IPL 2018: Five overseas players who deserved contracts

Cricket is a fast-paced game. Players who were once at the peak of international fame have slipped from the spotlight into the abyss and new young stars are quickly replacing them.

This was manifest in the IPL Auction, where some old IPL faces found themselves unwanted and overlooked in favour of rising prospects.

Indeed, established players like Ishant Sharma and all-time leading wicket-taker Lasith Malinga were snubbed during the bidding.

However, they were not the only ones. This article looks at five overseas players who deserved an IPL contract.

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#5 Shaun Marsh

Australian batsman Shaun Marsh was one of the unlucky players who went unsold in the auction.

However, Marsh's IPL record is sublime. The left-hander is the Kings XI Punjab's all-time leading run scorer and was even the orange cap holder in the first ever IPL.

Marsh has scored 2,477 runs in the IPL and has the highest average out of any Punjab player who has played in over 20 innings.

As a point of comparison, the South African David Miller has scored just 1,687 runs in the same number of matches and for the same franchise. Miller, though, will be playing in Punjab for another season.

Moreover, Marsh's Ashes form was strong. He scored 445 runs in the five-test series and ended with a very impressive average of 74 against a strong England bowling line-up. Despite the rather steep base price of 1.5 crores, it is a mystery why the experienced Marsh was not snapped up in the auction.

#4 Eoin Morgan

England's limited-overs captain last played for Kings XI Punjab

Unlike Marsh, England batsman Eoin Morgan is not a consistent performer. His scores fluctuate greatly, but he still remains a destructive batsman capable of winning matches on his own.

This was seen in his brutal 80* (46) against New Zealand in the trans-Tasman tri-series, which earned him the man of the match award.

Morgan is one of the most experienced T20 batsmen out there, having played 72 T20Is in his career thus far. On his day, Morgan would merit a place in any T20 side.

Arguably Morgan's base price was too high. He went in at the optimistic two crores but did not elicit any response.

If he had offered himself at a lower price, there is no doubt that teams would have been vying for his signature.

#3 Adam Zampa

Zampa has picked 19 wickets in two seasons

It is hard being an overseas spinner in the IPL Auction, as Adam Zampa found out. This is mainly due to the wealth of talented homegrown spinners India routinely produce, meaning that franchises do not tend to look overseas in this department.

Nevertheless, Australian leg-spinner Zampa was unlucky to miss out. He has played in the last two IPLs, bursting onto the scene with a breathtaking 6/19 in 2016.

Over the two seasons he has played in, Zampa has gone at just 7.54 and has picked up 19 wickets at a lethal strike rate of sub 12.

Zampa's Big Bash League record is equally strong, with a career economy of 7.16 and he has sustained this over the course of six seasons.

Perhaps it was a nondescript BBL season last year, or a weak performance in the ODIs against England, that meant Zampa was not in demand.

#2 Hashim Amla

Amla had an average of 60 last season

Hashim Amla is one of the most experienced limited overs batsmen in the world at the moment.

His ODI record is simply incredible, being the fastest to reach 5,000, 6,000 and 7,000 runs. Amla's T20 record is no less impressive, an average of 34 at a strike rate of over 130 in 43 T20Is pays testament to this.

The opening batsman represented the Kings XI Punjab last year, and he shone for his side. Amla led the way with the bat, blasting 420 runs in ten matches at an average of 60.

This was at a blistering strike rate of 145 and included two hundreds and two fifties. Indeed, Amla ended last year's IPL with the sixth most runs and the highest average.

Despite this stellar season, the South African failed to attract any attention in the auction.

1. Joe Root

"Fab Four" member Joe Root was arguably the biggest shock of all

Perhaps the greatest shock of the IPL Auction was Englishman Joe Root going unsold. England's Test captain attracted lots of attention from the media when he put his name forward, but it ultimately came to nothing as no side made a bid for him. Root's credentials are virtually unrivalled, boasting a T20I average of close to 40 and an ODI average of over 50. More specifically, Root seems to thrive in T20s in India. In the 2016 T20 World Cup, held in India, Root hit 249 runs in six matches. This was at an average of close to 50 and at an aggressive strike rate of 146. More recently, when England toured India last year, Root hit 126 runs in the three T20Is, ending with an average of 63.

He has the talent. He has the experience in the subcontinent. He is a leader. Despite all of this, Root will not be playing in the 2018 IPL. However, looking ahead to the future, Root will no doubt be pushing for a contract again next year.