IPL 2020: 5 Economical Buys Who Became Big Hits

The Indian Premier League (IPL) IPL final concluded on Tuesday night with Mumbai Indians (MI) retaining the title -they have a fifth IPL trophy in their cabinet. MI’s strong show in the tournament over the years has been a result of their smart picks in the auctions of the T20 extravaganza. Value players like the Pandya brothers, Jasprit Bumrah were initially bought for very low prices and then retained.

In the last couple of years, other low-priced players have done exceedingly well. RCB bought Devdutt Padikkal for 20 Lakhs prior to the 2019 season, and he emerged to be their highest run-scorer this year.

A couple of auctions ago, SRH bought T Natarajan for 40 lakhs, and he has become the yorker king. Similarly, there were a few other players as well, who were bought in the auction last December for a lesser price than what it feels they deserve after their performances in the IPL 2020.

5 Economical Buys Who Became Big Hits in IPL 2020.

Abdul Samad

Abdul Samad captivated everyone with his late-order hitting in a fragile middle-order of Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 19-year-old was brought at his base price of 20 lakhs in the auction. In whatever opportunities Samad got to bat, he made it count. The right-hander played with a strike rate of 170 and smashed a few clean sixes. He scored 33 off 16 balls, with two fours and as many sixes against the likes of Rabada and Nortje, which is a testament to his power and calmness.

Ravi Bishnoi

Ravi Bishnoi was one of the youngsters who impressed the most in IPL 2020. The wily leg-spinner picked 12 wickets at an economy of 7.37. Bishnoi was brought for 2 Crores and could have gone for more considering his Under-19 exploits. He played all the 14 matches for KXIP, and the 20-year-old was instrumental in Punjab’s five-match winning streak.

Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje, who was a replacement for Chris Woakes, played a perfect second-fiddle to Kagiso Rabada. The right-arm fast bowler snared 22 wickets at an economy of 8.39. Since Nortje was a replacement player, he will earn 50 Lakhs- the amount which was set as his base price.

He has played just 7 ODIs and 3 T20Is for South-Africa surely will get more opportunities in the Protea team after his outstanding season for the Delhi Capitals. He was Man of the Match for his 3/33 in DC’s last league game against RCB- a victory in which ensured a second place for the Capitals.

Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis is one of the four Delhi players to play all the games this season. The burly Australian has been their most consistent performer this season. He has won matches for Delhi Capitals with his charismatic batting and has provided vital contributions with the ball as well. His Hulk-esque performance earned him the Man of the Match in Qualifier 2 against SRH.

The right-hander has scored 352 runs at a strike rate of 148 in addition to his 13 wickets. While the price tag of 4.8 crores might seem big, it is much less compared to the other overseas stars like Maxwell, Morris, and Coulter-Nile and Stoinis outshine their performances.

Varun Chakravarthy

An IPL stint that earns a player a national team call-up is surely a successful one. Mystery spinner, Varun Chakravarthy mesmerized the audience and perplexed the batters. In fact, Chakravarthy was KKR’s best bowler this season and made the bowling of expensive picks like Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, and Pat Cummins look ordinary.

Bought for 4 crores – still, plenty less than several players who underperformed in IPL 2020 – the 29-year-old picked 17 wickets at an economy of 6.84. The architect-turned-cricketer became the trump card for KKR and took game-changing wickets.

Also Read: IPL 2020: 5 Players Who Have Impressed The Most In The Tournament