“Success comes at a price”, goes the age old saying. If you are thinking that we are talking about hard work and sacrifice – well, well, well, we are talking about the literal price! Premier leagues are known to go after players that can guarantee a win, and such players come with a price tag. The Indian Premier League which has been snowballing into fame year by year has its eyes set on such players – Players that can win a game, and players that can empty some wallets too!
In 2019, some of the most expensive players to be sold were Jaydev Unadkat (Rs.8.4 crore), Varun chakravarthy (8.4 crore), Sam Curran (7.2 crore ), Colin Ingram (6.4 crore ) and Shivam Dubey (5 crore), to name a few. But the bar has definitely risen.
This year’s IPL 2020 ( season 13) has been slotted to kick off in March-May, immediately after the ongoing Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020. It recently held auctions for IPL 2020 teams and their players on 19th Dec, 2019. Post which, the word is out that in all 62 players have been bought by all the teams put together. From amongst them, here’s a list of the top 8 “Most Expensive Players” of 2020.
1) Pat Cummins
Picked up by the Kolkatta Knight Riders (KKR), Pat Cummins costed them a whopping 15.5 crores. True to his tag, Cummins owns the top spot in the Bowler’s ranking list of Test cricket.
2) GlenN Maxwell
Famous for hitting never-seen-before shots, Kings XI Punjab did not bat an eyelid before swooping down on Maxwell for 10.75 crore.
3) Chris Morris
When the ship’s sinking, all-rounders are the ones that save the day! Royal Challengers Banglore played the wise game by investing Rs.10 crore on this calm and composed all-rounder.
4) Sheldon Cotrell
Famous for his recent salute towards the dressing room after each wicket, this fast bowler is known for his army spirit. Shelling another 8.5 crore from their kitty, the King’s XI Punjab gives Cotrell a grand entry into their team, alongside Maxwell.
5) Nathan Coulter-Nile
With his recent avalanche of runs at the CWC in june 2019, this Australian all-rounder has stolen the limelight by being bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 8 crore.
6) Shimron Hetmyer
A quick rise to fame from being the caption of the under-19 world champions to being the fastest century maker in West Indies (against England), Hetmyer was pocketed for Rs. 7.75 crore by the Delhi Capitals
7) Piyush Chawla
The famour leg-spinner from India, known for his googly and for being decent enough with the bat, was bought for Rs.6.75 crore by the Chennai Super Kings.
8) Markus Stoinis
His recent claim to fame being the only batsman to face 79 deliveries in BBL, Stoinis was claimed by Delhi capitals for Rs.4.8 crore.
So here there are, setting our spirits high, waiting to see which team will rule the roost! This tug of war between the player and the team, the price and the performance shall continue to bemuse us.