IPL Auction 2020: 3 biggest buys for Delhi Capitals

The JSW Group-led Delhi Capitals have given away a very positive and refreshing outlook (as compared to the GSW-owned Delhi Daredevils previously) and the same professional and intelligent approach continued at the 2020 IPL Auction in Kolkata yesterday.

The Delhi Capitals set forth their intentions even before the auction took place by bringing in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane during the trade window. However, there was a lot of work still left to done as the franchise had let go of nine players from their roster.

This meant that Delhi had a total of eleven (six local, five foreign) slots to fill with a purse of Rs 27.85 Crores. The luxury of having such a huge financial backup helped the franchise as the management went all out for the likes of Shimron Hetmyer (Rs 7.75 Crores), Marcus Stoinis (Rs 4.8 Crores), and Alex Carey (Rs 2.4 Crores). Apart from the above-mentioned trio, Delhi also added Jason Roy, Chris Woakes, Mohit Sharma, and Lalit Yadav to their roster.

While Stoinis and Woakes could be seen as able replacements for Chris Morris and Trent Boult, the swashbuckling Hetmyer would be expected to do much more than what Colin Ingram managed to do last season.

So, with the Delhi Capitals investing in quite a few big names, let us have a look at the Top 3 buys for the team this year.

#3 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer could be a showstopper in the IPL next year

If you ask us, the talented Shimron Hetmyer was the biggest buy for the Delhi Capitals in the 2020 IPL Auction. Released by Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the auction, Hetmyer bagged a contract worth Rs 7.75 Crores, which is almost double of what he received in 2018.

This exponential rise in his price tag doesn't come as a surprise to anyone who saw his fireworks in the 1st ODI against India recently. Interestingly, it was his performances against the same opposition last year that helped him get a hefty contract for the previous edition of the league as well. However, Hetmyer went through a rough patch that time, barring the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in RCB's final league game wherein he scored an attacking 75 off 47 deliveries.

While he struggled to get back to his best in the World Cup and the CPL that followed, there were some signs of him getting his rhythm back during the West Indies series against Afghanistan in Lucknow a month ago.

He carried this form on to the T20I series against India, topping the run-charts for WI with 120 runs. The icing on the cake, perhaps, was the majestic 139 off 106 balls he struck in the first ODI against India, with the knock making him a favorite amongst IPL franchises once again.

Although the Capitals had to part away with a huge sum of money to acquire him, they will be more than happy to get Hetmyer on board as he could be a fantastic replacement in the middle-order for Ingram. His association with Rishabh Pant will also be one to watch out for as the duo possesses the ability to take bowling attacks apart during the middle overs.

Just like Pant, Hetmyer is brutal on spinners and his game against pacers is also on the up. So, it won't be surprising if the West Indian seems like a massive bargain at the end of the 2020 IPL season.

#2 Jason Roy

Jason Roy will hope that his second stint at Delhi Capitals proves to be much better than his first one

An even bigger name than Shimron Hetmyer, English opener Jason Roy is possibly another massive coup for the Delhi Capitals. Bought at his base price of Rs 1.5 Crores, Roy could prove to be a massive bargain next year.

He is considered by many as one of the best openers in world cricket and with good reason. Although he didn't set the IPL world alight in the few matches he played for the Gujarat Lions and the Delhi Capitals previously, Roy has been in terrific form for England and is also ranked as the number ten batsman in ODI cricket at the moment. Even though the 29-year-old missed a few matches, he was still key to the English side lifting the World Cup earlier this year, contributing with 443 runs in 8 matches.

In fact, his importance was evident in the way his team had a mid-tournament stutter (which could have even seen them miss out on the World Cup semi-finals). But Roy came back into the side against India after recovering from an injury to immediately showcase his talent with an aggressive fifty.

Delhi will hope that he can continue with his form in the IPL next year as he could be a yet another valuable addition in an already star-studded batting lineup. However, a place in the playing XI might be a bit tricky considering that Delhi already has Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, and Ajinkya Rahane amongst other top-order options.

#1 Alex Carey

Many experts have already termed Alex Carey a steal

Wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey announced himself to the cricketing world with his performances for the Adelaide Strikers as an opener. The 2017-18 BBL season was his breakout year as he scored 443 runs from 11 matches.

Although Carey did make his international debut in the first half of 2018, it was only during the ICC World Cup that the South Australian wicket-keeper batsman made his best impression. He put forth his candidature as an able middle-order batsman, continuously helping Australia recover or accelerate, courtesy of his precise timing and placement of shots. His ability to tackle quality spin bowling with relative ease was also lauded by many.

Carey's performance was so good that many termed him as the breakthrough performer of the World Cup, with ICC also naming him in the 'Team of the Tournament' for his 375 runs from 10 matches.

Even though he might only be a backup option for Rishabh Pant, Delhi would be delighted to him on the bench.