IPL 2018: 5 lesser-known players with big bids on them

It can be seen in every IPL season that three or four less popular players succeed to put their impact on IPL franchises and grab the spotlight. The likes of Manish Pandey, Sanju Samson, Manan Vohra, and most recently Hardik Pandya rose to fame through their stellar performances in the IPL.

This edition of IPL 2018 has also come with such faces who got high bids for their talent. Much is expected from these players by their franchises who have invested in their potential. Let's us now look at the five lesser-known talents who went for the big bucks.

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#1 Jofra Archer - ₹7.2 crore (Rajasthan Royals)

This West Indies player is going to be one of the most exciting young allrounders in this IPL season. Archer is a right-arm fast bowler and a right-hand batsman who can consistently bowl at speeds upwards of the 140 kph mark.

He caught all the attention on him in his debut match of the Big Bash League against Melbourne Renegades with standout figures of 2 for 17 from his four overs and ended the tournament giving stunning contributions to Hobart Hurricanes. He has big hitting capabilities and blistering pace with the ball which make him a valuable asset in cricket’s shortest format.

Now, he will play for Rajasthan Royals in this IPL season. His T20 career averages include an outstanding strike rate of 143.38 in 22 innings (41 matches) with the bat and 50 wickets with the ball which is quite impressive. It demarcates his capabilities well and truly.

#2 Krishnappa Gowtham - ₹6.2 crore (Rajasthan Royals)

Will Gowtham secure the position in playing XI in this IPL

Krishnappa Gowtham plays domestic cricket for Karnataka. He is a right-arm off-break bowler and right-handed batsman. He is seen as a T20 specialist because of the capability of batting at any position. In Ranji Trophy 2016, he took 18 wickets in his first three matches and showed his talent. He was then picked up by Mumbai Indians for Rs 1.5 crore last year.

This year, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for ₹6.2 crore. He has a great strike rate of 159.79 in 22 innings in his T20 career which is quite impressive. He has also claimed 20 wickets in 27 innings with an economy of 7.06 with the ball in T20s. Let's see how RR will use the talent of this player in this IPL.

#3 D'Arcy Short - ₹4 crore (Rajasthan Royals)

IPL is awaiting D'Arcy Short's entertaining innings

This Australian player is made for game's shortest format with a high strike rate. He got fame in his debut match of Big Bash League in 2016 by hitting eight fours and three sixes against Sydney Sixers. This dazzling left-hander scored 61 runs in just 29 balls in that match.

Short is an all-rounder with left-handed batting and left-arm orthodox bowling style. He finished the recently concluded season of BBL with an impressive strike rate of over 160 which helped him to get selected for Australia's T20 team. He made his international T20 debut against New Zealand in February 2018.

Recently, in the fifth match of T20 tri-series involving Australia, England, and New Zealand, he scored a quickfire 76 runs to help Australia successfully chase the huge target of 244 runs against New Zealand. He was chosen man-of-the-match in that game.

Now, he will play for Rajasthan Royals in 2018 edition of IPL. RR spent the big bucks to pick this man and definitely he's worth it. He has a stunning strike rate of 150.70 in 25 innings having an impressive average of 42 in his T20 career. Let's see what this man will do on the grounds of India.

#4 Mujeeb Zadran - ₹4 crore (Kings XI Punjab)

Mujeeb Zadran is a young bowling talent

This Afghan player plays limited overs internationals. He became the youngest player to take five wickets in an ODI and he is the first 21st century born player who played international matches.

Ask him to throw any type of ball - whether it is the carrom ball, the off-break ball, the googly or the leg break ball; he can bowl any kind of variation. He took 4 wickets giving 24 runs in his debut match for Afghanistan in December last year.

This year, he was picked up by Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2018. He has taken 19 wickets in eight matches with an economy of 4.3 in his ODI bowling career. He has played nine T20s and taken 7 wickets with the economy of 6.45. His figures so far are impressive and much will be expected from the young Zadran in the IPL.

#5 Navdeep Saini - ₹3 crore (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Delhi pacer Navdeep Saini will be raring to go in the IPL

Navdeep Saini is an Indian player who plays first-class cricket for Delhi. He is a right-arm medium pace bowler. This lanky pacer took 29 wickets in seven matches in the Ranji Trophy and bowled often with speeds around the 140 kph mark throughout the season.

He has claimed 13 wickets in 14 matches with an impressive economy of 6.03 in his T20 bowling career. He was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2018.

Navdeep Saini will be another useful addition to RCB's arsenal of bowlers and it will be interesting to see how many games me manages to play in the IPL this season.