IPL Auction 2020: 3 teams who will be looking to sign middle-order batsmen 

The IPL Auction is just a month away and all the franchises had declared their respective lists of released and retained players last evening at 5 PM. The 2016 IPL winners Sunrisers Hyderabad released the least number of players (5) while Royal Challengers Bangalore dropped the most players (12).

Post the trade window, there are a few loopholes in all the franchises which the team managements would look to fill at the auction. Teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab need some all-rounders in their team while some teams need a few middle-order batsmen in their squads.

The importance of the middle-order batsman is very high in T20 cricket because they have the onus of capitalizing on the momentum generated by the top order and if the primary batsmen fail, they need to build the team’s innings.

So, in this article, we will have a look at the three teams which will look to sign middle-order batsmen in the auction.

Also see - India Bangladesh head to head

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#3 Kolkata Knight Riders

Andre Russell will play the finisher's role while Shubman Gill will open the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders

The two-time IPL winners, Kolkata Knight Riders, will try to win their third championship in 2020 but before that, the team management needs to strengthen its middle-order. Currently, Kolkata Knight Riders have Dinesh Karthik, Nitish Rana and Siddhesh Lad in the middle-order but, they will look to add a few more names to the list.

Talking about the players who can fill in the gaps, KKR may try to snap up Dhruv Shorey, David Miller or Ashton Turner in the auction or they can even sign their alumnus Yusuf Pathan. Another released player who could play in the middle-order for Kolkata in IPL 2020 is the South African wicket-keeper batsman, Heinrich Klaasen.

Among the unsold names from the previous year, the Knight Riders can opt for the services of Eoin Morgan or Shaun Marsh. Most importantly, KKR need a solid replacement for Robin Uthappa who had been the pillar for the team in the past few years.

#2 Royal Challengers Bangalore

Who will support Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers?

Just like all the previous years, Royal Challengers Bangalore have released a host of players before the season auction. They have kept the services of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers but they do not have the batsmen who could make up the team's middle-order. Talking about the retained players who can fulfil this duty, Moeen Ali and Gurkeerat Mann are the best options available with the Royal Challengers.

They can go for Robin Uthappa, who knows the wicket at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium better than most others. RCB can also buy Shimron Hetmyer back at a lower price while JP Duminy is another reliable option who can bat in the middle-order.

Since Simon Katich has joined the coaching staff of RCB, the fans can back him to bring some Australian flavour in the middle-order by signing Alex Carey.

#1 Delhi Capitals

Delhi Capitals have a very strong squad

Delhi Capitals grabbed eyeballs by acquiring Ajinkya Rahane and Ravichandran Ashwin in the trade window. Now, Delhi have five Indian stars namely Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rahane, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant in their top order. However, they do not have any backup for either of the players while they lack a number 6 batsman as well.

Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin can bat at number 7 and number 8 but, there is no one who can play at number 6. Someone like Ben McDermott can take up that role or the Capitals could also sign the Bangladeshi wicket-keeper batsman, Mushfiqur Rahim for that position.

In case Delhi want a back-up option for the top 5 batsmen, Shimron Hetmyer can prove to be a game-changer, while Rassie van der Dussen could also be present on Delhi's wish-list.

For the number 6 position, Delhi may also plan to include the West Indian all-rounder Fabian Allen in the team with Dwaine Pretorius being the second all-round option.

Hence, Delhi Capitals need to sign some middle-order batsmen to complete their team and enter IPL 2020 as the favourites.