6 World Cup heroes who will be missed in this year's IPL

Barely a few days since the World Cup fever died down, we are already getting ready for the first ball of IPL 2015 to be bowled! Every single team is geared up for the challenge as they all begin the tournament with settled squads. But after watching the performances of some of the players in the showpiece event in Australia and New Zealand, one would be eager to see them in action again in the World's most famous T20 league.But unfortunately, we are all set to be disappointed since they won't be in action due to some reason or the other. So here we take a look at six such star performers who will not be seen in action in this year's IPL:

#6 Grant Elliot

The 36-year-old veteran had a pretty ordinary start to the Blackcaps World Cup campaign. In fact, many eyebrows were initially raised when he was suddenly picked for the squad out of nowhere. But in the end, he was their unlikely hero! In the crucial semi-final match against South Africa, he stayed till the end scoring an unbeaten 84 and thus guiding the team home to reach their maiden WC final.

And to prove that it wasn’t a one-off performance, the man stepped up again in the finals against arch-rivals Australia.

But alas, the others failed to provide him any sort of support and thus Australia reigned supreme. He can prove to be an excellent finisher in the T20 format where he has a career strike rate of 136. So don't be surprised if you see him play in the IPL next year.

#5 Wahab Riaz

How dearly we would love to seemore breathtaking spells from this man that too in the shortest format of the game. Just imagine a hostile Wahab sending down some unplayable deliveries at a time when the batsmen are looking to score quick runs.

His inch-perfect yorkers and bouncers would have been a treat to watch. Not to forget his handy lower order hitting abilities which he showcased recently, Wahab would have been an asset to any team. But unfortunately, the stand-off against the Pakistani players still continueand we are not sure when it will end to see players like him in action.

He picked 16 wickets in the 7 matches that he played in the World Cup.

#4 Brendan Taylor

Brendan Taylor was warming the benches last season for the SunRisers Hyderabad, and this year things became worse as he was not picked by anybody in the auction. On one side, it looks surprising, but on the other it surely isnt.

Firstly, teams were not sure about picking him as a wicket-keeper batsman since they had plenty of options, especially Indian local keepers. So they didnt want to splash cash on an overseas wicket-keeper and make him sit on the bench, which definitely makes sense.

But on the other hand, no one would have anticipated that he would be striking back-to-back hundreds in his final two ODIs for Zimbabweat a tremendous strike-rate.

#3 Daniel Vettori

This is the most bizarre name of the lot! The reason why its bizarre is because Daniel Vettori will still be present at the IPL. In fact, he will be seen giving marching orders to his team Royal Challengers Bangalore. The 36-year-old still has it in him to cut it at the highest level as was seen in the World Cup, but sadly for the fans he has chosen a different route.

He will be the head coach of the Bangalore-based franchise, and will be seen giving tips to the man (Chris Gayle) who hit a few sixes off his bowling during the quarterfinal. But apart from that game, he was just fabulous throughout the tournament. He consistently kept the runs down and even managed to end up with 15 wickets at an average of just 20.

#2 Martin Guptill

One really has to wonder what more Martin Guptill has to do in order to fetch an IPL contract! He probably has done the ideal thing now with that majestic double hundred against the West Indies in the World Cup quarterfinal, but sadly for him it came a little too late since the auctions were over much earlier.

It was quite surprising to see him top the batting charts in the World Cup since he hasnt really been so consistent in the 50 over format. He has always maintained a good strike rate and has two T20 100s (1 in internationals).

But now the franchises will be looking to get him on board during the next auction. He ended up with a strike rate of 104 and an average of 68 in the World Cup.

#1 Kumar Sangakkara

Surely the biggest name of them all is Kumar Sangakkara! After watching him effortlessly hit 4 centuriesin 4 matches, we are going to miss this guy in the IPL. The most surprising feature about Sangakkaras batting was he got better and better as he got older. His stats over the last couple of years have been phenomenal.

Even though he provided solidity to that Lankan line-up over the years, he added a few shots to his armoury at this stage of his career. Hence, it was definitely a surprise that no franchise bid for him. Also, considering the fact that the man had already made up his mind to retire from ODI Cricket after the World Cup, he could have even been made a captain cum mentor which would have resulted in him spending more time with the younger players.

He made 541 runs at an average of 108 (remarkable for a 37-year-old) and a strike rate of 105.87.