IPL Auction 2016: 5 foreign players who could be bargain buys

Ahead of the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the highly-awaited auction is scheduled to be held on February 6, 2016. This is the day that teams will be looking to make upgrades or additions and help their cause in trying to be crowned the IPL champions.Also read: IPL 2016: Teams and full players listRising Pune Super Giants and Gujarat Lions, the two new sides, will be the ones who will be making the highest number of buys as they look to add on to the five players they bought during the IPL draft. The rest of the teams will be looking to fill in the slots that were left by the players they released.After having taken a look at the Indian bargain buys, we take a look at overseas players who could end up as bargain buys in the forthcoming auction.Also read: IPL auctions 2016: Rating the squads for Indian Premier League 2016Here is the list of five foreign bargain buys:

#5 Seekkuge Prasanna

One of the bargain buys for the upcoming IPL will be the Sri Lankan all-rounder, Seekkuge Prasanna, who seems to have found his right role in the T20 format of late. Starting off mainly as a spin bowler, Prasanna has been batting up the order, as an opener, since the start of 2016.

Another feature about the 30-year-old is that he has the highest batting strike rate in T20s. In 66 T20 matches, Prasanna has scored 755 runs at an outstanding strike rate of 172.37.

His average of 18.41 might not seem too impressive, but since the start of 2015, Prasanna's batting has grown by leaps and bounds. In 26 innings, since January 2015, Prasanna has scored 493 runs at an average of 22.40 and a strike rate of 183.27.

With the ball, Prasanna has been quite impressive as in 59 innings he has 54 wickets to his name at an impressive average of 24.53 and a reasonable economy rate of 6.85.

The demands of cricket has increased multifold in the recent past, and the most valuable assets to any squad are all-rounders. An all-rounder with records like Prasanna's is bound to add value to any T20 side.

#4 Sam Billings

24-year-old Sam Billings is one of the most highly-rated wicketkeeper-batsmen in the cricketing fraternity right now. With his ability to score runs quickly and his expertise behind the wickets, Billings could very well be an excellent bargain to any of the teams looking for an attacking wicketkeeper-batsman.

With Jos Buttler being the first choice wicketkeeper for England, Billings has been unfortunate not to have not a good enough platform to showcase his talents. He has, however, played five ODIs and five T20Is for England, scoring at a strike rate of 132.35 and 156.66 respectively.

In his T20 career, Billings has played 59 matches and scored 1120 runs at an average of just under 22 and a strike rate of 122.67, along with 43 catches and five stumpings to his name.

Although he mainly bats at No. 4, Billings has the ability to bat anywhere in the batting lineup and this is a great characteristic to have in the T20 format. The team that procures the services of the man from Kent will have a top talent at their disposal.

#3 Grant Elliott

Grant Elliott made one of the best comebacks in sport as he played a very crucial role in helping New Zealand reach the final of the 2015 ICC World Cup. Elliott was the best player for the Kiwis in the semi-final and the final of the tournament although one was in a losing cause.

Since then, the 36-year-old seems to have found himself again putting in consistent performances for the national side as well as in the domestic circuit.

Eliott has played 80 T20 matches and scored 1392 runs at an average of 25.77 and an impressive strike rate of 132.44. He has also picked up 50 wickets at a good average of 25.26. The South-African born's ability with both bat and ball will make him a very useful buy for any of the teams in the IPL.

Another aspect that will make the Kiwi an attractive buy is his ability to pace his innings well and finish games for his side like he famously did in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against South Africa.

#2 Samuel Badree

Until the latest ICC Rankings for T20I bowlers were released, Samuel Badree was the No. 1 T20I bowler in the world. However, not having played any international T20I since July 2014, Badree slipped out of the top ten.

Although he has not featured for the West Indies lately, Badree has been busy playing T20 leagues, most recently playing for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL). Badree picked up nine wickets in eight matches for the Heat at an average of 22.66 and an economy rate of 6.37.

In the match against Melbourne Stars, Badree picked up 5/22 in his four overs helping his side to a huge win. This shows the impact the 34-year-old leg-break bowler can have on a match with his clever bowling.

With an economy rate of 5.33 and an average of 18.73 in T20s, Badree would be a shrewd buy given his experience and his disciplined bowling.

#1 Colin Munro

Since the 2015 World Cup, New Zealand batsmen have come to the forefront of limited-overs cricket, entertaining fans with both their bowling and batting. After having made his T20I debut in 2012, Colin Munro featured only occasionally for the national side, until a good run in the domestic circuit earned him a place in the national T20I side for the series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Munro grabbed his opportunity with both hands as he brought in a new brand of attacking cricket, brutally hitting the bowlers all around the ground. Since the start of 2015, Munro has scored 736 runs in 30 innings at an average of 28.30 and a remarkable strike rate of 166.13.

The 28-year-old made the news for scoring the second fastest T20I century when he scored 50 off just 14 balls as New Zealand mauled Sri Lanka.

It goes without saying that Munro will be one of the best, if not the best, foreign bargain buy during the IPL auction as any team would benefit greatly from a dashing batsman like the Durban-born Munro.