The Indian Premier League is unarguably one of the most interesting T20 franchise tournaments all over the world. It is a place where not only the on-field but off the field preparations of the teams matter a lot. The off-field preps would be going on for most of the teams, as they brace up to battle it out on the auction floor to get their hands on the best of the players during the auction for IPL 2021.
One name who would be battled over on the auction floor would be that of the Australian player, Marnus Labuschagne. Many teams would be wanting to have him in their side, given the amount of talent that he has. So, here’s a look at the names of the 5 teams who would be willing to give up a chunk of their money to get him to play for them.
1. Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have been one such team in the Indian Premier League which has had a good foreign player’s core with them, with their captaincy too being handled by an overseas talent. And, when Marnus Labuschagne’s name comes up, the franchise’s management and the captain would want to battle it out to get their hands on him, as he could prove to be a great back up option for their captain, Kane Williamson.
They could get him in and in case Williamson has a downtime in the tournament or gets injured, Marnus Labuschagne can prove to be a like for like replacement for him, given the way he has done in the Big Bash League. And, unlike Williamson, he can also bowl a few overs, when needed to, with his leg-spin being a perfect tool to exploit on Indian pitches.
2. Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is one of those franchises that will be undergoing a major overhaul in the upcoming seasons of the Indian Premier League, owing to the age that their players are approaching. Their captain himself, may not play for the side for long, and given the affinity he has with this side, he would want to build a strong team before he leaves.
And, his affinity to good foreign all-rounders who can contribute with the bat, and give him an occasional over or two with the ball, is a fact that would bring Marnus Labuschagne to the top of his list of players to be picked this auction. He has done well as both a bowler and a batsman in the recently played Big Bash League, and his leg-spin could come in handy at Chennai’s home ground.
3. Rajasthan Royals
The winners of the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, in the last few years, have found the waters of the tournament to be too hard for the side to fathom. They have tried it all. Be it mid-tournament captaincy changes, or giving a complete overhaul to their set up, but nothing seems to work for them. And, one of the aspects of their poor run in the tournament is that they have not had a core that can stand up and live up to the occasion when called up for.
But, this could change if Marnus Labuschagne comes into the equation for them. Under the new captain, Sanju Samson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Jos Buttler could very well be the players forming the core of the side, with Marnus being the link between the middle and top order of the side, a role that he could fight right into.
4. Kings XI Punjab
The Kings XI Punjab, like the Rajasthan Royals have been trying to battle it out for a place at the top in the Indian Premier League for a place at the top. But, unlike the Royals, they have not been successful even once. They have also tried doing everything that could be done from the strategy point of view, but nothing seems to be clicking for them, especially well enough to get to a title win.
But, Marnus Labuschagne could be the player who could help them turn the tides in their favour. Last season, their captain, KL Rahul performed extremely well with the bat, earning himself the prestigious Orange cap. The biggest issue for them as though that there was no player in their side, who could carry forward the momentum, consistently, once Rahul was dismissed. And, Labuschagne can be that player who can take up the role, and not only take the innings forward, but also build up a partnership or inning from scratch whenever needed to do so.
5. Royal Challengers Bangalore
Known to be the side that every season gets so close to the tournament win, but ends up being so far, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, under the leadership of Virat Kohli have on many occasions, been in positions, where wins were in sight, but he lacked support from others and his side ended up losing the matches.
Virat has been one of the most consistent performers for the team, and the team has wanted to have an overseas player, after the departure of Chris Gayle and Aaron Finch to come in and help him in his exploits. And, since this season, a player like Marnus Labuschagne is up for grabs, they would very well want him in their side. He has all the ingredients to be that player in the team, whose presence could prove to be the difference for the team to get to a title win in this season.
