IPL 2019: 3 English players to watch out for

The 12th edition of IPL, IPL-2019, is less than 2 weeks away and the excitement levels are already high. The tournament will begin on March 23 and the first match will be played between the defending champions Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

Foreign players are always an integral part of IPL. There are 11 English players who are part of various teams in this year’s IPL. There are some English players who will make IPL debut this year. On the other side, some of the big names who went unsold in the auction are Alex Hales, Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes.

But there haven't been a lot of English players leading the charts in the previous editions, except for Ben Stokes, who won the Most Valuable Player Title in 2017.

On that note, here is a look at 3 English players to watch out for in this edition of IPL.

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#3 Jofra Archer (Rajasthan Royals)

Archer picked 15 wickets from 10 matches in IPL 2018

The 23 years old Jofra Archer was born in Barbados to an English father, and he holds a British passport. He is one of the most exciting young all-rounders in English county cricket. He started his cricket career in Barbados and has represented West Indies U-19. However, he decided to move to England and currently he is a part of Sussex.

In the recently concluded edition of BBL, Archer took 14 wickets from 12 matches at an average of 17.32 and has an economy rate of 5.55. He also took a hat-trick for Hobart Hurricanes.

Rajasthan Royals bought Archer for 7.2 crores in 2018 auction. That season, he picked 15 wickets from 10 matches to become the leading wicket-taker for them. But he didn’t get too many opportunities with the bat.

Archer is expected to be the key bowler for Rajasthan. He is known for his yorkers and for bowling consistently around 140 Kmph. He will be slotted at No. 8 or No. 9 in the lineup. He will be hoping to continue his good form this year as well.

#2 Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)

Stokes had a poor season in IPL 2018

The 27-year-old Ben Stokes is one of the best all-rounders in modern day cricket. Stokes is one of the key players for England in the upcoming World Cup this year.

He had a good run with both bat and ball in the recent test series against Windies. However, his performance was just average in the ODI series. He has been rested for the T20 series.

In IPL, Stokes was bought by Rising Pune Supergiant (2017) for INR 14.5 crore. He justified the price tag by scoring 316 runs and picking 12 wickets. He was named the Most Valuable Player of that season. In 2018, he was bought by Rajasthan Royals for INR 12.5 crore. However, he could not do justice to the hefty price tag as he had a below average outing that season.

He is expected to bat in the middle order for Rajasthan Royals this year. He is flexible enough to bat at any position in the middle and is known for his partnership breaking spells. There is no doubt that Stokes will be looking forward to gaining back his momentum this season.

#1 Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)

Buttler has a strike rate of 150.56 in IPL

The 28-year-old Jos Buttler is one of the best explosive wicketkeeper-batsman in the cricket world. He is now a permanent member of the English squad across all formats of the game.

In 2018, Buttler averages 51.62 in ODIs and 44.71 in Tests. He also scored a 150 in the ODI series against Windies.

In the recently concluded BBL, he scored 273 runs from his 7 innings for Sydney Thunder.

In IPL, Buttler has played for Mumbai Indians (2016-2017) and Rajasthan Royals (2018-present). He had poor outings in IPL 2016 and 2017, but in IPL 2018, he scored 548 runs at an average of 54.80 striking at 155.24. He scored five fifties in that season.

In total, Buttler has scored 1075 IPL runs averaging 34.67 at a strike rate of 150.56. He is expected to open the batting for Rajasthan Royals this year.

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