IPL 2020: Best XI from the released players

The Indian Premier League – IPL Governing Council had fixed the deadline for submitting the franchises final list of retained and released players by 15th November 2019. Ahead of the auction which is slated to take place on December 19 in Kolkata, the IPL franchises have finally shared the list of their retained and released players.

Ahead of the IPL 2020 auction, the franchises have surprised many fans by the likes of players that they have decided to release. Many prominent names like Steyn, Lewis, Uthappa, Yuvraj and Southee have been released by their respective franchises.

IPL 2020 is certainly going to grab a lot of attention as the franchises have been left with a hefty amount of sum after offloading some players. Here’s a list of best XI players who have been shown the exit door by their franchises:

1. Evin Lewis

Mumbai Indians have released their opener Evin Lewis from their squad ahead of the IPL 2020 auction. Mumbai will now have to fill the void left by Lewis in the upcoming IPL 2020 auction. Lewis, who had joined the side before IPL 2018 for a sum of 3.8 Crores, had a great debut season as he scored 382 runs in 13 games.

However, he failed to cement his place in the squad as Mumbai Indians acquired the services of Quinton de Kock and assigned him the role to open the innings. Moreover, skipper Rohit Sharma was also pushed up the order. The hard-hitting left-hander has represented his national side in 24 T20Is and has gathered 715 runs at an impressive strike rate of 159.9.

Mumbai Indians, who have a large pool of players, also have the likes of Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Aditya Tare to replace Evin Lewis. Mumbai can also go for an explosive opener like Jason Roy or youngster Tom Banton to fill in the shoes of Evin Lewis.

2. Chris Lynn

The Australian top-order batsman was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014. Lynn was bought again by KKR in the 2018 auction for a whopping amount of Rs 9.6 crores. The aggressive opener delivered match-winning performances for his side through his explosive display of batting.

In 2017 Lynn played just seven matches for the Knight Riders but scored 295 runs at an impressive average of 49.16 and strike rate of 181. However, he was not able to replicate his previous performances in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the IPL, with his strike rate dropping to 130s.

The explosive top-order batsman was a vital cog of Kolkata’s batting line-up. However, KKR seemed to be interested in investing its money in a player who could deliver similar performances at a cheaper price. Lynn has the experience of showcasing his batting skills in domestic leagues all around the globe. Lynn will also be a hot-favourite for many IPL franchises due to his hard-hitting style of batting. Kolkata Knight Riders are also expected to buy the top-order batsman back if they get him at a cheaper price.

3. Shakib Al Hasan

After being banned by the International Cricket Council for not reporting corrupt approaches, Bangladesh’s Test and T20I skipper, Shakib Al Hasan was released by the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Hyderabad will be looking forward to investing in a decent all-rounder, as the franchise will miss the all-round abilities of Shakib.

The 32-year-old is one of the most prominent players to have played the game for the Bangladesh team. The all-rounder has represented his national side in 206 ODIs and has gathered 6323 runs along with picking up 260 wickets. Despite Shakib being an integral part of Hyderabad’s batting as well as bowling line-up, his ban may have led the franchise to make a decision on him to be released.

Shakib was an integral part of Kolkata Knight Riders until he was snapped up by Hyderabad for 2018 edition of the IPL. Shakib has represented various franchises across the globe in countries such as Australia, West Indies, India and Pakistan. Shakib will be eager to bounce back on the stage after the completion of his ban.

4. Sam Billings

Sam Billings, who had been a part of the Chennai Super Kings squad since the past two seasons was released by the franchise. The right-hander had played ten games in CSK’s title-winning campaign in 2018 and had also smashed a match-winning 56 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the MA Chidambaram stadium.

The wicketkeeper-batsman had represented England in 26 T20 Internationals, scoring 348 runs at a strike rate of 136.5. With the potential to play explosive innings at the start, many IPL franchises will be eyeing to snap the right-hander in the upcoming IPL 2020 auction. With Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler being a vital part of the English side, it will be an uphill task for Billings to cement his place in the national side.

Billings has the experience of playing domestic cricket all around the globe. He has featured in popular T20 leagues like the IPL, BBL and PSL. Billings was snapped up by Delhi Daredevils in 2016, for whom he played two seasons. However, he was released into the auction pool in 2018 where CSK bought him for the base price of Rs 1 crore. After being retained by CSK in 2019, the MS Dhoni-led side has finally shown him the exit door for the upcoming IPL season. Billings is expected to be under the scanner of many IPL franchises.

5. Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh, left-arm explosive batsman, who was once known as the spine of India’s middle order, was released by Mumbai Indians. Yuvraj is known as the architect of India’s 2011 ICC World Cup-winning campaign. The 37-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket earlier this year and is currently playing in the Abu Dhabi T10 league.

Having represented India in 304 matches, Yuvraj amassed 8701 runs at an average of 36.5, including 14 tons and 52 half-centuries. Despite being in the late phase of his career, the 37-year-old has the potential to turn the tables in his side’s favour.

The swashbuckling batsman played for Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors India in the IPL before being snapped up by RCB in the 2014 Player Auction for a whopping sum of Rs 14 crores. He emerged as the highest-paid player in the auction. The all-rounder broke that record at the 2015 Player Auction when he was snapped up by DD for 16 crores.

