3 Players who Delhi Daredevils should target in the IPL Auction 2019

The Delhi Daredevils got the wooden spoon last season as they finished rock bottom in the league table. Despite having a young and star-studded squad, their bench strength proved to be their weakness as they couldn't produce replacements for Kagiso Rabada as well as someone who could replace Maxwell who wasn't in the best of form last season.

This year though, their player retention has been good and few of the rookies they had last year have turned into match winners and they have one of the most potent squad before the auction.

Here is the list of players they have released.

Released players: Gautam Gambhir, Jason Roy, Gurkeerat Mann, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Shami, Dan Christian, Sayan Ghosh, Liam Plunkett, Junior Dala, Naman Ojha.

Here is the list of retained players.

Retained players: Shreyas Iyer, Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant, Manjot Kalra, Colin Munro, Chris Morris, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Harshal Patel, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Sandeep Lamichhane, Avesh Khan

Traded: Vijay Shankar, Shahbaz Nadeem and Abhishek Sharma for Shikhar Dhawan(SRH)

Their squad already possesses an able batting lineup with players like Dhawan, Shaw, Munro, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant. Delhi Daredevils can give other teams a run for their money if they make a few smart signings at the auction.

Here are 3 players they can sign to bolster their squad.

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#3- Axar Patel

Axar Patel

He's a genuine spinner who can bowl both in the power play and through the middle of the innings. He is a decent batsman who can pick gaps as well as bludgeon the ball a long way. Axar can free up an overseas slot and take up the role of an extra batsman allowing them to play 5 bowlers, which was their problem last season.

With match winners like Dhawan and Pant in the side, a batting collapse isn't likely but the flexibility that he provides means that he can be a good signing for Delhi.

#2- Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat

Mohammad Shami's departure leaves a big hole in their pace bowling department. Though Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult can more than make up for it, all franchises need an Indian pacer in their lineup. MI have Bumrah, RCB have Umesh Yadav and SRH have Bhuvneshwar Kumar. DD asked the same from Mohammad Shami but he failed to impress.

Jaydev Unadkat was another disappointment for the Rajasthan Royals after he was bought for a mammoth INR 11 Crore. The weight of the price tag must have certainly had some effect on the left arm pacer and he was released by the Royals before the auction.

He was good in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and will be a target for teams but at a lower price this time. He is a good death bowler with a lot of variations and has a knack of picking wickets at the right time. Unadkat is probably the most suitable replacement for Shami and the Daredevils will have to pay a premium to secure his services.

#1- Shimron Hetmyer

Hetmyer will be in huge demand this season

Hetmyer is sure to earn big at the auction this season and his dream of playing in the IPL will most likely be fulfilled. He has had a great year and made it to the West Indies side courtesy of his excellent performance for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League.

He scored 440 runs in 12 matches in the CPL averaging 40 with a great strike rate of 148.14. In the ODIs against India, he was at his best and scored 259 runs in 5 matches at a strike rate of 140 which is simply sensational in ODIs.

The fact that he's playing so well in the subcontinent reduces the risk factor of buying him. Someone like D'Arcy Short who played well in the Big Bash League struggled in the Indian conditions. He can slot anywhere between number 4 and 6 and can open the batting as well. He can be the ideal replacement for Maxwell and be at his destructive best.