The 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is scheduled to be commencing in less than a week’s time and the teams have already started formulating plans and strategies for the 2020 edition. Each of the 8 IPL franchises will rely on their core players to shoulder the responsibility and lead the team to win games from crucial encounters.
On Sunday, BCCI revealed the schedule for IPL 2020 and according to that, the defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) will be locking horns with last season’s runner-ups Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the tournament opener of the 13th edition. The second match will be played in Dubai on September 20 between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be playing their first match against CSK on September 22, while Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be playing their opening game against MI on September 23.
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However, they will also look to some crucial players in every time who can make a massive difference for them this season. While cricket is certainly a team game, some cricketers have the ability to turn the match on its head with its capability itself.
Let’s have a look at some game-changing players from KKR and RR franchises for IPL 2020.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Tom Banton
There’s already a lot of hype around Tom Banton, as the 21-year-old has amassed 205 runs in 9 T20Is for England at a strike-rate of 143.35. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the 2019/20 T20 Blast when he had scored 549 runs at a strike-rate of 161.47. He has also been known for playing some audacious shots – a hockey-style reverse-swat being one – and is exactly the sort of batsman that can catch the eye of the IPL fans instantly. Banton will need to make the most of the chance he gets, as KKR already had players liker, Sunil Narine, Eoin Morgan in their squad.
Pat Cummins
There is no denying the fact that Pat Cummins was the most expensive overseas player in the IPL 2020 auction as Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) snapped him for a whopping price of ₹15.5 Crores. Cummins is currently ranked as one of the top bowlers in the world and the fast bowler will be expected to prove his worth on the grand stage and justify the spending on him. His ability to take wickets with the new ball and stop runs in the death overs makes him a vital cog in KKR’s wheel.
Rajasthan Royals
Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag made his debut in IPL his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals last season. The youngster is rated highly. He gave few signs of his talent in the IPL last year where he played a few gutsy innings for the Royals. Parag also became the youngest player to score a fifty in the IPL. Parag featured in India’s 2018 U19 World Cup-winning team, is also a more than a useful bowler. He will be raring to orve his worth in IPL 2020.
Yashaswi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal has had a memorable outing in the 2020 U-19 World Cup for India, scoring more than 400 runs in the tournament he went on to receive the player of the tournament award. One fantastic statistic about his U-19 World Cup is that he was never dismissed below the score of 59 throughout the tournament.
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Jaiswal also made a name for himself in domestic cricket when he became the youngest player to score a List-A double century. He created headlines when he smashed that fine double ton against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2019. Jaiswal will be looking forward to having a breakthrough IPL 2020 season at the top of the order for the Rajasthan Royals.
