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IPL 2018 is only a week away and the excitement level is at a new high. Around 600 players were a part of the auction this year but only a few of them found a spot in any franchise.
There were a few players who will miss this season as they did not attract any bids, while a number of procured players will also miss out on this season due to injuries. The injury list includes the likes of Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Johnson and a few others.
A lot of players performed exceptionally in the first decade of the tournament and have made it to our all-time IPL XI. Who would make it to an unsold/injured IPL XI? Let us take a look at the competition between the two sides.
IPL All-Time XI: Chris Gayle, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Yusuf Pathan, Dwayne Bravo, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Lasith Malinga
Which set of players will be able to take on this side? Let us have a look at the Unsold/Injured XI.
Openers
Martin Guptill
It came as a surprise to many when Martin Guptill was unsold in the IPL auction. Guptill has featured in the IPL for two teams. His IPL record for the Mumbai Indians and the Kings XI Punjab has been disappointing, but his overall T20 record has been good enough to fetch him an IPL contract.
Guptill has scored 5798 T20 runs in 199 matches at an average of 33.13. He has scored 3 centuries and a staggering 37 half centuries. The Kiwi opener is one of the best T20 players around the world and has the ability to attack early on in the innings. He can also rotate the strike when required.
The aggressive batsman will open the batting for this side against the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Lasith Malinga.
Hashim Amla
Hashim Amla is one of the most underrated IPL players. Amla has scored 577 IPL runs at an average of 44.38.
He is often criticized for his inability to bat aggressively but the South African has answered his critics with his bat, and the flamboyant batsman has a strike rate of 141.76 in the IPL.
He scored 420 runs in the 2017 edition, when he came in as a replacement for the injured Shaun Marsh. Amla scored two centuries and three fifties in ten matches. He will be the perfect partner to bat alongside Martin Guptill. The South African opener can attack the bowlers with sheer ease.
Amla and Guptill will have the responsibility of opening the innings for the Unsold XI.
Middle Order
Kusal Perera
Sri Lankan southpaw Kusal Perera recently turned down the offer of Sunrisers Hyderabad. He had a chance to replace David Warner in SRH but Perera opted to play domestic cricket over the IPL.
He believes that he can make a Test comeback on the basis of his domestic form, and was in sensational form in the recently concluded Nidahas Trophy.
His shots and batting technique resemble that of Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya. Kusal has a T20I average of 30 with a strike rate of around 137. He has the ability to take on the spinners just like Jayasuriya did, and accelerate with ease.
The southpaw will be the right man for the number three position in this side.
Luke Ronchi (wicketkeeper)
Former New Zealand wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi was in impeccable form in the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL). Ronchi's recent exploits have forced us to give him a place in this XI. His T20 statistics are not up to the mark but the 36-year-old has bettered his game over the years.
He scored 435 runs in 11 innings in this year's PSL and was the leading run-scorer of the tournament and had a big role to play in the victorious triumph of the Islamabad United. The New Zealand batsman improved considerably in the final stages of his career.
He will be the wicketkeeper of this Unsold XI.
Eoin Morgan (Captain)
England's limited overs skipper Eoin Morgan will lead this Unsold side. Despite his poor IPL record, Morgan has found a place in this XI purely based on how he has led the England side brilliantly in the recent past. He has represented the Kings XI Punjab and the Kolkata Knight Riders in the past.
Morgan has scored 1678 T20I runs at an average of nearly 30 and his strike rate of 132.33 is a positive in the middle overs.
His strike rate increases further when he faces the spinners, with his sweep shot very effective against spin. England has won 15 out of 29 games under his leadership in the shortest format.
Thisara Perera
Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera will bat at number six in this lineup. He has played 37 IPL matches in which he has scalped 31 wickets, but has had limited batting opportunities and is yet to unleash his own self.
He has scored 422 runs at an average of only 19.18. Perera is a better batsman than what his records suggest. The 28-year-old has recently improved his bowling in the death overs, and can contribute with both bat and ball in this Unsold XI.
Pacers
Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc is one of the most lethal fast bowlers to have graced the game. He is one of the most unlucky cricketers because of his injury prone nature. He missed the 2015 IPL season due to an injury, and has since not featured in the IPL due to injury.
This year, he was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders but a tibial bone stress has ruled him out. This has put KKR in a state of jeopardy. Starc has picked up 34 wickets in 27 IPL games. His economy of 7.16 is impressive for a bowler who bowls in the power play and at the back end of the innings.
Starc will be the premier fast bowler in this lineup.
Dale Steyn
Dale Steyn's career has been affected by many injuries, recently. Steyn has been out of action for a long time and after suffering a shoulder injury in 2016, he has played only a few games. He was unsuccessful even in South Africa's domestic T20 league.
Steyn's injury prone nature forced the franchises to stay away from bidding for the pacer. He has picked up 92 wickets in 90 IPL games, with a very good economy rate of 6.72.
Steyn will take the new ball alongside Starc in this team. The duo will be up against the likes of Gayle, Warner, Kohli, Raina, Rohit, Dhoni, Yusuf and Bravo.
Morne Morkel
South Africa's veteran pacer, Morne Morkel recently joined the 300 wickets club in Test cricket but was unsold in this year's IPL auction. A lack of T20 cricket has hurt his chance of grabbing a spot in the IPL.
The lanky pacer has picked up 77 wickets in 70 games, including the purple cap in 2012. He had a terrific season and picked up 25 wickets to win the purple cap. He played an integral part in KKR's title win in 2012.
He featured in the 2016 IPL but has been missing since. He will bowl alongside his pace bowling partners Steyn and Starc in this XI.
Spinners
Samuel Badree
Carribean superstar Samuel Badree held the number one T20I rank for a long time. He has picked up 181 wickets in 184 T20 games, with an incredible economy rate of 5.92. Badree often bowls with the new ball, and last played in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The leg-spinner has picked up 11 IPL wickets in 12 matches.
His IPL economy rate is much higher than his T20 economy rate, with an economy rate of over 7 in the IPL. To everyone's surprise, Badree attracted no bids in this year's auction. He will lead the spin department in this team.
Adam Zampa
Australian wrist spinner Adam Zampa represented the Rising Pune Supergiants in the previous two editions of the IPL. He holds the record for second best figures in the IPL, picking up 6 for 19 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016.
He grew as a bowler under the leadership of MS Dhoni, and has picked up 19 IPL wickets in 11 games.
Unsold/Injured XI: Martin Guptill, Hashim Amla, Kusal Perera, Luke Ronchi(WK), Eoin Morgan(C), Thisara Perera, Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Adam Zampa, Samuel Badree
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