5 Indian Players To Watch Out For In 2017 IPL Auctions
Feb 15, 2017 at 10:51 AM
Less than two months are left for India’s biggest cricket festival. The franchises are all set to spend some big bucks on players in the upcoming auction, scheduled to be held on February 20. One can expect a big bidding war as the teams have released some of their crucial players. Just like every year, the spotlight would be on the Indian talent once again. Here are some of the Indian players who could earn a handsome amount in the upcoming Indian Premier League auction:
Irfan Pathan
The outswingers to left-handers and fiery inswingers to right-handers! This is what clicks our mind when we talk about Irfan Pathan. Despite his consistent show in domestic circuit, the man from Baroda didn’t get enough chances last year, when he played for Rising Pune Supergiants. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni included Pathan in mere four matches, in which he was unable to hit the ball at the right spots; thus going wicketless. Here are the bowling stats of Irfan Pathan in the 2016 IPL:
Matches | Runs | Wickets | Average | Economy |
4 | 61 | 0 | 32.78 | 7.74 |
His flop show in last year’s IPL forced Rising Pune Supergiants to release him from their squad. Now, just before the auction, Irfan Pathan seems to be back on track with his consistent performance with West Zone. There is no doubt that he could be one of the reasons of bidding war at the auctions. If he is able to fire this season, he could be lucky enough to get an Indian ticket again.
Nathu Singh
Nathu Singh’s entry into the strong Mumbai Indians’ squad last year didn’t prove to be the best for him as the 21-year-old didn’t feature in any of the games and still got released by his side. The cricketer from Rajasthan has impressed everyone with his bowling at the domestic level. He has an economy rate of under six in the T20 format which can’t be ignored.
Nathu has the capability to bowl some tight overs in the beginning and at the end. It would be a huge surprise if the IPL owners don’t show interest in buying him.
Ishant Sharma
Just like Irfan Pathan, India’s another fast-bowler Ishant Sharma was not effective in the previous IPL edition. He was a part of Rising Pune Supergiants in just four matches, out of which the Delhi boy could get mere 3 wickets. Let us showcase you his bowling stats in IPL 2016:
Matches | Runs | Wickets | Average | Economy |
4 | 148 | 3 | 49.33 | 9.86 |
Despite his poor run in the last year’s edition, franchises cannot forget his talent, especially on home tracks. His 140 kmph speed and slow deliveries at death fits him perfectly in the frame, which no one can afford to lose. Ishant would surely be among the minds of every team at the auction.
Pawan Negi
Pawan Negi’s spectacular show with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made him one of the best buys in previous year’s auction. He was sold to GMR’s Delhi Daredevils for 8.5 crores but the 24-year-old did not perform to the expectations. He was able to score only 57 runs in eight matches before being released. Negi didn’t impress with the bowl either as he could pick only one wicket.
But all is not lost for this young gun as he still looks set to grab his place in any of the teams. Though, he is unlikely to be bought for the same amount, it would not be surprising if he goes well above his base price.
Karn Sharma
Karn Sharma was released by the current IPL champions Sunrisers Hyderabad. The 29-year-old didn’t live up to the expectations as he remained wicketless in all five matches he played for them. But due to lack of leg-spinners in some teams, he could gain his place in one of them.
His record in the IPL is not that impressive as he has only 36 wickets in 47 matches, but he would certainly draw a lot of attention in the upcoming IPL auction.