IPL 2018: 5 unsold batsmen who may return as injury replacements

IPL auction has thrown many surprises over the years. It's an event where even unknown players become millionaires overnight and on the other hand, even the best of the players can be sold cheaply. Colin Munro has been a classic example this year. The No.1 T20 batsman in the world was bought by Delhi Daredevils for a price of just Rs. 1.9 crore this year. In contrast, little known Krishnappa Gowtham was bought for Rs. 7.2 crore by Rajasthan Royals.

While there's a completely different class of players who go unsold even after being the best in the world. Though the IPL rules give such a player another chance to get through the back door into the league as a replacement for injured players. There have been several instances of players being unsold in the auction but making it big as an injury replacement in the league, one of many being Chris Gayle who came back strong in 2011 after remaining unsold in the auction.

Here are a few of those unlucky batsmen that may find their way back in the league this year as injury replacements:

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#5 Lendl Simmons

Lendl Simmons, one of the best T20 batsman in the world was associated with Mumbai Indians in the previous seasons and has played several match-winning knocks for the franchise. The West Indian who is currently playing for Karachi Kings in the PSL has been out of the West Indies squad for a while now but continues to shine in various T20 leagues around the world.

It was Simmons who played a prominent role in Mumbai Indians winning the tournament in 2015. He scored 540 runs in 13 matches at an average of 45.00 falling just 23 runs short of winning the orange cap in the season.

It was surprising to see him going unsold in the auction this year but he still has a chance to get back in the league through the back door.

#4 Joe Root

Joe Root, the England batsman is one of the best in the world at present and is often compared to the likes of Virat Kohli and Steve Smith. Root has been consistent across all the three formats in the past few years. Root share a problem with Hashim Amla of not being seen as a T20 batsman.

Root was being considered a potential captaincy candidate ahead of the auction and was predicted to go for big money in the auction. But surprisingly he couldn't find any bidders in the auction.

His record in T20 internationals is quite impressive. In 25 T20 matches that he has played for England, he has scored 743 runs at an average of 39.10 and a strike rate of 128.76.

Root who was slated to play in his debut IPL season this year still has a chance to get in through the back door if fate has it.

#3 Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill, one of the most destructive batsmen of the present times left fans surprised when he went unsold in the auction. Guptill was base priced at just Rs. 75 lakh, still could not find any bidders. He is currently placed 5th on the list of ICC T20 batsman rankings.

In the 2017 edition of the IPL, Guptill who played for Punjab failed to deliver on multiple occasions and could manage to score just 132 runs in 7 matches.

Guptill has blown hot and cold for New Zealand in internationals but showed his regained form recently in the tri-series which involved New Zealand, Australia, and England. He emerged as the highest run-scorer in the series scoring 258 runs in 5 matches at an average of 51.60 and a strike rate of 160.24. His scores in the series were 5,65,105,62 and 21 respectively.

With such mind-boggling numbers, he is a potent candidate for an injury replacement.

#2 Alex Hales

Alex Hales is currently the best T20 batsmen for England and is placed 9th on the list of ICC T20 batsman rankings. Hales has an outstanding record in T20 Internationals. He was drafted in the Mumbai Indians squad as an injury replacement for Corey Anderson in 2015 but did not feature in a game for the two years he was with them.

Hales surprisingly went unsold in the auction last year and again this year. Although he is flourishing in internationals, still none of the franchises showing interest in him puts a big question mark on the team building strategies.

The English batsman has played 52 matches for England in which he has collected 1456 runs at an average of 31.65 and a strike rate of 136.32. Alex Hales might be an ideal replacement as an opening batsman.

#1 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla, one of South Africa's best batsman has always lived up to the reputation of a Test player. Even after having a successful IPL season in 2017, it was shocking to see that Amla was not retained by the Kings XI Punjab. The second shocker came in the auction itself when none of the teams showed interest in a player of his caliber.

Amla had an outstanding season last year in which he scored 420 runs in just 10 matches at an astonishing strike rate of 145.83. His average of 60 was highest for any batsman in the season. Moreover, he scored two centuries in the season which speaks volume about him as a T20 batsman.

With the injury list getting longer, Amla may be an ideal replacement for the franchises who may be looking for a top order batsman.