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The IPL this year is set to be a slightly less fun affair than usual. Some of the top international stars have opted out with the World Cup in mind, and a few players will return halfway through the tournament due to restrictions posed by their cricket boards.
That might throw the captaincy issue in particular into disarray. Although most teams prefer to have Indian players as captains, teams like Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have opted to have foreign players as captain.
Steven Smith has done a good job with Rajasthan and Kane Williamson showed his experience as the Kiwi national captain by leading the SRH side last year. That being said, as many as 7 international ODI captains from the top 10 ranked teams won't be a part of the IPL this year.
Here are 5 International captains who won't feature in the IPL.
Selection criterion: The captain must have given his name for the auction previously or must have been part of an IPL franchise.
Honorable mention: Asghar Afghan, the Afghanistan ODI captain, hadn't given his name for any IPL auction in the past and hence his name doesn't feature in this list.
Note: Sarfraz Ahmed (Pakistan captain) has been excluded because he hasn't been allowed to play.
#5 Jason Holder (West Indies)
Jason Holder is the captain of the West Indies team which is slowly rising in stature. Before the emergence of Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Kraigg Brathwaite, Holder was the lone ranger for the Windies and often waged long battles in losing causes with both bat and ball.
Holder is in fact the 4th-ranked all-rounder in the ICC Test rankings, and 9th in the ICC ODI rankings. Typically a No. 8 batsman and bowler who bowls at all stages of the match, Holder has great T20 potential but hasn't lived up to it the way some Windies stars like Bravo or Russell have.
He went unsold this IPL auction in both the rounds, and his base price of Rs. 75 lakh was probably too high amidst the competition from others.
Holder has played for the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and has picked up five wickets in 11 matches with an economy of 8.50.
#4 Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka)
Dinesh Chandimal was Sri Lanka's ODI captain after the SCB sacked Angelo Mathews. And although Lasith Malinga has been named the captain for the upcoming series against New Zealand, Chandimal could well get back the reins soon.
Chandimal is an extremely consistent batsman with great records in both Tests and ODIs. He was associated with the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in 2013 as a replacement for Michael Clarke, but didn't play any match and hasn't featured in the auction since then.
Chandimal opted not to give his name for he 2019 auction with the World Cup in mind. He would've been a valuable asset in the IPL with his great records in international cricket.
He has scored 3682 runs in 50 Test matches with an average of 43.83 and in ODIs, he has scored 3553 runs averaging close to 33.
#3 Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh)
Mashrafe Mortaza is the Bangladesh skipper and is a fast bowler who slots in at number 8 or number 9. He was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009 where he was bought for a whopping USD 600,000, but played only 1 match where he went wicketless. He hasn't featured in the IPL since then.
Mortaza has a decent record in all formats, especially in ODIs and T20Is. He has picked up 42 wickets in 53 matches with a good economy of 7.94 in T20Is and 258 wickets from 201 ODI matches with a good economy of 4.80.
He hasn't been interested in participating in the IPL auctions after 2013, and has focused more on international cricket.
#2 Aaron Finch (Australia)
Aaron Finch was made Australia's ODI captain and he was released by the Kings XI Punjab before the auctions. Both him and Glenn Maxwell opted out of the auction this year owing to their cricketing schedule and the World Cup.
Australia are the defending champions but the banning of Steve Smith and David Warner had upset their rhythm, although they're now slowly coming back to strength.
Finch has scored over 7500 runs in T20s with a great strike rate of 143.50 and an average of 36.21 and in IPL, he has scored 1737 runs in 73 matches with a strike rate of 130.69 and an average of 27.31.
If he had put his name in, Finch would've certainly started a bidding war considering how highly ranked he is in the T20 format.
#1 Eoin Morgan (England)
The England limited overs skipper made a late entry into the IPL Auction setting a base price of 2 crore, but went unsold in the end.
Touted as a possible solution for many teams' middle order conundrums, it was surprising to see Morgan had no takers. A very attacking and creative player, he has marshaled his troops very well in England's march to the top of the ICC ODI Rankings.
Morgan has scored 6465 runs in 198 matches averaging a brilliant 38.25 and in T20Is, he has scored 1734 runs in 75 matches averaging 29.42 with a decent strike rate of 131.36. He has been a part of many new T20 leagues as well as the T10 League held in Dubai.
This highly skilled player has scored 854 runs in 45 innings in the IPL playing for KKR, KXIP, RCB and the Sunrisers.
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