Quinton de Kock joins MI from RCB in IPL trade
South African wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock will ply his trade with a new Indian Premier League franchise in 2019. The swashbuckling batsman, who was roped in by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last season, has now joined three-time champions Mumbai Indians as per reports. With the IPL trade on, Quinton saw himself join Rohit Sharma's side. Here is more on the same.
Quinton de Kock played in 8 matches in IPL 11. The player was involved in an all-money deal as MI shelled out Rs. 2.8 crore, which RCB had paid for his services in the previous edition. MI, on their part, dispatched two international cricketers, Mustafizur Rahman and Akila Dananjaya. Quinton de Kock is expected to add gloss in the top order.
This is indeed a strange strategy used by MI. Quinton de Kock managed just 201 runs in 8 matches for RCB. MI are loaded with options atop and both Suryakumar Yadav and Evin Lewis were solid, last term. Perhaps Evin's form towards the end forced their hands. RCB have two keepers in Ishan Kishan and Aditya Tare. It looks like a risky strategy.
The South African has, earlier, played for Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He has played 34 IPL matches in total and has scored 927 runs. The Proteas star has also hit a ton and six fifties. With a strike-rate of 130.38, Quinton has been impressive. But can he deliver consistent knocks for MI? Will he open the innings or play second fiddle?
There are two main trading windows in the IPL. The first one starts immediately at the season end. It stretches till a month before the auction. The second one will start after the auction, and go on till the tournament starts. The IPL has also introduced a mid-tournament window for teams to trade uncapped players, and those who hadn't played more than 2 matches.
November 15 has been set as the last date for retaining and releasing players. The 8 franchises are busy working out their plans ahead of the 2019 season. Fresh buys are the focus at the auction. Reports state that a purse of Rs. 3 crore is set to be available for teams in addition to the balance left post last year's auction.
