IPL 2018 Auctions: 5 batsmen franchises should target

Batting is an essential part of Twenty20 cricket as it sets the platform for a team’s victory. Also, it gives the bowlers enough cushion to work with. The Indian Premier League (IPL) is played on Indian wickets which serve mostly batting friendly wickets. Ever since the inception of the event, several batsmen have lit the tournament racking up big runs. During the recent IPL retentions, batsmen of the class of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma were retained by the franchises. However, many of them missed out on securing a retention. Nevertheless, they still stand a chance of getting picked in the upcoming auctions. In our articles, we take a look at the players who the franchises should target. #5 Brendon McCullum Brendon McCullum. (Photo Source: Twitter) Brendon McCullum, popularly named as Baz by the fans, is renowned for his fearless and innovative brand of cricket. Such was his class that he bowed out of international cricket with the fastest ton in Test cricket against Australia at Christchurch. He has also been a brute force in the prestigious IPL while representing the Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings and the Gujarat Lions. In the tournament, he has shown consistency and likes to dictate terms to the bowlers. The Kiwi also had an impressive 2017-18 Big Bash League (BBL) with 158 runs at a strike rate of 143. At 36 years, he might be at the fag end of his career, but he hasn’t run out of steam by any stretch of the imagination. The Otago-born cricketer deserves to be picked up in the auctions. #4 Sanju Samson Sanju Samson, Delhi Daredevils. (Photo Source: Twitter) Sanju Samson has emerged as one of the most talented cricketers in the domestic circuit. He hardly goes for the extravagant strokes but garners runs by playing copybook cricket. The wicketkeeper-batsman hasn’t yet cemented his spot in the Indian team but has been playing well to stay in contention. He started his IPL campaign with the Rajasthan Royals where he grabbed eyeballs with some scintillating display of batting. The Kerala-born batsman moved it to the Delhi Daredevils camp a couple of seasons ago and played handsomely for them as well. However, Delhi didn’t retain him ahead of the eleventh season of the 20-over extravaganza. He knows the art of constructing an inning, an attribute which makes him an asset in the shortest format. Franchises can definitely vouch for him in the auctions. #3 Yusuf Pathan Yusuf Pathan. (Photo Source: Twitter) Yusuf Pathan had a dream start in the IPL, representing the Royals. The 37-ball century by the Baroda batsman against the Mumbai Indians is pretty afresh in the memory. He has also been an integral element of Kolkata Knight Riders’ setup and was a key performer in both their title wins. Though he hasn’t played much cricket after the previous season of the T20 league he scored a couple of whirlwind tons in the same match against Madhya Pradesh in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy. He is a big hitter and an impact player, Yusuf is one of those batters with the ability to turn the game on its head whenever he walks out. #2 Glenn Maxwell Glenn Maxwell of Kings XI Punjab. (Photo Source: Twitter) Glenn Maxwell is a destructive batsman who prefers to innovate and throw bowlers off their line and lengths. He doesn’t die wondering while batting and scores runs at a haemorrhaging rate. He has represented the Kings XI Punjab in the tournament. The Australian performed exceptionally well in the inaugural season and soon became a feared prospect among bowlers. He didn’t have an impressive run in the next season, however, compiled some useful knocks in the last edition. Recently, the right-handed batsman played a stupendous knock of 278 runs off 318 in a Sheffield Shield game against New South Wales. Maxwell may not be the most consistent batsman going around, but bearing in mind his prowess with the willow, he can be one of the hottest picks in the auctions. #1 Chris Lynn Chris Lynn of Kolkata Knight Riders. (Photo Source: Twitter) Chris Lynn’s ferocity and six-hitting prowess is an open secret. He isn’t intimidating to the eyes but packs a punch in his strokes. He doesn’t back away from taking on the best bowlers in the business, an attribute which makes him a deadly prospect for the oppositions. The Aussie has been an instrumental performer in the BBL and has notched several jaw-dropping knocks for the Brisbane Heat. The swashbuckling batsman is a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders setup in the IPL for three years, however, became a regular fixture in the side only last season. He missed quite a few games owing to injury but made an impact with his ferocious and ruthless style of play. It won’t be bewildering if the franchises go hammer and tongs for the Queensland-born cricketer.

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IPL 2018 Auctions: 5 batsmen franchises should target

It is the batsmen who turn games around in the IPL and franchises must have these names on their list.

#4 Sanju Samson

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