6 Indian players who would get big contracts if they played in the BBL

The BBL is the second biggest cricket league in the world after the IPL. It was first played in 2011 and has been conducted successfully ever since. The Australian tournament boasts of some great players from the entire globe.

The BCCI does not allow Indian players to play in this league. There are different theories as to why the Indian cricket board doesn’t permit its players to participate in foreign leagues. Like these theories, there are different opinions as to if this stand is right.

Unlike the IPL, where a team can play 4 overseas players in the first 11, only 2 foreign players are allowed in the BBL. This rule makes competition for the overseas spots even tougher and only the best of them get to play.

India certainly has players who have the ability to crack these spots. If the Indian players are allowed to compete in the Australian league, they could set the tournament on fire and give the tournament a whole new dimension.

Needless to say, many franchises would be interested in seizing these players for their teams:

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#6 MS Dhoni

The former Indian captain and the current CSK captain has loads of experience. He has been a captain of a side in 9 IPL seasons and has led his side to two titles. There have been foreign captain in the BBL in the past and given his undeniable record, not many teams would hesitate in giving MS Dhoni the responsibility to lead the side.

Though there has been a lot of criticism about Dhoni’s recent approach while bating, the numbers suggest a different story. In the recently concluded T20 series against South Africa, MS Dhoni averaged 40 and had a strike-rate of 160, which was the third highest in the tournament.

In the IPL, he has over 3500 runs at an average of 37.88 with a strike-rate of 136.75. The keeper-batsman has finished innumerable games for his side and despite being at the fag end of his career, he still possesses the ability to send chills down a bowler’s spine.

#5 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan is one of those few players who can completely dismantle the opposition on their day. The southpaw lately has been in the form of his life as he looks unstoppable against any bowling attack.

Any team in cricket would want a good start to their innings and the Delhi boy provides just that. He is one of the main batsmen in the current Indian set up and no team would like to leave a chance to obtain his services.

He is an experienced IPL campaigner and knows the working of this format. Over the years, he has scored 3561 runs in the IPL at an average of 32.67. He also has as many as 28 half-centuries in the India based league.

#4 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

“Batsmen win you games, bowlers win you tournaments”. Despite the fast changing game, the preceding line’s significance doesn’t change one bit. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is one of the finest bowlers in the world at present.

The growth of Kumar, the limited-overs bowler has been tremendous. The growth chart has been on the rise ever since he rediscovered his swing. The lanky pacer has added a yard to his pace and has been amazing with his variations.

Despite bowling all the challenging overs, his economy in T20I’s is below 7 and just above it in the IPL. The Meerut boy has 111 wickets in 90 IPL matches. He was the purple cap holder in both the previous editions of the IPL, 2016 and 2017.

#3 Jasprit Bumrah

The IPL community was amazed when it saw Jasprit Bumrah bowl for the first time. The Ahmedabad boy had a highly unusual bowling action and he had a new delivery for the batsman every time.

Apart from all the amazing things that he did, it was his yorker that was the talk of the town. The accuracy of his yorkers was incredible as he and Malinga formed a deadly combination. As Bumrah would later tell, Malinga had a big role in the evolution of him as a bowler.

He made his debut for India in January against Australia in their backyard and impressed everyone with his ability to contain the batsmen at the death. Since then, his stocks have been on the rise. He has been an integral part of the Indian team and the Mumbai Indians.

The Australian pitches have more in it for the bowlers and those tracks also suit Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling style. In the 81 T20 matches that he that he has played, Bumrah has scalped 87 wickets at an economy of 7.48. His best figures in this format are 3/7.

#2 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma is the vice-captain of the current Indian T-20 team. When in full flow, not many batsmen can come close to Rohit Sharma’s class. There is a reason for all the talk about Sharma’s elegance.

He is a veteran of this format. He has played 237 T20 matches and has over 6000 runs in this format. He averages over 30 and has a decent strike rate to back it up. He is also the captain of Mumbai Indians in the IPL and has led them to 3 IPL titles.

There is no secret that Rohit Sharma is deadly on pitches with good bounce, and the Australian conditions provide exactly that. He showed this when India toured Australia in early 2017. He ended the the three match T-20 series with 199 runs at a strike-rate of 136.19.

#1 Virat Kohli

The current Indian captain is an automatic choice in the list. He is arguably the greatest modern day limited-overs batsman. His love story with the Australian grounds is well-known and he also has the ‘Australian attitude’ in him.

The ability of Kohli to switch gears quickly, makes him a rare commodity. He showed this in IPL 2016 where he hit 4 centuries and 7 half-centuries in the 16 matches that he played. The Delhi boy played with a strike-rate of 153.40 during the tournament.

In the total 194 T20 innings that he has played, Virat Kohli has scored 6401 runs at an average of 44.15. In this format, Kohli has scored over 55 percent of his total runs in boundaries, highlighting the level of dominance by the right-hander.