IPL 2018: 5 players who can replace David Warner if he is banned

The last 72 hours have been very difficult for all the Australian cricketers as their team has been badly hit with the Sandpaper Gate. As an aftermath of it, we might see some players getting strictly punished.

According to rumours, coach Darren Lehmann is set to step down from his post while captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner will be handed out a minimum of a one-year ban. If the players are banned, they won't be able to take part in the upcoming 2018 IPL.

Their absence, thus, will be a massive blow for their respective IPL teams. Let us take a look at five possible replacements for David Warner if he is banned by Cricket Australia from taking part in the IPL.

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#5 Luke Ronchi

New Zealand v South Africa - 3rd ODI

If the Sunrisers think-tank decide to go by the recent form, there is no one better than Luke Ronchi to fill the void that might be created by David Warner's absence. The former Australian and Kiwi international had a base price of 75 lakhs and went unsold at the IPL auction.

He has been on destruction since as he set the PSL on fire by getting his team Islamabad United to great starts on a consistent basis. His performance in the tournament not only saw Misbah-ul-Haq's men win the title but also earned him the Player of the Tournament award. He ended the tournament as the leading run-scorer with 435 runs in 11 innings at an average of 43.50 and a strike-rate of 182.

Apart from being a destructive batsman at the top of the order, Ronchi is also a reliable wicketkeeper.

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#4 Joe Root

England v New Zealand - 4th ODI Royal London One-Day Series 2015

One of the most-anticipated names going into the 2018 IPL auction was England's Test captain Joe Root as this was the first time he registered himself to be a part of the extravaganza.

Root is easily one of the best batsmen of this generation and him being a part of the IPL will be a massive boost for the tournament.

An average of 40 and a strike-rate of 129 in 25 T20 internationals are numbers that most of the batsmen long for. However, the 27-year-old was unsold in the auction because of the team owners' decision not to have more Englishmen in their side for various reasons.

#3 Shaun Marsh

Australia v England - Second Test: Day 2

Shaun Marsh has been one of the most successful Australian players to have played in the IPL. The left-hander from Western Australia was a part of the Kings XI Punjab outfit for the first ten seasons before he was released from the side ahead of the 2018 IPL auction and was eventually unsold in the auction.

Registering himself at a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore, the former Kings XI Punjab opener failed to attract a bid in spite of his impressive numbers in the tournament which reads 2477 runs in 71 matches at an average of 40 and a strike-rate of 132.74.

Marsh, the winner of the first-ever Orange Cap, is a very good player of spin and pace and will be a perfect choice to partner Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order for Sunrisers Hyderabad.

#2 Martin Guptill

New Zealand v West Indies: Quarter Final - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill is one of the unluckiest players when it comes to the IPL auction. More often than not, the Kiwi opener has found himself unsold at the auction. The case was no different with the 2018 edition as well as the right-hander went unsold in spite of having a base price of 75 lakhs.

Guptill, who has managed to play just 10 IPL games so far, has a fantastic T20I record as he averages around 35 with a strike-rate of 133. He is also the leading run-scorer in T20Is with 2271 runs and such a player not being a part of the IPL will be unfair.

Guptill has the knack of getting his team off to a flier, something that David Warner used to do for his side in the past and if the Aussie southpaw is banned from playing in the tournament, Guptill partnering Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order might become a reality.

#1 Hashim Amla

South Africa v West Indies - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

One thing that has been bothering me since the conclusion of the 2018 IPL auction is the franchises' decision to let South African opener Hashim Amla go. Amla is one of the very few players to have hit two IPL 100s and he managed to do so in the same season.

He might have played just 16 matches in two seasons so far, but his tally of 577 runs at an average of nearly 45 and a strike-rate of 142 makes him one of the most dangerous batsmen in the tournament.

If Sunrisers are looking for someone who can create the same impact which Warner used to create for them, then Hashim Amla is the right man for the job.