Best Sold XI after IPL 2020 Auction

There was a lot of buzz around the IPL auction for the 2020 season. There were 73 slots that were available but the eight teams together picked a total of 62 players from the auction pool, including 29 overseas stars. In fact, it was an auction where some of the big stars returned after a year’s break from the IPL.

Thus, there was limelight on the big international stars and also, the top domestic, young and upcoming domestic stars. Thus, there were plenty of big buys and teams showed that they were willing to shell out some big sum of money for certain players.

Hence, after the auction, here is the best sold XI from the IPL 2020 auction:

Yashasvi Jaiswal

The Indian Under-19 stars went for some big bugs and Yashasvi Jaiswal was at the top of the list. The Mumbai left-hander has been piling up the runs and was tipped to be one of the players to watch out for. Moreover, he’s been in fine form and has been very impressive.

At the start of this Indian domestic season, Jaiswal was brilliant in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He played just six games and yet, he ended up in the top five run-getters list. The opener scored 564 runs which included three hundreds and a fifty.

Thus, the exciting young talent from Mumbai who will also play the Under-19 World Cup next year was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR). He was paid 24 times his base price (INR 20 lakhs).

Aaron Finch

Last year, Aaron Finch opted out of the IPL auctions with a hectic season which included the World Cup and the Ashes. Thus, he was always going to be one of the attractive buys this time around. Finch had already played for seven teams in the IPL before and now, he’s all set to play for his eighth.

The Australian white-ball captain was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a sum of INR 4.4 crore. He has a decent IPL record as he’s scored 1878 runs at an average of 38.33. He also has a very good strike-rate of 156.50. Moreover, Finch can also play a role in the middle order and has shown that in the past.

Thus, Finch adds some depth to the RCB batting line-up. He could be used be as a powerhouse at the top of the order and it might ease the pressure on the two stalwarts, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Shimron Hetmyer

For two years in a row now, Shimron Hetmyer has made headlines in the IPL auction. Both times, he had an excellent run against India and that may have well had an impact on the final price. He recently scored a match-winning ton against India on a tricky pitch as well.

Hetmyer is one player who can change the game in the space of a few deliveries. He can go hammer and tongs and can be a real game-changer. Moreover, he is a boast to the Delhi middle-order as well. He was bought for a stunning sum of INR 7.75 crore which is 15.5 times his base price.

Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell has been in the news for some time now. He had recently taken a break from cricket citing mental health issues but he’s back now. Moreover, he skipped the 2019 edition of the IPL and opted out of the auctions due to a hectic season.

However, Maxwell was back and he returned with a bang. Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) went after him big time as they bagged him for a staggering sum of INR 10.75 crore. The Victorian has been in decent form and can have a big impact.

Maxwell can contribute in all three formats. Be it with the bat, ball or in the field, he can turn any game and is a match-winner. With Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal forming the top three, Maxwell brings some firepower to the KXIP middle order.

Eoin Morgan (c)

It will be three years since Eoin Morgan last played the IPL. The England white-ball skipper last featured in an IPL game back in 2017 as he donned the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) jersey. However, in the 2020 season, he is back to his old side, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Morgan infuses some solidity into the KKR middle order as well. The left-hander has the ability to strike the ball long and hard and is a regular six-hitter as well. He is an experienced campaigner as well and is an excellent captain. Thus, he can give in his inputs and help Dinesh Karthik out as well.

Thus, it’s an excellent buy for KKR and in this sold XI, Morgan will captain the side considering his heroics with his national side.

Alex Carey (wk)

Alex Carey’s stocks have risen quite a bit in the recent past. The Australian wicket-keeper batsman has been in some very good form and has come up the ranks nicely. He used to be a top-order batsman and was struggling to find his feet in the middle.

However, he’s adapted beautifully and has become Australia’s finisher in the shorter formats. He made 375 runs at an average of 62.50 and a strike-rate of 104.16 in the World Cup. He even had a good time in the T20 Blast as he scored 264 runs and was striking at 152.60. The left-handed wicket-keeper also started the Australian with a bang.

Thus, he is an excellent addition to the Delhi Capitals side. He was bought for INR 2.4 crore and can be used as a floater and a wicket-keeping backup.

Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan has been England’s premier T20 bowler since the end of the World T20 in 2016. In fact, until November this year, he had played every single T20I that England played since that mega event in 2016. He is an excellent death bowler but his skills are pretty underrated.

The Barbados-born fast bowler has played just 11 IPL games so far but they’ve come for two different teams. He played nine games for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as he flew in as an injury replacement in 2016. However, in 2017 and 2018, Jordan was a part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) set-up but played just one game in each season.

However, this year, he’s been sold to Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) for a sum of INR 3 crore. Not only with the ball, but Jordan can also tonk a few with the bat and is excellent in the field. Thus, he is a steal at the price he’s been bought.

Pat Cummins

There was one highlight in this auction and that is Pat Cummins. The premier Australian fast bowler absolutely stole the show. There was a massive bidding war between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC). However, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) came in and bought him for a jaw-dropping price of INR 15.5 crore. This is the second-highest ever price ever in the history of IPL auctions.

Cummins has been in top form over the last couple of years. He’s been dominating in all three formats and has the ability to lead the attack. Thus, it was no major surprise that he went for a big sum but very few expected him to go as high as he did.

Moreover, the New South Wales lad has played just one full season of the IPL. That was in 2017 when he played 12 games for Delhi and picked up 15 wickets. Now, he returns to his maiden IPL franchise, KKR where he was a part in the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn gave up Test cricket in order to prolong his career and play a lot more white-ball cricket. However, despite that, Steyn almost went unsold before Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked him up in the final round. He was bought at his base price of INR 2 crore.

Last year, he flew into the RCB squad as an injury replacement for Nathan Coulter-Nile. The ace South African pacer did well and looked in some very good rhythm. But his campaign was cut short as he suffered from a shoulder injury.

Steyn returned to action in the recently-concluded Mzansi Super League (MSL). He looked in great shape in that tournament as he picked up 15 wickets from eight games. Thus, Steyn may well lead RCB’s pace attack next season.

Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat has once again been bought by the Rajasthan Royals (RR). For the last couple of seasons, they’ve been buying him for a high price (INR 11.5 crore in 2018 and INR 8.4 crore in 2019). However, this year, they scalped him for a much cheaper value.

The Saurashtra fast bowler has flattered to deceive over the last couple of seasons. He hasn’t really stood up and lived up to expectation as he took 21 wickets from 26 games across two seasons. Hence, it was no surprise that RR released him into the auction pool.

But they bought him back for INR 3 crore and saved up on quite a bit of money. Unadkat has been in good form in domestic cricket and it will be interesting to see if he can turnaround his poor IPL form from the last two years.

Piyush Chawla

If someone would’ve told you that Piyush Chawla would go for INR 6.75 crore in the IPL auction for the 2020 season, you would’ve laughed it off. However, that is the reality and it is the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who have bought him and enhanced their spin riches.

In fact, there was a bidding war between KXIP and CSK before the latter eventually won. Chawla has been in some decent form in the domestic season. The leg-spinner who is playing for Gujarat has taken 17 wickets in the Vijay Hazare Trophy while he picked up 9 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

He is the sole spinner in this best sold XI from the IPL 2020 auctions. Chawla’s presence in CSK gives them a host of choices to pick a spin attack.