IPL 2020: 5 Bowlers who can open the batting in the tournament

In the 12 editions of IPL concluded so far there were many occasions where a number of lower-order batsmen were sent up the order as pinch hitters. Sunil Narine has opened for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and his quick starts have made a huge difference in the outcome of matches.

The shortest format of the game is not just limited to batsman; even the bowlers have to contribute with the bat sometimes to post a competitive total. And it will be a very good option to send someone in top the order asking him to slog from the very first ball. It won’t really matter even if they lose their wicket in this process.

Even in the upcoming IPL, we can witness some of the bowlers padding up and destroying the bowling attacks of the opponents in the powerplay.

Now let’s look at 5 such bowlers who can be considered to open batting for their respective teams in IPL 2020: –

1. Rashid Khan

The 21-year-old Afghanistan leg-spinner is a fantastic bowler for any franchise and if he can score some runs at the top, one can’t ask for anything more. His fearless batting with his Camel bat can fetch some important runs for the team at the top.

Although Sunrisers Hyderabad have some mighty openers in the form of David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Wriddhiman Saha it’s still a good choice to send the young man along with Warner as he can clear the ropes with his splendid batting skills.

His strike rates of 165.08 and 161.15 in IPL and Big Bash respectively are evident that he can be a match winner with the bat also. Currently playing in CPL, he is expected to join the SRH squad before their first game.