IPL 2018: Franchises missed a trick by not picking these players

Apr 5, 2018 at 8:50 PM

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IPL 2018: Franchises missed a trick by not picking these players

The mega auctions of the 2018 edition of IPL saw two days of exciting bids as top players in the world went under the hammer.

IPL auctions took place in the month of January but some the international action which took place since might give a sense of franchises missing a few tricks by not buying some of the players.

Here, we look at few players who are in top form but went unsold for some reason.

Kusal Perera

KP has been in red-hot hitting form since he made his comeback.

IPL franchises would be kicking themselves looking at the current form of the explosive southpaw in T20I cricket. Perera announced his comeback at the international stage with his blistering knock at Indore back in December 2017.

Perera followed it up with exciting knocks against Bangladesh in the two-match series. The Jayasuriya-modelled batsman followed it up with a successful Nidahas Trophy campaign where he lit up the crowd in Colombo with his strokeplay.

Perera is a major miss in the competition considering his base price of INR 50 Lakhs. In IPL, the southpaw had represented Rajasthan Royals earlier.

Mahmudullah

Mahmudullah of Bangladesh.

A major miss in the IPL would be the services of Bangladesh’s talismanic finisher Mahmudullah who has been in sensational touch of late. His 43* off 18 balls against Sri Lanka is one of the best in the history of T20I cricket.

Even at the base price of 50 lakhs, Mahmudullah had no pickers. The 32-year old is a seasoned campaigner when it comes to franchise cricket. He represented Jamaica Tallawahs and Quetta Gladiators in CPL and BPL.

Sabbir Rahman

Sabbir Rahman

Another exciting prospect from Bangladesh, Sabbir Rahman could have lighted up the IPL with his strokeplay.

His 77 off 50 deliveries under pressure in the finals of Nidahas Trophy is one of the best in recent times. A team like KKR, in the hindsight, would have benefitted by the presence of the graceful stroke-maker.

Christiaan Jonker

Jonker made a sensational debut against India.

The hard-hitting batsman from Warriors, Christiaan Jonker, made a memorable debut for South Africa in the final T20I of series against India at Cape Town.

Jonker turned the match on its head with his 49 which came off just 24 balls. South Africa almost chased down the total set by the Indians out of nowhere, due to Jonker’s knock

Looking at Jonker’s abilities, coupled with his domestic records, it is only fair to say that franchises missed out on the opportunity to bag his services at a reasonable price.

Thisara Perera

Sri Lanka’s T20I specialist, Thisara Perera is a stalwart when it comes to T20 cricket. His blitzkrieg against India and Bangladesh at the Nidahas Trophy gave a fair indication of his hitting form.

An all-rounder with a knack for breaking partnership is a premium when it comes to IPL cricket. Therefore, one might conclude that Perera going unsold is a terrible loss for the season.

Ashton Agar

Agar has been in tremendous bowling form in the recent edition of BBL and the Trans-Tasman T20I series.

Ashton Agar’s ability to bowl dot balls might have come in handy on the turning track in India. Further, Agar can come in provide few crucial blows coming in lower down the order and take his side to an above-par total.

The Perth Scorchers star going unsold in the Auctions is out of comprehension. He might be looked at as a like-to-like replacement for injured Mitchell Santner in Chennai Super Kings.

Dawid Malan

Dawid Malan
Dawid Malan celebrates his fifty.

Malan, perhaps, is the find of the season for England in all formats of the game. Malan had a tremendous Trans-Tasman series and toppled the record after scoring four consecutive half-centuries in his first four T20I innings.

Additionally, Malan would have come handy for a side like KKR or Mumbai Indians whose foreign personnel look iffy.

Heinrich Klassen

Heinrich Klassen of South Africa. BCCI / SPORTZPICS

Klassen played a couple of serious knocks against India at Jo’Burg and Centurion. His ability to come and strike the ball at the first go stands apart. Also, Klaasen can upset the rhythm of the bowlers with his unorthodox shots.

Therefore, looking at him scoring those boundaries only went to exhibit that Klaasen truly is an IPL material. Also, Klaasen would have been useful to a side like Mumbai Indians.

Honourable Mentions:

Bangladesh cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim (2L) celebrates. (Photo by Tharaka Basnayaka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Mushfiqur Rahim of Bangladesh and Sikandar Raza from Zimbabwe have been in extraordinary form for their nation.

Their names were not even included in the player’s list prior to the auctions. Raza’s all-round abilities have been crucial for Zimbabwe in recent times.

Rahim, on the other hand, has been in sublime form when it comes to T20I cricket. The two should have been picked by franchises had their names been on the list.

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