IPL 2018: 5 players who can replace Steve Smith if he is banned

The last four days have been very tough for all the Australian cricketers and the fans as their team is in crisis after what happened in the third Test against South Africa in Cape Town where Cameron Bancroft was caught trying to tamper the ball with sandpaper. As an aftermath of it, we might see some players getting strictly punished.

Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland confirmed that Bancroft, captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner will leave South Africa and are likely to be punished.

Though the punishment is set to be sanctioned in the next 24 hours, it is likely that the players will be handed out a minimum of a one-year ban. If the players are banned, the likes of Warner and Smith won't be able to take part in the upcoming 2018 IPL. Their absence, thus, will leave a huge void in their respective IPL teams.

Let us take a look at five possible replacements for Steve Smith if he is banned by Cricket Australia from taking part in the IPL.

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#5 Lendl Simmons

West Indian batsman Lendl Simmons is one of the most underrated players to have played in the IPL. In spite of playing a key role for Mumbai Indians in their 2015 IPL triumph, he couldn't seal his place in the side for the 2017 season and was later released by the franchise ahead of the 2018 IPL auction. He was eventually unsold in the auction.

Registering himself at a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore, the former Mumbai Indians opener failed to attract a bid in spite of his impressive numbers in the tournament which reads 1079 runs in 29 matches at an average of nearly 40 and a strike-rate of 126.64. He can bat anywhere in the top-four and the Royals might consider him as a replacement player for Smith if he is banned.

#4 Rovman Powell

West Indian batsman Rovman Powell was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the 2017 IPL but unfortunately, he didn't get to play a single game for them.

The Jamaican is in a rich vein of form as he scored a century and a 44 in the recently-concluded ICC World Cup qualifiers. In the 2018 IPL auction, he went unsold and if Rajasthan Royals seek a replacement for Smith, Rovman is one name the franchise should consider.

He has the ability to score quick runs towards the end of the innings and that allows the Royals to open the batting with skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Jos Buttler.

#3 Eoin Morgan

Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Kings XI Punjab; these are the teams for which Eoin Morgan has turned up in the IPL. The English limited-overs captains went unsold in the 2018 IPL auction as the franchises chose to avoid him.

Though his IPL numbers don't show his real value, his average of 29.96 at a strike-rate of 132.33 in 72 T20Is makes him a dangerous batsman in the middle and death overs. Once he gets his eye in, he is a treat to watch and he becomes unstoppable and takes the game away from the opposition in a matter of balls.

#2 Ish Sodhi

This might be an out-of-the-box pick but Rajasthan Royals failed to bolster their bowling attack in the 2018 IPL auction. They splashed all their money on pacers Ben Stokes (pace-bowling all-rounder), Jaydev Unadkat and Jofra Archer at the auction that they failed to get a decent spin department that has the likes of K Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal etc.

Though Gowtham is good enough to deliver the goods in these conditions, the presence of an experienced head will make things easier for the offie. Talking about the spinners who went unsold at the IPL auctions, there is no reason to look beyond Ish Sodhi as he is currently ranked number three in the ICC T20I bowlers rankings.

Sodhi has already taken 102 wickets in 92 T20 games at a healthy average of 23.09 and an economy rate of below 8.

#1 Joe Root

England batsman Joe Root was one of the most-anticipated names going into the 2018 IPL auction as this was the first time he registered himself for the auction to be a part of the T20 league. Unfortunately, he went unsold at the auction that took place earlier this year as the franchises chose to avoid English players due to various reasons.

Along with Virat Kohli, Joe Root is one of the few batsmen in this generation who can be equally good across all three formats. In the 25 matches he has played, he has scored his runs at an average of 39.10 and a strike-rate of almost 129, numbers that most of the batsmen long for in the format.

Root is a like-for-like replacement for Steve Smith as he bats at number three and is a better bet than the Aussie in this format.