Rajasthan Royals surprised one and all when they shelled $16.25 crores to secure the services of Proteas all-rounder Chris Morris for IPL 2021 making him the most expensive cricketer ever bought in the auction. A lot has been spoken over this bid and recently former Kolkata Knight Riders cricketer Brad Hogg tried to explain the rationale behind Royals spending so much money to buy Morris.
Incidentally, Royal Challengers Bangalore had released Chris Morris prior to IPL 2021 auction following a series of injuries and less match time. The tall and lanky cricketer missed the first half of IPL 2020 due to an injury and only had a decent outing in the second half of the tournament.
Chris Morris is overpriced – Brad Hogg
Since IPL 2020, Morris played no competitive cricket; thus his price tag shocked many. He insinuated a bidding war among the likes of Mumbai Indians, his previous employer RCB, Punjab Kings before Rajasthan Royals snapped him.
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Brad Hogg feels that the dynamics of the mini-auction were such that Rajasthan Royals had to break the bank for the services of an elite all-rounder like Chris Morris, who has the experience of playing in Indian conditions.
“The bids led the Rajasthan Royals bid for Chris Morris at a high price. And again, I think he is overpriced. But he is a man that you do want in your team. There wasn’t much in the auction in the all-round department,” Brad Hogg said in a video published on his official Youtube channel.
Rajasthan Royals’ Director of Cricket Kumar Sangakkara recently explained the reason behind the Jaipur-led franchise going all-out for Chris Morris. According to Sangakkara, since Ben Stokes will not be bowling too many overs as part of his workload management, the Royals needed someone who can contribute with both bat and ball and who can be an ideal foil for Jofra Archer in the seam-bowling department.
Adding further, Brad Hogg believes Rajasthan Royals were clear in their head who they wanted in their squad and they did the right job by going for Chris Morris.
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“Rajasthan Royals wanted an all-rounder. They wanted someone who is a clean hitter to finish off innings and also someone who is very good with the new ball and handy with the old ball in the death overs. He is a perfect fit considering that Stokes is not going to bowl too many overs through this IPL,” added Brad Hogg.
