IPL 2020: Chennai Super Kings release England wicketkeeper Sam Billings
Billings played 11 games for CSK across two seasons.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have decided to release England’s wicketkeeper Sam Billings ahead of the IPL auction for the 2020 season. Billings was with the three-time champions from the last couple of seasons. The CSK had bought him in the auction for Rs 1 crore.
The franchises are busy finalising the retained and released players list. The IPL authorities have extended the deadline to submit the same until Friday evening. Quite a number of trade-offs between the franchises were confirmed in the last few days with the teams looking to rebuild their side ahead of the auction which is set to take place in Kolkata on December 19.
Billings didn’t play many games for CSK
The Mumbai Mirror confirmed the news of the CSK releasing Sam Billings. He didn’t play many matches for the franchise during his two-year association with them. Billings featured in 10 matches for CSK in the 2018 season where he could only muster 108 runs at a mediocre average of 13.5. Things didn’t improve in the following IPL edition as the England player was included in the playing XI only once where he failed to get off the mark as well.
Billings’ release now leaves CSK once again with only a solitary wicketkeeper in MS Dhoni who is in the twilight of his career. Reports surfaced a few days ago that the Men in Yellow are interested in England’s young wicketkeeper Tom Banton who is hogging the limelight for his exploits in the T20 Blast. It remains to be seen if they will bid for him in the auction.
As far as the other trades are concerned, Trent Boult joined Mumbai Indians even as it has been reported that the left-arm pacer was to be transferred to the KXIP. But Boult refused to give his consent for the same and then agreed to move to the most successful team in the league. Interestingly, the Mumbai Mirror report also read that the BCCI has not approved Krishnappa Gowtham‘s trade to the KXIP and the reasons for the same are still unknown.
However, BCCI has given its approval to another trade between KXIP and RR where the latter side has acquired the services of Ankit Rajpoot.
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