5 CPL stars who could be huge IPL picks next season

The recently concluded season of the CPL - the Caribbean Premier League, is the only T20 cricket tournament to be played by six teams across seven nations, with Florida in the United States playing host to a couple of games.

The fifth edition of the CPLT20 saw the Trinidad Knight Riders coming out victorious, as they edged St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the final by three wickets, claiming their second tournament title.

Two of the more consistent sides in the tournament contested the final, but after 34 matches in a long season, a number of players across teams captured the imagination of fans around the world with their swashbuckling batting style and economical bowling averages.

Here we take a look at some of the top performers from the CPL who could be huge IPL picks next season.

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Krishmar Santokie

Jamaican born Krishmar Santokie burst out on the international stage 6 years ago in the inaugural season of the CPL, where he bagged numerous wickets, earning a call up to the national side.

After a failed stint in the national side, unable to make his mark, Santokie focused on the domestic circuit where he continued to display performances of the highest calibre. Consistent with his bowling averages and a decent bat lower down the pecking order, the 32-year-old Santokie could make a decent bet for an IPL franchise.

In the recently concluded 2017 CPLT20, the Jamaican Tallawahs left arm bowler picked up 14 scalps over the course of the season, placing his name alongside an elite few from the who could be primed for a shot at the biggest stage of T20 cricket, the IPL.

Kesrick Williams

Having made his first class debut at the age of 21, Kesrick Williams faced an uphill struggle to cement his place in the starting eleven of any team he played on. After six years of perfecting his trade, the 2016 CPL tournament served as his platform where Williams reinvented himself as a destructive pace bowler holding a fine economy rate.

Williams endured a strong season under the Jamaican Tallawahs picking up 17 wickets at an average of 19.82 and an economy rate of 8.02 to finish as the most successful bowler for Tallawahs and the third highest wicket-taker in the 2016 edition.

Continuing his brilliant form into the 2017 edition, Williams amassed 13 wickets this campaign with a string of good early performances gaining attention from numerous teams, across leagues interested in acquiring his services.

Evin Lewis

One of three batsmen along with Chris Gayle and Brendan McCullum in T20 history to score two or more centuries in the shortest format of the game, Evin Lewis introduced himself on the big stage in the 2013 Champions League T20 tournament.

His rise as one of the deadliest batsmen in T20 cricket is attributed to his brilliant performances for the Trinidad Franchise over the past four years.

In every CPL edition, Evin Lewis has performed consistently and played a major part in the franchises most recent and second CPL triumph only a few days ago.

Having performed well for West Indies at the junior level, Lewis moved up to the international circuit flawlessly much like his mentor and teammate Chris Gayle.

Attracting a lot of suitors, vying to capture his services, the IPL should serve as the next platform to break into for the opening batsman, as he has described his journey thus far, as a dream come true.

Rayad Emrit

All-rounder Rayad Emrit makes for a good IPL pick

A relative unknown of sorts on the international stage, Rayad Emrit, a medium-pacer and lower order batsmen received his biggest break yet when he was included in the West Indies squad for an ODI tour of India a few months before the 2007 World Cup.

Unable to create a significant impact during the tour, the all-rounder hasn't received a national call-up since but has been in the spotlight recently bagging 15 wickets in the 2017 CPLT20.

The 36-year-old, who also captained the Guyana Amazon Warriors this season, remains an outside candidate for selection across a host of IPL teams. With bags of experience in various levels of the game, the IPL could be the perfect last chapter in what has been a long career for the Trinidad native.

Chadwick Walton

A wicketkeeper batsmen who had the CPL season of his life amassed a massive 458 runs in 12 innings with 3 fifties maintaining a steady boundary hitting frequency in every inning.

An opening orthodox batsman for most of his career not known for his explosive hitting, certainly made his mark this season catching many an eye of foreign suitors looking to acquire his services.

The 31-year-old has featured for the West Indies before as a replacement to the squad on strike against Bangladesh, where he equalled the record for the most dismissals in game.

With an outside chance to be picked by an IPL side, he could act well as a surprise pick given his recent explosion of sorts with the bat and serve as a solid wicketkeeper, boosting his chances.