5 Players who might be axed by IPL franchises ahead of IPL 2020 auction

It may have been almost three months since the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) came to an end. However, the back end keeps ticking over and franchisees are constantly on the move. They try to review the season that went and look to build towards the next one. Moreover, the transfer window is now open for trade.

Thus, there is a lot of shuffling around as far as the players are concerned. There are certain players who move teams almost every year or two. The likes of Parthiv Patel, Yuvraj Singh and Aaron Finch have played for multiple teams over the years. Thus, teams often look to re-strategize at the end of every season and it won’t be too different this time around.

Here are five players who might be axed by their respective IPL franchises ahead of the IPL 2020 auction:

Colin Munro (Delhi Capitals)

Colin Munro is an excellent T20 player. He has three T20 international hundreds which are the second-most by any player in T20I history. He has also found success in other T20 leagues around the world. However, the New Zealand opener hasn’t fired at all in the IPL. The left-hander has been a part of three seasons so far, one for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and two for Delhi Capitals (DC).

He played a total of 13 games in these three seasons and has mustered just 177 runs at a poor average of 14.75. Moreover, his strike-rate of 125.33 isn’t great either. Also, Munro hasn’t got a single half-century in the tournament. In 2019, he scored just 84 runs from four innings and hence, he may face the axe.

Moreover, it is also the team combination that will come into play. With Delhi Capitals opening with Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw and the likes of Shreyas Iyer, Colin Ingram and Rishabh Pant forming the heart of the middle-order, it’s tough to accommodate Munro in the XI and the batting order. Hence, he may be dropped before the next season.

2. Karun Nair (Kings XI Punjab)

Karun Nair has been a regular member of the IPL over the last few years. He started off with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2013 before moving to Rajasthan Royals (RR) where he found quite a bit of success. He was also good for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals). In fact, he even captained them in a few games.

However, his move to the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) hasn’t exactly been a fruitful one. He was bought for 5.6 crore rupees in the 2018 auction. However, the Karnataka lad blew hot and cold throughout the season. He scored 301 runs at an average of 25.08. But the disappointment came earlier this year.

Nair was benched for the most part of the season. He played just one game in the entire tournament as KXIP preferred to throw in youngsters like Sarfraz Khan, Mandeep Singh and Nicholas Pooran. Hence, Nair got just one opportunity and failed in that. Thus, he might well be on the move and face the axe this time around.

3. Colin de Grandhomme (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Colin de Grandhomme is a utility cricketer. The Kiwi all-rounder can chip in well with the ball and can give it a real tonk with the bat. In fact, he has the ability to win games on his own. However, he has always blown hot and cold in the IPL.

De Grandhomme has been playing the IPL for three seasons now. In 2017, he was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders and did well. He was picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2018 and started well there too. However, he tapered off. In 2019, he played just four games and was lacklustre with his performances. The 33-year-old all-rounder scored just 46 runs in four innings and didn’t pick a single wicket.

Moreover, with RCB having the likes of Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar and Gurkeerat Singh Mann among others, de Grandhomme might not really be in the scheme of things. Thus, the axe may well fall on him and he may go back into the auction pool.

4. Robin Uthappa (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Robin Uthappa has been one the torch-bearers for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) over the last six years or so. The Karnataka batsman has been at the heart of the Kolkata franchise but it looks like he may have to part ways with them in the upcoming season.

For the first time in his career with KKR, Uthappa aggregated less than 350 runs in a season. In fact, the last two seasons have been the lowest for him. He scored 351 runs in 2018 while he could muster just 282 runs this year which is the least for him in an IPL season since 2011. Moreover, his strike-rate wasn’t impressive either.

Thus, Uthappa had one of the worst seasons of his IPL career. He was also dropped midway through the tournament as he struggled to get going in most games. Hence, 33-year-old might well be dropped by the KKR side.

5. Tim Southee (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Tim Southee has been around for more than 12 years now and has been New Zealand’s premier fast bowler in this decade. However, he hasn’t been a regular member of any of the IPL sides he’s played for so far. He has played for four IPL teams so far and yet he hasn’t played all games in a single season.

Southee has been a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore set-up for the last couple of years. While there was a lot expected from him, the Kiwi pacer hasn’t delivered. He has played 11 games across the last two seasons and has picked up only 11 wickets. Moreover, he has been very expensive.

In 2019, his numbers are worse. He played three games while picking up one wicket and he had an economy of 13.11. Moreover, his current form for New Zealand isn’t great either. Hence, he is definitely one of the few players who might face the axe from the RCB side.