Mumbai Indians picked Yuvraj up for a sum of Rs 1 crore for the 2019 edition of the IPL. However, Yuvraj only represented them in four matches, scoring 98 runs.

6. Carlos Brathwaite

Regarded as an explosive all-rounder, Brathwaite was bought for Rs 5 crores by KKR in the IPL auction held in December 2018. Known for his all-round abilities, Brathwaite made his IPL debut with Delhi Daredevils after being bought for a sum of Rs 4.2 crores.

In December 2018, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders in the player auction for the 2019 edition of the IPL. The former Windies skipper has represented his national side in 44 ODIs, gathering 559 runs including a century and a half-century. One of the prominent performances of his career was in 2016 T20 World Cup, where Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes in the first four balls of the last over in the final of the tournament to enable the West Indies to win their second World T20 trophy.

Brathwaite was also a part of Windies squad for the ICC World Cup 2019, where he smashed his first ODI ton against New Zealand. After his release, Brathwaite will also be in the buying list of many IPL franchises for his all-round abilities.

7. Ben Cutting

Ben Cutting, who is currently a part of the Abu Dhabi 2019 league, was released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the auction. Despite not making it big to Australia’s national side, the all-rounder has the experience of representing numerous franchises.

At the 2014 IPL auctions, Cutting was signed by the Rajasthan Royals to play the 7th edition of the IPL but didn’t get many games. The all-rounder was later signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad. He grabbed the headlines by playing a match-winning knock of 39 runs off 15 deliveries in the final of the 2016 edition. In January 2018, he was bought by the Mumbai Indians in the 2018 IPL auction.

However, Cutting failed to leave his mark for the franchise. He is an eminent part of the Brisbane Heat. The all-rounder has the experience of playing 130 T20 games and has gathered 1676 runs including a highest score of unbeaten 81. Cutting will be approached by many sides who are eager to bolster their all-rounders’ brigade in the upcoming IPL 2020 auction.

8. Sam Curran

In a rather surprising move, the 21-year-old was released by Kings XI Punjab ahead of the IPL 2020 auction. The left-arm all-rounder is labelled to make it big in English cricket. Curran was snapped up for a gigantic sum of Rs 7.2 crores by KXIP to become one of the biggest surprises at the auctions over the last twelve seasons.

Many IPL franchises will be looking to buy the youngster in order to flourish him for future seasons. Curran was named as England’s Player of the Series against India, where he contributed 272 runs and 11 wickets in England’s 4-1 series victory. Recently, Curran made his T20I debut for England, against New Zealand, on 1 November 2019.

Curran is also the youngest bowler to take a hat-trick in IPL. He achieved the feat at the age of 20 in the previous edition of the IPL. Many franchises, including Kings XI Punjab, will be eager to buy the prolific all-rounder back in their side. The 21-year-old has the potential to steer England’s batting and bowling attack in the near future.

9. Piyush Chawla

Veteran Chawla was also shown the exit door by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the upcoming IPL auction. Despite picking up 10 wickets last term, KKR were not interested in extending Chawla’s tenure. Kolkata are expected to invest in relatively young talent in the upcoming IPL season.

The 30-year-old has an abundance of experience in international as well as domestic cricket. The leg-spinner’s first-class record has also been phenomenal. He has scalped 438 wickets in 131 first-class matches at an impressive economy of 3.28.

Chawla played in the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab team from 2008 to 2013. He has had a successful time at Punjab. After four IPL seasons, he had 57 scalps in 55 matches. He also had a stint with Kings XI Punjab in the fourth edition of the IPL, before being bought by Kolkata in 2014. Chawla is expected to be picked up by several IPL franchises as a handy leg-spinner in middle-overs.

10. Tim Southee

In what seems to be a mass clear out after repeated failures, the Bengaluru franchise released 12 players including pacers like Coulter-Nile, Steyn and Southee. The spearhead of the Kiwi attack- Tim Southee represented RCB in 40 matches where he scalped 28 wickets including the best figures of 3/24.

Southee also had stints with Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians, before being snapped up by Bangalore in 2018. Southee has the experience of representing the Kiwis in 140 ODIs where he scalped 181 wickets including 3 five-wicket hauls. He is known for his ability to generate late outswing at a brisk pace and slow off-cutters.

Southee also emerged as the third-highest wicket-taker at the 2011 ICC World Cup by scalping 18 wickets. He also grabbed eyeballs in the ICC World Cup 2015 by picking up 7 wickets in a round-robin league match against England. Many IPL franchises will be keeping a close eye on Southee in order to bolster their bowling attack.

11. Andrew Tye

Andrew Tye, who emerged as a vital player for Kings XI Punjab in the 2018 edition of the IPL, was released by the franchise before the IPL 2020 auction. Tye was bought by Kings XI Punjab in January 2018. The right-arm pacer went on to win the Purple Cap for the 2018 IPL season for taking the most wickets (24) during the season.

Tye was initially snapped up by Chennai Super Kings in the 2015 auction of the Indian Premier League. However, the 32-year-old did not get a chance until 2017 when he was bought by Gujarat Lions. Tye made an immediate impact by picking up five-wicket haul on his debut.

Tye has gained vital experience by playing in the Big Bash League for almost six years now. In the 142 T20s which he has played, Tye has scalped 194 wickets including 2 five-wicket hauls. With an expectation that he will replicate his 2018 IPL performance, franchises will splurge their money on the pacer in the upcoming auction.