IPL 2020: Big Signings Each Team Could Regret

The recent auctions for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 witnessed the eight franchises spend big bucks on quite a few international as well as national signings. A few of these signings would be making their debut this season at the IPL 2020. The eight franchises had retained most of their players from the previous edition, and as a result, only 62 players, out of the pool of 338, were signed by the teams.
Many of these purchases could be considered as a steal for the team owners while some of the bids went high, and it could be a worry for the team owners ahead. Keeping in mind that the recent auction was the last one before the mega auction, where the teams can change their entire squad, the team owners went on to flow the cash on short-term targets.
The teams tend to spend a lot on the all-rounders and batsmen each year, but this year’s auctions saw a shift in the mentality of the team owners and managers. Bowlers were the ones who made big bucks this season with Pat Cummins topping the list at 15.5 crores.
It was a strong auction as per se, but there were a few purchases that made the fans and analysts question the team management’s decision. The pressure of other teams and continuous bids hijacked the price of some underrated players and we hope they can justify the price tag for IPL 2020.
While a lot of debutants were sold for a heftier price than expected, there were a few underperformers who were able to see the light of the day with an unbelievable price tag. Foreign players ruled this auction and the team owners were more than happy to have them in their squads. Not that the foreign players have not performed constantly throughout the IPL, it’s just that they tend to move back to their native country in the middle of the season due to national commitments and this can be a big let down for the team management. Without further adieu, let’s take a look at the list of players that the teams could regret buying this IPL 2020.

1. Glenn Maxwell (KXIP) – 10.5 cr

 
The biggest purchase for Kings XI Punjab this auction season, Glenn Maxwell was sold for a surprise package with Delhi Capitals making it difficult for the Kings to get a hand on the player. Maxwell has been a brilliant all-rounder for Kings XI and the Delhi side in the previous editions before he chose to opt-out of the IPL last year. 
A leading contender for the orange cap in 2014, Glenn Maxwell has captained the Punjab side and has played crucial knocks for the team. His presence in the latest editions has not affected either of the franchise and his form in the Premier League did not attract many franchises this year at the auctions. In the year 2014, Glenn played to his level-best and impressed the fans with his batting and bowling performances. 
Glenn hasn’t been that impressive since then and could be a blunder for Kings XI this year. Delhi Capitals jacked his price for Punjab and made them purchase the Australian all-rounder for an unexpected total of 10.5 crores. Maybe this is a huge gamble, but Kings XI would hope that Glenn justifies the price tag this season and performs exceptionally for the side. 

2. Piyush Chawla (CSK) – 6.75 cr

 
Chennai Super Kings made the headlines, oddly, after they decided to go for Piyush Chawla at the auctions. The veteran leg spinner from Uttar Pradesh would be on the cloud-nine, but this could be a regretful decision for CSK. The team management at Chennai surprised everyone when they bagged Piyush for 6.75 crores.
With impressive spinners like Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Mitch Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, and Sai Kishore already in the squad, the decision to purchase Piyush Chawla made little sense. The team management looked quite happy with their purchase and quoted, ‘Piyush will bring balance to the team.’ It will be very difficult for Piyush to take a spot in the playing XI with the like of previous year’s purple cap holder Imran Tahir.

3. Chris Morris (RCB) – 10 cr

 
The South African all-rounder has been a disappointing show in the previous two seasons of the IPL. He is a player to have in the team but his batting performance has not been able to coincide with his bowling. The 2017 season witnessed a fantastic overall show by the Protean, as he managed to score 195 runs while batting down the order and took 13 wickets at an economy rate of 7.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have a big line-up of pacers with biggies like Dale Steyn, Umesh Yadav, and Kane Richardson already in the squad. His performance in the previous seasons doesn’t justify his price tag, but it depends on his form this year. We hope he is can a difference in the Bengaluru franchise with his all-round performance. 

4. Shimron Hetmyer (DC) – 7.75 cr

 
Delhi Capitals spent big on West Indian batsman Shimron Hetmyer in the auctions. Eyeing his performance in the India-West Indies series, he was going to be one of the busiest bids in the Ipl this year. Delhi Capitals fought hard and played their cards right to get the batsman in their pool, but his previous performance in the IPL and his record in the T20s describe it as a hasty decision.
Shimron played 5 IPL matches last year with RCB and managed a total of 90 runs in 5 innings. In his T20 career, Hetmyer has scored 279 runs in 18 innings at an average of 16.22 and if we look at the stats, the price tag is way too much. Looking at his form, the fans can expect some pretty knocks from his bat, but Delhi Capitals will hope that this gamble pays off in IPL 2020 edition.

5. Nathan Coulter-Nile (MI) – 8 cr

 
The Australian Pacer played for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2017 IPL and performed decently for the side. He is an exceptional bowler but misses a lot of games due to injuries and struggling form. Mumbai Indians spent a whopping 8cr on the fast bowler this year, despite having a bowling line up comprised of brilliant pacers.
Nathan Coulter Nile will find it difficult to make it to the playing XI of Mumbai Indians with bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, and Trent Boult already present. The pacer was recently ruled out of action for over 2 months due to back injury and a set of regular injuries has affected his pace through the years. The bowler will struggle to make a comeback after the injury and this is not good news for Mumbai. 

6. Varun Chakravarthy (KKR) – 4 cr

 
Varun Chakravarthy made the headlines last year during the auctions when Kings XI Punjab squirted 8.4 cr for the bowler. Kings XI was quite certain of the mystery spinner until he was ruled out for the whole season due to an injury. In his only spell of the tournament, he couldn’t make much of an impression.
In IPL 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders spent 4 crores on the spinner, despite having bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav and Sunil Narine in the team. The 28-year old spinner doesn’t have much experience in IPL and hasn’t faced a lot of international players. 4 crores is a humungous price for a player who is yet to prove himself and hasn’t played competitive cricket since the injury. 

7. Jaydev Unadkat (RR) – 3 cr

 
Jaydev Unadkat has been Rajasthan Royals’ go-to bowler in the previous editions of the IPL but has failed to make an impact as a fast bowler. While he managed to take 21 wickets in 26 matches, Unadkat has conceded runs at an economy of 10 in the death overs. He became one of the most expensive signings when Rajasthan bagged him for 11.5 cr in 2018. 
Rajasthan Royal released the bowler at the end of the 2019 season only to buy him back for 3 crores in the auctions for IPL 2020 season. The team management should’ve learned from his unsatisfying performance but they have backed their bowler when not many teams were interested in the left-arm pacer. It will be a challenge for Jaydev to make a spot for himself in the playing XI and Rajasthan should rely more on their other fast bowlers. 

8. Mitchell Marsh (SRH) – 2 cr

 
Mitchell March was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for 2 crores in the auctions for the IPL 2020. The Australian all-rounder last played the IPL in 2016 for Rising Pune Supergiants. For the limited number of matches he played, the right-handed batsman-bowler was unable to make an impact in the country. Sun Risers have a long list of foreign nationals in their squad and it will be difficult for Marsh to make it to the playing 11.
Moreover, he has been suffering from a wrist injury and hasn’t been able to cure it properly. If Marsh plays to his full potential, he will be a great asset to the team. His previous stats in the IPL and the current form count this bid for a gamble by the team.