The IPL auction 2020 will see the eight franchises tussle it out to fill the remaining few spots in their team. With auction purses tight and big players on sale, keeping their requirements to a minimum and filling the right spots is quintessential. Most teams lack back-up wicket-keeping options and here we take a glance at some options available this auction.
Glenn Phillips
The New Zealand wicket-keeper batsman is a proper backpacker in T20 cricket and is a formidable force at the top of the order. He has had immense success in the Super Smash in New Zealand and went on to make runs in the Caribbean Premier League where his status as an opening batsman with flair was accepted. Phillips could be in for an IPL gig this year.
Alex Carey
The Australian wicket-keeper batsman had a rip-roaring World Cup where he finished as Australia’s third highest run-scorer behind David Warner and Steven Smith. Carey averaged higher than Smith and was a force down the order for Aussies with his innovative stroke play. The wicket-keeper batsman can be a floater in the line-up as he opens the batting in the Big Bash. In the NatWest T20 Blast, Carey had success both as an opener and in the middle-order.
Shai Hope
The West Indian opener isn’t the most flashy T20 player available but his recent form warrants a bid. Hope is the third highest run-scorer behind Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in ODIs in 2019 and is in excellent form now. In Asian conditions, he has had major success in the last few years and it could work well for franchises who are eyeing stability and keeping skills at the top of the order.
Mushfiqur Rahim
The Bangladesh middle-order batsman hasn’t attracted bids in the IPL before but this auction could be different after he lit up the Bangladesh Premier League this week with a scintillating 96 in a run-chase of 190 for the Khulna Tigers. A versatile batsman who plays pace and spin equally well, Rahim could fit in snugly into most franchises. That he hasn’t attracted bids before is in itself is a tad surprising, but he will hope it changes this year.