IPL 2020: 5 Blunders made by the franchises in the auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction for the 2020 season took place in Kolkata, the City of Joy, on December 19. Prior to the start of the auction for the mega event, the franchises had to go through a retention process where they released quite a few players. In the auction, 73 slots remained to be filled with 338 players going under the hammer. The numbers were initially pruned down from 971. Throughout the auction, the representatives from the franchises kept scratching their heads to churn out the right combination. The auctioneer kept hovering his hammer and franchises had to be pretty prompt in their decision making. Even as some teams made some bold picks, a few sides missed out on some tricks, which could’ve worked wonders for them in the championship. In the article, let’s look at five blunders made by the franchises in IPL 2020 Auction:- KKR letting go Aaron Finch Aaron Finch of Surrey celebrates his century. (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images) Prior to the IPL auction, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) let go off Chris Lynn. It meant that there was a massive void created at the top of the batting order. Needless to say, that the Knights needed someone, who could replace the Queenslander. KKR didn’t buy back Lynn, who went to Mumbai Indians for his base price of INR 2 crore. But soon after, the Knights had a chance to make amends. Aaron Finch’s name was called up and the Knight Riders went after him. It was Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who opened the bidding at INR 1 crore. From there on KKR and RCB went into a bit of a bidding war and after the latter put in a bid of INR 4.40 crores, Kolkata backed out. KKR picked up Eoin Morgan earlier and Finch’s inclusion could further have bolstered their batting lineup. Shai Hope going unsold Shai Hope. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Shai Hope, the West Indies batsman, is someone, who doesn’t play the outrageous and eye-catching strokes. But when it comes to effectiveness, he can be a handy option for any batting lineup. The Barbados-born is someone, who can put his head down in trying conditions. Most importantly, the 26-year-old can also shift gears in the hour of need and is in pretty decent form in recent times. In 32 T20s, he strikes at 128.23 and it increases to 136 for the Caribbean team. He has also had his fair share of success representing the Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League. In the IPL Auction, he had a base price of INR 50 lakhs. To his sheer dismay, he didn’t find any buyer. Hope brings in calmness and he could’ve been a value addition. In the end, he had to return empty-handed, dejected and disappointed. RCB picking Chris Morris at 10 crores Chris Morris. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have strained with their bowling throughout the previous season. Only after Steyn came in, RCB was able make some impact at the top. But the franchise decided to release him of his services. Virat Kohli’s Challengers also released Marcus Stoinis and Black Cap Colin de Grandhomme, meaning the spot for the bowling all-rounder was also wide open. Hence, RCB went for someone, who could contribute effectively with both bat and ball. The Challengers picked up Chris Morris, but at a whopping price of INR 10 crore. Rajasthan Royals (RR) opened the bidding and then backed off. RCB was then involved in a bidding war with Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Morris is useful, but the price tag seemed a tad on the higher side. MI shelling out 8 crores for Nathan Coulter Nile Nathan Coulter-Nile. (Photo Source: Twitter) Nathan Coulter Nile has 36 wickets in 26 matches in the IPL. But he hasn’t taken part in the T20 league ever since 2017 where he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). But in the next season, KKR released him and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) picked him up. To his agony, he got ruled out and was replaced by Corey Anderson. In the auction for 2020, the pacer had a base price of INR 1 crore. Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went all out to rope in the Australian seamer in their ranks. No other team, barring the most successful IPL teams, showed interest in Coulter-Nile. In the end, CSK backed out and the seamer went to MI for a significant INR 8 crores. Nathan has been off colour of late and was rusty in the World Cup. Bearing in mind the same, the price was a bit high. Marcus Stoinis going to Delhi Capitals at 4.8 crores Marcus Stoinis. (Photo Source: Twitter) Marcus Stoinis hasn’t been a part of the Australian team ever since the 2019 World Cup. The Perth-born has shown sparks of brilliance with his power-hitting and clever variations of pace. However, he hasn’t put forth consistent performances enough to cement his place in the national side. In the IPL, the all-rounder has played 29 matches after making his debut for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) back in 2016. In those games, he has 473 runs and 15 wickets. But he has strained to press the accelerator because of which he his sides often failed to get competitive scores. After an indifferent season in 2019, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) released him. This time he had a base price of INR 1 crore, which seemed a tad high. In the first instance, he went unsold. But second time around, Delhi Capitals picked him up at INR 4.80 crores.

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