IPL 2018: Two-time title winners who will be missed this year

The Indian Premier League is known for its glitz, glamour, astronomical money and of course the quality of cricket on display. The players have always given their best when it comes to the IPL, be it the Indian cricketers or the overseas stars. It is mainly because of these players that the IPL now stands as one of the most watched sports leagues on earth. It is also the most followed cricket league in the world, garnering an unparalleled popularity within a short span.

The players who come to India during the summer always try to make their two-month stay a memorable one by clinching the IPL title. It is indeed a dream for the players to lift that glittering trophy skywards. Some have never done that, while some have been extremely fortunate to have done the same more than once. Let us now look at the overseas stars who have won the title twice in their career but won't be seen this season as they found no buyers at the auctions.

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#1 Dwayne Smith

The Barbados-born all-rounder has played for four different IPL franchises so far- Mumbai Indians, Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions. Smith played three seasons for the Mumbai franchise- (2008, 2012, 2013) and two seasons for the Super Kings (2014 and 2015).

An experienced T20 campaigner, Smith has played for various teams in the Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, English county, Pakistan Super League and of course Caribbean Premier League.

Smith won his first ever IPL title in 2009 representing the now-defunct Deccan Chargers under the former Aussie wicket-keeper batsman, Adam Gilchrist. He won his second title in 2013 playing for the Mumbai Indians, under Rohit Sharma's captaincy.

A consistent performer since the inception of the tournament, Smith has scored 2385 runs in 91 matches at a strike-rate of 135.20, with his highest score being 87. His contributions with the ball have been equally good, having taken 26 wickets in his IPL career.

#2 Lendl Simmons

Lendl Simmons

The hard-hitting Trinidadian went unsold at this year's auctions with a base price of INR 1.5 crore. In 2014, the Mumbai Indians signed him as a replacement to the injured Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Jalaj Saxena.

Simmons turned out to be an ideal replacement scoring 394 runs in just eight matches for Mumbai. Mumbai reached the playoffs in that season, where they eventually lost to the Chennai Super Kings in the Eliminator at the Brabourne stadium.

It was a surprise, when he found no buyers at this year's auction, as he has was a vital member of Mumbai's 2015 and 2017 title-winning squad. Simmons is a kind of batsman who can provide an electrifying start to the innings and has done just that on several occasions for Mumbai. In 29 IPL matches, Simmons has scored 1079 runs at 126.64, with his highest score being 100* against the Kings XI Punjab.

#3 Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan

The current English limited-overs skipper is highly experienced when it comes to the T20 cricket. In the IPL, Morgan has represented four different franchises- the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab.

A big-hitter of the ball, Morgan knows the Indian conditions well having played numerous IPL games. Morgan won his first IPL title in 2012 with the KKR but did not play even a match for them.

In 2016, he won his second title under David Warner for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Morgan has scored four half-centuries and has 24 catches to his name in the IPL. Morgan is an ideal T20 batsman, who can score quick runs as well as stabilize the innings. In 52 IPL matches,

Morgan has scored 854 runs at a strike-rate of 121.13, with his highest score being 66. Morgan played for the Kings XI Punjab in the 2017 IPL but went unsold during this year’s auctions with a base price of INR 2 crore.