5 Unsold Bowlers who can come back as replacement players

The auction for IPL 2019 was more about filling the gaps than forming the core of the team. While teams like Chennai Superkings and Sunrisers Hyderabad were looking to strengthen their already strong squad, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore had their task cut out as they had to make some changes in order to improve upon last year's dismal show.

As always there were some surprises installed at the auction. Some big ticket players were out of favour and went unsold while some rookie, little-known players made millions.

The snub of some experienced players was a result of a number of factors. IPL numbers of the last few years always play a decisive role in a team picking up a particular player. But apart from that, the availability of players due to the all-important World Cup and the dilemma over the venue of the tournament proved to be critical at the auction.

Anyways, considering the length of the tournament and the tight schedule, there are always chances for some of the unsold players to come back as replacement players.

Moreover, the bowlers are more susceptible to injuries and thus we might see some of the unsold bowlers coming back in to play in IPL 2019.

Here are 5 unsold bowlers who can come back as replacement players in IPL 2019:

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#5 Aniket Choudhary

Aniket Choudhary with Virat Kohli

Aniket Choudhary has made a name for himself because of the awkward angles he creates for the batsmen being a left-arm seamer. Choudhary played for RCB in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

After picking up 5 wickets in 5 games in 2017, the Rajasthan quick did not get a single game in 2018. Choudhary has been in decent form playing for Rajasthan in domestic cricket and it was surprising to see him going unsold at the auction.

However, the ability to bowl at 140 clicks could help the 28-year-old to get into any IPL side.

#4 Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan is a T20 specialist

Chris Jordan has become a freelance T20 cricketer. The 30-year-old has become a T20 specialist for England. He is known for his ability to bowl tightly in death overs and has played for a number of teams in different T20 leagues around the world.

When it comes to IPL, Jordan has played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017 and 2018. Even though Jordan has been impressive in T20 cricket, he failed to live up to expectations in the IPL.

In IPL 2016, he proved to be extremely expensive for RCB conceding runs at an economy of 9.21. While playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he was seen as a backup pacer and played just two matches in two years.

With him not in contention for a place in England's World Cup squad, Jordan might be called up as a replacement player for players who are unavailable due to national commitments.

#3 Jason Holder

Jason Holder aims at the stumps

Jason Holder was avoided at the IPL auctions for the third time in a row. The West Indies Test and ODI skipper is currently one of the top all-rounders in World Cricket.

He has improved leaps and bounds as an international cricketer and has been mighty effective for West Indies both with the bat and ball.

However, his IPL numbers don't do for good reading. Having played for CSK, SRH and KKR, in 11 IPL matches, Holder has taken only 5 wickets and scored just 38 runs.

His poor IPL record might have been the prime reason for the teams not opting for him at the auction. However, in the recently concluded ODI series against India, Holder was in tremendous form and with the West Indies players being available for the entire tournament, he might make a comeback to the IPL after two years.

#2 Vinay Kumar

Vinay Kumar was below par for KKR in 2018

Vinay Kumar is one of the most experienced fast bowlers in the domestic circuit. The Karnataka seamer has been around for more than a decade. Vinay Kumar is one of those few players who has played in every IPL season so far.

The 34-old-year started his IPL career playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008. He also played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Kochi Tuskers Kerala in his 11-year long IPL career.

A veteran of 105 IPL games, Vinay Kumar has taken 105 wickets and has bowled some match-winning spells for his teams. However, his form has dipped in the last couple of seasons.

In IPL 2018, Vinay Kumar went for plenty of runs at an economy of 16.95 runs per over. By virtue of this poor form, he went unsold at the auction.

However, considering his years of IPL experience and his familiarity with Indian pitches, Vinay Kumar can get a chance to redeem himself in the IPL if any team's frontline pacer gets injured.

#1 Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn can still trouble the batsmen with his pace

While unheard players like Varun Chakravarthy, Prabhsimran Singh and Shivam Dube were making crores at the IPL auction, one of the greatest fast bowlers of our times, Dale Steyn, found no buyers.

The speedster, who is one of the most dreaded fast bowlers of the last decade has been struggling with injuries in the last couple of years. He even lost his place in his national side due to the emergence of the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi.

But Steyn did not give up and gave a good account of himself in the ODI series against Australia.

Steyn seems to have got back his rhythm and is aiming for a place in South Africa's World Cup squad. He also boasts a fabulous IPL record and would have expected to get picked at the auction. But it was not to be, as IPL teams went for younger players.

However, in case of injuries, IPL teams might get the champion bowler on board because of the fact that the 'Steyn-gun' still has a lot of fire left in him.