI Punjab for the 13th edition of IPL.

#4 David Willey

David Willey began his IPL career with the Chennai Super Kings after coming in as a replacement for the injured Indian all-rounder Kedar Jadhav during the 2018 season. Despite playing just three games in Season 11 for MS Dhoni's men, Willey was retained for the 2019 edition - which he ended up missing due to personal reasons.

The Englishman was eventually released ahead of the 2020 auction. An ideal T20 player, the left-arm fast-medium bowler is equally good with the bat, having amassed 2695 T20 runs at a strike-rate of 139.78 which includes 11 half-centuries and two centuries in 185 appearances.

The 29-year-old, who narrowly missed out on a 2019 World Cup spot, was England's highest wicket-taker during the 2016 World T20 held in India, with 10 wickets. The vastly experienced Willey, who played for Delhi Bulls in the recently concluded Abu Dhabi T10 league, is capable of troubling the batsman with his pace, angle and accuracy.

With his power-hitting and left-arm bowling, the Englishman could be an ideal replacement for his fellow countryman Curran at Kings XI Punjab. Having proved his worth in T20 leagues like Big Bash League and Vitality Blast, the Northampton-born player will be hoping to make a mark in IPL as well - which unfortunately he couldn't during his stay at Chennai Super Kings.

#3 Marcus Stoinis

For Marcus Stoinis, a return to Mohali is certainly on the cards with Kings XI Punjab desperately in need of a hard-hitting all-rounder.

Stoinis began his IPL career with Delhi Daredevils in 2015 before spending three seasons (2016, 2017 and 2018) with Kings XI Punjab. He then moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore last season after being traded for Indian batsman Mandeep Singh.

But the 30-year-old, who was priced at INR 6.2 crore, managed just 211 runs while picking up two wickets in 10 matches for the Virat Kohli-led franchise in 2019. He was released by the franchise ahead of the upcoming 2020 auction.

Given his all-round exploits for the Australian cricket team and Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League, Stoinis will certainly be one of the players to watch out for at the 2020 auction. A perfect middle-order batsman and a useful right-arm medium bowler, Stoinis might be a valuable addition to Kings XI Punjab.

#2 James Neesham

The New Zealand all-rounder's only IPL appearance was way back in 2014 where he turned out for Delhi Daredevils. In the four matches he played for Delhi, James Neesham managed just 42 runs while picking up a solitary wicket.

The 29-year-old found no buyers after that and went unsold last season as well with a base price of INR 75 lakh. But having produced an all-round display at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup where New Zealand finished as the runners-up, Neesham could earn a lucrative contract at the 2020 auction.

The southpaw, who scored 232 runs apart from picking up 15 wickets for the Kane Williamson-led side in England, will be on the radar of several franchises at the 19 December auction. Having released quality players like David Miller, Moises Henriques and most importantly Sam Curran, Kings XI Punjab could well enter into a bidding war with other franchises to rope Neesham into their 2020 IPL squad.

#1 Chris Morris

Chris Morris, who began his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings in 2013, represented Rajasthan Royals in Season 8 before joining Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) during the 2016 edition of the cash-rich league. The 32-year-old played 34 matches for Delhi during his four-year stint, and scalped 13 wickets for the Shreyas Iyer-led franchise last season.

A hard-hitting batsman and an excellent fast-medium bowler, Morris has 1557 runs and 233 wickets to his name in 187 T20 appearances so far.

His release was one of the most surprising moves ahead of the much-awaited 2020 IPL auction, where the Proteas all-rounder will be one of the hottest properties. Known for his scorching spells and fearless batting low down the order, Morris would be a coveted player given his death bowling prowess and lusty blows with the willow.

With a hefty purse (INR 42.70 crore), Kings XI Punjab could well go all out to secure the experienced Morris in order to strengthen their lineup.