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Rating the Australian IPL 2020 players out of 10

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Rating the Australian IPL 2020 players out of 10 | Which Australian player performed best during IPL 2020?

IPL 2020, one of the most competitive in recent times, had a number of Australian stars competing for the chance to lift the most prized trophy in T20 franchise cricket.

Overall, it was an up-and-down tournament for the Aussies. The bubble was a factor for all to manage, but a few of the Australian players in particular would have liked better performances, especially given the greater T20 focus in Australia over the past 12-18 months.

In this article, we will rate each Australian player (who played a minimum of five matches) in IPL 2020 out of 10, starting with the two most expensive purchases. Here goes.

Pat Cummins (KKR): 14 matches, 12 wickets, average 34.08, econ. 7.86

Are these the numbers Kolkata Knight Riders would have wanted after forking out a record Rs 15.50 crore (US $2.1 million)? Not quite.

Brought in to take KKR to another level in the powerplay and death overs, KKR ended up struggling for wickets in the powerplay overs. Cummins’ run of games without a wicket in the middle part of the season hurt KKR, as they lost a number of matches by a big margin to eventually miss out on the playoffs. 12 wickets in 14 matches means that Cummins’ price tag wasn’t justified, especially when you consider that seven of those wickets came in two matches (three vs DC and four vs RR). 4/10

Glenn Maxwell (KXIP): 13 matches, 108 runs, avg. 15.42, SR 101.88. 3 wickets, avg. 56.33, econ. 8.01

The biggest disappointment.

Kings XI Punjab made a conscious effort to strengthen their middle order for IPL 2020. The addition of Glenn Maxwell for a large price tag of Rs 10.75 crore (US $1.34 million) was a key part of their strategy, and had the potential to take KXIP to the next level.

Unfortunately, though, it didn’t work out. Maxwell’s biggest contributions came with the ball, and even those numbers aren’t all that impressive. Also, Maxwell’s struggle was perhaps a factor in KL Rahul’s lower strike rate in IPL 2020, as the KXIP captain felt he needed to bat deep. Maxwell’s strike rate of 101.88 says it all. 1/10

Rating the Australian IPL 2020 players out of 10 | Which Australian player performed best during Indian Premier League 2020?
Rating Australian IPL 2020 players: Cummins and Maxwell didn’t perform to their potential

Shane Watson (CSK): 11 matches, 299 runs, avg. 29.90, SR 121.05

You know it’s a weird year when Shane Watson gets left out of the CSK XI. This happened on three occasions, as Watson struggled to find his best form. His only innings of note was 83* against Kings XI Punjab in an otherwise lean season.

After CSK’s exit from the competition in the league stage, Watson announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. CSK fans are rightly thankful for Watson’s efforts over the past three years; part of a career that contains plenty of highlights, especially in white-ball cricket. 4/10

Marcus Stoinis (DC): 17 matches, 352 runs, avg. 25.14, SR 148.52. 13 wickets, avg. 21.76, econ. 9.53

Rating the Australian IPL 2020 players out of 10 | Which Australian player performed best during Indian Premier League 2020?
Rating Australian IPL 2020 players: Stoinis performed well in IPL 2020

The best Australian player at this year’s IPL? Arguably yes.

Marcus Stoinis’ contribution would play a key factor in how Delhi Capitals would fare, as they looked a little thin in terms of big hitting. He started off with a bang, smashing 53 off 21 balls and taking two wickets vs KXIP. While he had a bit of a lean period towards the backend of the season (as most DC batsmen did), Stoinis performed well in the playoffs, scoring 65 (46) and 38 (27) vs MI and SRH respectively, to go with 1/5 and 3/26 with the ball.

His overall strike rate of nearly 150, along with 13 wickets, gave his team another dimension. 7.5/10

Nathan Coulter-Nile (MI): 7 matches, 5 wickets, avg. 41.20, econ. 7.92

Nathan Coulter-Nile, who was purchased for a hefty fee by Mumbai Indians, was considered a key player for the franchise. He was earmarked as the player to provide the best support for Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult.

After coming back from injury during the tournament, Coulter-Nile took a while to find his stride. But, his performance in the IPL 2020 Final (2/29) was outstanding, courtesy of brilliant bowling in the crucial death overs. 5/10

James Pattinson (MI): 10 matches, 11 wickets, avg. 29.01, econ. 9.01

James Pattinson was a solid performer in the early stages of the season for MI. The pace bowler took nine wickets in his first six games in IPL 2020, which provided value in the absence of Coulter-Nile.

However, Pattinson drifted away a little towards the backend, with just two wickets in his last four games at a high economy rate. In the end, though, it can be said that Pattinson provided some good value as a replacement player for the great Lasith Malinga. 6/10

Steve Smith (RR): 14 matches, 311 runs, avg. 25.91, SR 131.22

Rating the Australian IPL 2020 players out of 10 | Which Australian player performed best during Indian Premier League 2020?
Rating Australian IPL 2020 players: Steve Smith fought to find his best form

Steve Smith, the Rajasthan Royals captain, hit two half-centuries in his first two games of IPL 2020, which increased the belief that this could be a big season for Smith and RR.

However, what followed was a significant form slump by Smith’s standards, as he scored just 44 runs in his next six knocks. The mid-season slump from Smith and RR was too much to overcome in the end as they missed the playoffs. This was coupled with the team struggling to find its perfect combinations, with Smith often shifting around in the batting order. 5/10

Aaron Finch (RCB): 12 matches, 268 runs, avg. 22.33, SR 111.20

Rs 4.4 crore (US $570,000) seemed like good value for the Australian T20I captain, as Royal Challengers Bangalore aimed to have a better season.

RCB did have a better season, but Finch didn’t produce his best form. While his partnership with the exciting Devdutt Padikkal was a positive in RCB’s season, Finch’s one half-century in 12 matches is under-par for a player of his quality. In the end, he was left out of the side for the big end-of-season games. 4/10

Josh Philippe (RCB): 5 matches, 78 runs, avg. 19.50, SR 101.50

The talented Josh Philippe showed some promising signs at the backend of the season. Batting on some slow pitches, Philippe fought hard in his three matches as opener, after he replaced Aaron Finch.

Although he couldn’t produce the big runs, RCB can believe they have a gem in their ranks for future seasons. 4/10

David Warner (SRH): 16 matches, 548 runs, avg. 39.17, SR 134.64

It wasn’t a vintage David Warner IPL season, but it was still very solid. The addition of Wriddhiman Saha at the backend of the season certainly helped free Warner up, as he struck at over 150 in his last five games, after batting within himself quite often throughout the tournament.

However, the SRH skipper was crucially unable to influence matches in the playoffs (17 and 2), which hurt his team’s chances. 7/10

Charbel Coorey
Charbel Coorey
Charbel is the owner & founder of cricblog.net, based in Sydney, Australia. He started the website to fulfill his love for the game of cricket. Charbel has also been featured on other publications including OP India, Times of India, and The Roar, among others. For any story tips or questions, you can contact Charbel at charbelcoorey@cricblog.net.

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