IPL 2020: 5 Worst signings in the auction

The auction for the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) took place on December 19 in Kolkata, also known as the City of Joy. The auction kept one and all at the edge of the seats as 338 players went under the hammer. The numbers were reduced from a whopping 971.

But with only 73 slots to be filled, the franchises had to be on their toes in order to form a formidable combination. The likes of Pat Cummins, Chris Morris and Glenn Maxwell bagged deals over INR crores and franchises didn’t mind spending the big bucks on the colossal names.

Even as the teams made some decent choices, there were picks, the franchises could end up regretting going into the tournament. Most of the players have either not played regularly in the IPL or have faltered to some extent.

In the article, let’s take a look at 5 worst signings in the IPL 2020 Auction:-

Mitchell Marsh

Mitchell Marsh was deemed as the next big thing in Australian cricket when he forayed into international cricket back in 2011. However, his career hardly got a kick as he kept going in and out of the national team owing to injuries and poor run of form.

In 75 T20s, the Perth-born has 1519 runs, striking at 119.98 to go with 46 wickets, numbers which don’t quite justify the potential he has. In the IPL, Marsh hasn’t done anything of sorts. In 20 matches, the 28-year-old only has 225 runs at a dismal average of 18.75 and with the ball, he got 20 wickets.

Marsh last played in the T20 league way back in 2016 for the defunct Rising Pune Supergiant. He had a base price of INR 2 crore and the Sunrisers Hyderabad roped him in. It will be interesting whether he improves his IPL numbers or not.

Saurabh Tiwary

Saurabh Tiwary played in the same U19 World Cup where Virat Kohli plied his trade. However, while Virat’s career has flourished, Tiwary couldn’t quite hold on to his promise. The southpaw made his IPL debut for the Mumbai Indians way back in 2008 and emerged as a bright prospect in their cricket.

In the IPL, he has impressive numbers of 1276 runs at an average of 28.36, striking at 119.59. Overall in T20s, he has an experience of 155 games where he has racked up 2890 runs with 13 fifties. But his IPL career has seen a downward trend and his last match was back in 2017 for the Mumbai franchise.

This time around, he registered himself in the auction at INR 50 lakhs and MI brought him back at his base price. Tiwary didn’t perform well in the SMAT Trophy and his role in the next IPL remains to be seen.

Nathan Coulter-Nile

Nathan Coulter Nile has been a force for the Australian team over the years. But he has strained of late due to a string of injuries. The same has also affected his form to a great extent, which showed in the 2019 World Cup where he was taken to the cleaners.

In the IPL, he has 36 wickets in 26 matches, having last honed his skills for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2017 edition of the league. Back in 2018, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) got him, but he was ruled out due to an injury. Coulter-Nile hasn’t played a whole lot of cricket of late and registered himself at a price of INR 1 crore.

To the surprise of many Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) entered into bidding war for the pacer. In the end, MI went on to splurge a hefty INR 8 crore for the fast bowler.

Jaydev Unadkat

Back in 2018, Rajasthan Royals (RR) picked up Jaydev Unadkat at a massive 11.50 crores after he shone for the defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017. To his agony, the big money got to his nerves and he flattered to deceive. The Royals then released him only to buy him back at INR 8.40 crores.

Even that time around, Unadkat went for plenty and the Royals released him ahead of the auction. Nevertheless, the Royals sprung a surprise and shelled out INR 3 crore for the Saurashtra left-arm pacer. Delhi Capitals (DC) opened the bidding at INR 1 crore, but backed off.

From there on, the Royals and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) went all out for the seamer. Going into the next season, Unadkat will be desperate to restore the faith of the Royals after succumbing to failures in the last two seasons.

Kane Richardson

Kane Richardson has featured in the Australian T20 team off late, but somehow hasn’t found it all that easy. The 28-year-old mostly depends on changes of pace and doesn’t quite have the speed to ruffle feathers. Pakistan’s Iftikhar Ahmed once picked the bones out of him in a T20I in Canberra.

The South Australian registered himself at a price of INR 1.50 crores and that raised a few eyebrows. To bag the speedster, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) tried their hearts out. In the end, the Challengers drafted him in at a reasonable INR 4 crore.

In the IPL, Richardson made his debut way back in 2013 and last took part in 2016. During this while, he played only 14 matches in which he managed to pick 18 wickets at a lacklustre economy rate of 8.38.