IPL 2020 auction: Shimron Hetmyer sends timely reminder to RCB captain Virat Kohli with career-best 139
Not often do we see a player from the opposition team get a standing ovation after his dismissal in India. Not often do we see Indian captain Virat Kohli hugging a player for his performance. Not often do we see Indian spinners being taken to the cleaners by a young batsman. But Windies have a history of producing batsmen who win hearts with their style of batting and Shimron Hetmyer is a sensational batsman to watch out for in the future. The big-hitting West Indian made Indian bowling attack look pedestrian at the MA Chidambaram stadium during the 1st ODI – as he has, ever since the West Indies arrived in India.
To those who thought West Indies will fail to put up a fight against Virat Kohli-led India – which boasts of some of the most prolific cricketers in the world, Kieron Pollard’s men showed why they are one of the most dangerous teams in world cricket, despite the absence of half a dozen of senior T20 specialists. Despite losing the three-match T20I series 1-2, the Men in Maroon left the cricket fraternity impressed by playing fearless cricket against India’s quality bowling line-up. With the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction not far away, the West Indies batsman continues to produce fireworks against India – ensuring that he is on the radar of the eight franchises – who will look to further strengthen their squad with 73 spots up for grabs.
Much to the disappointment of Virat Kohli, Hetmyer joined a list of players who proved their mettle after being released by Royal Challengers Bangalore. From Shane Watson to Chris Gayle to KL Rahul – several cricketers, who were once a part of Kohli’s brigade in the cash-rich tournament, went on to become match-winners after their association with RCB came to an end. Hetmyer, who is seen as one of the most destructive batsmen who will go on to dominate the next decade, had a poor outing against RCB in IPL 2019 where he scored just 90 runs from 5 matches.
In a massive clearout, Kohli-led RCB released several big names in Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetymer, Akshdeep Nath, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Colin De Grandhomme, Barman, Tim Southee, Khejroliya, Himmat, Heinrich Klaasen, Milind and Dale Steyn. While none of the other players will be on RCB’s radar, Kohli will definitely rethink about his decision to let go of the Hyetmyer – particularly after his clean hitting against Indian bowlers in the ongoing limited-overs series.
In the three-match T20I series, Hetmyer was Windies’ highest run-getter and he even kicked off the ODI series in style by smashing his highest ODI score (139). Kohli looked clueless as Hetmyer scored boundaries at will and got a standing ovation from the crowd after he was dismissed.
Why RCB will retain Hetmyer despite releasing him
In December 2018, RCB had bought Hyetmer for a decent price of Rs. 4.2 crore. While the side has two big-hitters in Kohli and AB de Villiers, they also desperately need youngsters who can set the tempo with fearless batting. Despite letting go of Hetmyer, with the Right to Match (RTM) option available, one shouldn’t be surprised if RCB uses it to retain Hetmyer – even if it means paying more than what they did in 2018. However, with a bigger purse, the other franchises would also target Hetmyer – like they did to buy KL Rahul – after the swashbuckling opener was released by RCB. KXIP roped in Rahul and he went on to become a match-winner for the side.
While a similar scenario could be seen in the upcoming auction, RCB, who have Rs 27.90 crore remaining in their kitty, might end up paying a bigger amount to retain Hetmyer.
The views expressed by the author are personal and do not in any way represent those of Times Network.
