The official players’ auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) will take place on December 19, in Kolkata. Franchisees have prepared their strategies to pick the best players in the upcoming auction.
Teams that are looking for a robust middle-order batsman will be eyeing on one player, and that is West Indies hard-hitting batsman Shimron Hetmyer.
On Sunday, Hetmyer started from where he left in the T20I series against India at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The left-handed took his team to the winning position and scored his fifth One-Day International ton off 85 balls. Not just that, he bettered Shai Hope’s record (46) of taking the fewest ODI innings to reach five international 100s (38). He was also the highest run-getter in the T20I series against India.
Let’s have a look at three teams that can target Hetmyer in the upcoming auction:
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore think tank must be wondering why they released Hetmyer ahead of the 2020 auction. The 22-year had the worst outing in the last season for Challengers. He only managed to score 90 runs in five matches.
However, he’s back in the form, and now RCB, along with other franchisees, would look to buy him and make their team’s combination better.
The pitch at Chinnaswamy suits the kind of batter Hetmyer is, and due to his recent performance at MA Chidambaram Stadium, he has proven that he can also bat at slow tracks against quality spinners.
Kings XI Punjab
Heavily dependence on Chris Gayle and KL Rahul has cost Kings XI Punjab, and they have paid the price by reaching the second last spot in 2019 edition.
Punjab lacks a decent dominant player in their middle-order. Thus it may be possible that Punjab would go for the young West Indian player.
Guyana born left-handed batsman can take the game away from the opposition. He likes the ball to come into bat as he enjoys batting against pacers, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play spin.
Hetmyer has shown in the recently concluded T20I series and opening ODI match against India that he can send spinners out of the park. If the Mohali-based franchise decides to buy Hetmyer, then they might increase their chances to lift the IPL title for the first time.
Delhi Capitals
Delhi Capitals have a stable unit of Indian batters like Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw, and traded from Rajasthan Royals, Ajinkya Rahane.
However, they still need a power-striker who takes no time to settle and can destroy the opposing team’s bowling unit, and Hetmyer has that quality.
Capitals released Colin Munro ahead of the 2020 auction, and they need a solid overseas player who can fill the slot and help then cruising over the opponents, the Caribbean player fits in that criteria perfectly.
