Aakash Chopra picks his top 5 overseas batsmen who can excel in IPL 2020

Former Indian batsman and cricket analyst Aakash Chopra opined on the top five overseas batsmen who could shine for their respective franchises in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, slated to begin on September 19 across three venues namely Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Chopra also explained in detail about his reason for picking a particular batsman.

The former Indian opener made his first pick in the form of former South African cricketer Faf du Plessis who will be playing for the IPL franchise Chennai Super kings. Singing praises for the Proteas, Aakash mentioned that he is an experienced player and can fill the void which will be there in the CSK’s batting line-up after their left-handed batsman Suresh Raina pulled out from the league citing personal reasons.

“Let me start with Chennai Super Kings. With Raina not there, they have some difficulties but Faf du Plessis could be the answer to that. He has been playing for South Africa for a long time, is very experienced and the good thing is that he plays spin well. He has a different style of playing but can play the sweep, cut and down the ground as well with a flat bat and is a super-fit guy.” the 42-year-old stated in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel.

Chopra chose Australia’s Glenn Maxwell as his second choice of an overseas player who could perform brilliantly in this edition of Indian league. The former international cricketer believes that the temperament with which Glenn has been playing recently and his excellent records in UAE will help him excel in IPL and justify his massive price tag. Notably, the all-rounder was signed by the Kings XI Punjab for a mind boggling Rs 10.75 Crore in the recent auction.

“Next is Glenn Maxwell. I feel this could be Maxwell’s best IPL. This is because if you see his record for the last 12-18 months although he had not played cricket for some time due to mental health issues. The temperament with which he is playing and the responsibility he is showing, we have never seen him play like that. He will justify his huge price tag and he has a very good record in UAE.” Aakash Chopra said.

The other three picks made by Aakash Chopra

Further, the former KKR batsman chose Steve Smith in his list of 5 overseas players. Aakash feels that Smith will be the main key for the Rajasthan Royals in their batting line-up as the other two main batsmen Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes are not that good with spin bowling. Also, Smith has an added advantage of experience.

“Then we have Steve Smith. He plays spin very well. With Ajinkya Rahane not being there and Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes not that good against spin, if Steve Smith does well, Rajasthan Royals would also do well. And I feel he will do well because other than playing spin well, he has an outstanding temperament and unbelievable experience. And he likes the big stage and wants to be in the thick of things.”

The next in the list was Kolkata Knight Riders’ Eoin Morgan,who is in an astounding form recently. The cricketer-turned-commentator hailed Morgan as a master of spin with shots like sweeps, reverse sweeps and power hitting in his kitty. Also in comparison to Smith, Morgan won’t have the pressure to perform in all the matches as he will have support in the form of Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthika and Andre Russell.

Last pick of Chopra was Australia’s power-hitting batsman David Warner. The Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper has exceptional IPL records and is the highest run-getter in the history of the IPL. Also, in the last edition he was the winner of the Orange Cap with 692 runs in 12 matches.

“Last but not the least, I am going with David Warner. His performances in the IPL are generally very good. He also plays spin very well and he is a hungry lion. Last year he said that he will score 500 runs before he leaves and he did that. He also has additional responsibility as a captain and he has a point to prove always.” Aakash concluded.