IPL 2019: 3 players who could be dark horses during the auctions

IPL 2019 is becoming bigger and better with every season and the 12th edition is going to bring in a new wave of freshness with new players coming and the old foes being dropped. Since most of the teams have already zeroed in on their team combinations, just a few slots are left to fill and the teams will put on their thinking caps during the auctions.

IPL is a tournament of margins and a boundary here and a dot ball there can make a massive difference. It would be important to have players who create massive impact with their belligerent batting or their economical bowling. An all-rounder would fit in the bill perfectly if he has the ability to strike big and bowl a few useful overs.

Let's look into 3 players who may be dark horses to make the final cut in one of the 8 franchises during the auctions

#3 Liton Das (Bangladesh)

Liton Das is a promising wicket-keeper batsman from Bangladesh who is probably touted as the future replacement of Mushfiqur Rahim. Liton is an attractive batsman to watch when in full flow and can play some powerful shots. He is particularly good in the cut and the pull against the quicks and has the ability to sweep powerfully against the spinners.

Liton is particularly remembered for his innings against India in the recently concluded 2018 Asia Cup final. He scored 121 from 117 balls and hit as many as 12 boundaries and 2 sixes. He was particularly severe against the quicks showing his full range of shots. He has a decent T20 record with 4 fifties with a strike rate of 125 in his 58 match T20 career.

If the franchises have witnessed this, they might Liton up as he is a wicket-keeper and he can also open the batting. His base price would be less and he might lend the required balance in terms of cost and utility.

#2 Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan)

Mohammad Shahzad is a hard-hitting Afghani batsman who plays for Afghanistan and has also played for Peshawar Zalmi and Rangpur Riders. He has the ability to destroy bowling attacks and put the bowling plans in jeopardy. Shahzad has provided some explosive starts for Afghanistan and recent times and has proved to be a safe wicket-keeper.

He was particularly impressive against India in the 2018 Asia Cup when he scored 124 in 116 balls with 11 fours and 7 sixes. Shahzad had also demolished Rabada and co with an innings of 44 from 19 balls during the 2016 World T20 when Afghanistan had threatened to chase down South Africa's score of 209. Shahzad boasts of a good T20 record with 3187 runs in 118 games at a Strike Rate of 132 with 22 fifties and a century.

If the franchises take a note of his hard-hitting abilities and not focus on his fitness, Shahzad might be making his IPL debut soon.

#1 Ishant Sharma

Ishant Sharma is not new to IPL climes and he has been part of the cash-rich league right from its inception. He has been part of 5 franchises till date representing Kolkata Knight riders, Deccan Chargers, Rising Pune Supergiant, Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Known for his height and the carry he generates, Ishant has not been able to live up to the expectation of his franchise owners.

Ishant Sharma has become more mature with his county stints in England, which was very much evident in the recently concluded Test series against England, where he troubled the English batsmen with his accuracy and bounce. Since Ishant has been bowling well in recent times, franchises might show some interest on him as he is an experienced bowler and can lend support to some of the young bowlers in the side.

Since Ishant can be bought at a lower price because of his non-selection in the previous IPL, he might well be a dark horse in this year's auction.