Dan Christian
Australia’s top-order batsman, Shaun Marsh surprisingly went unsold in last year’s IPL auction. The main reason behind that could have been his base price of 1.5 Crores. Had Marsh set a lower base price, he could have been signed by one of the franchises.
Nevertheless, the 36-year-old from Western Australia did not lose motivation as he continued to score runs in the Big Bash League. Playing for the Melbourne Renegades this year, Marsh has aggregated 449 runs in just 12 matches.
The left-handed batsman has recorded three half-centuries besides striking 40 fours and 14 maximums and has a decent strike rate of 126.82. The IPL franchises may regret over their decision of letting Marsh go unsold in the auction.
Alex Hales
It is surprising to note that the IPL franchises have never shown faith in the talent possessed by England’s top-order batsman, Alex Hales. The right-handed batsman has done wonders in the shortest form of the game yet he has never made it big in the IPL.
Hales has been a part of Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL however, he went unsold in IPL Auction 2020 after setting a base price of 1.00 Crores. The 31-year-old seems to have taken that as a motivating force as he currently stands second in the ‘Top scorers’ list of BBL.
He has scored 449 runs in 14 matches playing for the Sydney Thunder franchise in BBL 2019/20. With an average of 37.42 and a magnificent strike rate of 143.91, Hales has decimated the opposition bowlers in BBL. He has slammed 47 fours and 16 sixes in the tourney.
Glenn Maxwell
Ranking at 5th with five votes in the BBL 2020 team of the tournament, Glenn Maxwell is one of those players who can single-handedly change the fortune of a match. The right-hander has scored 379 runs from 14 matches in the ongoing BBL 10 at an impressive strike rate of 143.56.
However, the dynamic all-rounder had struggled to fire in IPL season in 2020, enduring his worst ever season.
While KXIP could be lambasted for breaking the bank for Maxwell once again, the decision makes sense given team balance considerations. Maxwell showed his hitting form in the ODI series against India, and remains a big draw in international cricket – one can trust IPL franchises to hope against hope that 2021 is his return to form in the league.