Impact of Australian All-Rounders in the WT20 2016, India

The great strength of any Australian side is the multitude of Fantastico all-rounders, that they have, on which the captain can rely in difficult times both while batting or when the regular bowlers are getting a tap. They possess men who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck even if the top order has been dismantled and they have the ability to pull the run rate back after the regular opening bowlers have failed to bowl incisive spells. Let us look at the impact the Australian All-Rounders are likely to create in the upcoming ICC WT20 2016 in India.

Shane Watson

Watson has been Australia's Sherlock in the shorter form of the game since the past decade solving their problems with ease given his enormous ability to either score runs or take the much needed wicket. He smashed an unbeaten 124* in just 71 balls against India at Sydney albeit in a losing cause and regularly provided top order wickets in that series as well. He is continuing that form in the PSL for Islamabad where he has been striking the ball sweetly.

Watson had been one of the most consistent players in the IPL and has opted both the highest run charts and top wicket takers charts for the Rajasthan Royals franchise. He was the highest paid cricketer in this years IPL auction as the Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him for a whopping 9.5 Crores to lend them his expertise.

Australia have a terrific option in Watson who can fill in with the ball in the middle overs with his splendid variations and can also replace Aaron Finch at the top of the order if he does not recover in time from his hamstring injury. He is a real asset to any team and a real impact player in T20 format of the game.

Impact Rating – 8.5/10

James Faulkner

James Faulkner is the perfect finisher that Australia was looking for since the retirement of Michael Hussey. Faulkner is cool and collected at the crease and soaks up the pressure like a sponge. He can wield the long handle and knows exactly when to launch an attack and which bowler to target. He has, in his young career, already finished many a game for this Australian side in the shorter versions of the game from almost hopeless situations.

He has a whippy action and can move the ball both ways and also possesses a couple of slower ball versions which are very useful in deceiving the batsmen in the shorter formats of the game. He is currently recuperating from a hamstring injury but it is expected that he will get fit in time for the mega event. He, like Watson, is a high impact player and can change the course of any match within a space of a few overs.

Impact Rating – 8/10

These two all-rounders are central to Australia’s WT20 plans and will play a significant role in their campaign. They can annihilate any opposition single-handedly and win games in the blink of an eye.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The Top 5 Costliest IPL Picks from 2016!!

The IPL09 Player Auction saw plenty of action and drama yesterday in Bangalore with little known players bagging multi-million dollar deals while big players currently in red hot form being ignored by the franchises. With the two new franchises, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions, joining the party it was a high adrenaline, mind numbing and jaw dropping exercise.

Let us look at the Top 5 Costliest Picks from the IPL Player Auction

Shane Watson (RCB): 9.50 Crore

Shane Watson was the star player for the Rajasthan Royals side and he was one of their main weapons and reasons for success. He recently showed his prowess against India in the third T20 at Sydney where he muscled his way to 124* from just 71 balls and served a timely reminder to those who thought that he was past his sell by date.

He is a high impact player and somebody who can change the course of any match with either the bat or the ball in his hands. Watson was brought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore team for a whopping 9.5 Crores and he will join a top order already brimming with champion players in Gayle, Kohli and De Villiers. Now that is one scary batting line up to bowl to and the impact of just having those big names on your roster will scare the opposition away.

Pawan Negi (DD): 8.50 Crore

Pawan Negi played under Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings and made quite an impression on the Indian skipper so much so that Dhoni pushed for his inclusion in the Indian 15 man squad for the ICC WT20 event to take place in March-April this year. Negi scored 116 runs last season at an impressive strike rate of almost 160 and also took 6 wickets in the 10 matches that he played.

That the Delhi team shelled out 8.5 Crores for a player whose base price was just 30 lacs defies any logic whatsoever and it remains to be seen if Negi can now justify his high price tag with performances in the coming IPL.

Chris Morris (DD): 7 Crore

Chris Morris played for Chennai Super Kings initially and then represented the Rajasthan Royals last year. He is a death over specialist with the ability to bowl yorkers at will and also has a lot of variations of pace to befuddle the batsmen. He is also a very capable lower order batsman with a strike rate in excess of 150.

He had a base price of only 50 lacs but such is a dearth of good all-rounders in world cricket that they are the hottest picks for any team and hence such a high price was shelled for this South African!

Yuvraj Singh (SRH): 7 Crore

Yuvraj may look like a spent force to most Indian fans but he still commands a lot of respect from his peers and he was snapped up by the Sun Risers Hyderabad team for 7 Crore. While that figure may be less than half of what he got last year (16 Crore) but still it put Yuvi in the top 5 buys in this IPL auction.

The fact that he can bat, bowl and is a safe fielder only adds to his overall persona and he is still perceived as a genuine match winner by many.

Mohit Sharma (KXIP): 6.50 Crore

Mohit Sharma was an important player for the Chennai team and he was their go to fast bowler whenever Dhoni needed a wicket. He had a successful IPL season in 2013 when he picked up 23 wickets in 15 matches.

Mohit has a good time with the champion Chennai team and he bowled well both at the start and then at the death. Kings XI Punjab will be going that he can carry over his from down South to North!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.