IPL 2019: Top 3 low-profile buys who can shine this season

The IPL auction took place on 18th December in Jaipur and the franchises shelled out a lot of money to acquire the services of the players they wanted. Though this year's auction featured fewer players and lesser money, there was a lot of hype around it due to the presence of some new players, and the event sprang a few surprises as well.

A few of the big name signings were Yuvraj Singh at base price to the Mumbai Indians and Colin Ingram to Delhi, while Jaydev Unadkat and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy bagged INR 8.4 crore each and will play for Rajasthan and Kings XI Punjab respectively.

But apart from these, there were a lot of bids which were in the middle, and certain players who were bought for their base price and went unnoticed amidst the clamor for the players with the bigger bucks. Here are four unnoticed players who can make it big this season.

Honorable mentions: Manan Vohra (Rajasthan Royals for 20 lakh), Moises Henriques (Kings XI Punjab for 1 crore)

#3 Hardus Viljoen (Kings XI Punjab)

Hardus Viljoen was snapped up by the Kings XI Punjab for his base price of 75 lakh, but was dwarfed by the signing of young Sam Curran and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

Viljoen was the highest wicket taker in the T10 League and put up some incredible stats. He picked up 18 wickets from 9 matches at an incredible bowling average of 7.77 and a terrific strike rate of 6.0. His economy of 7.77 was excellent considering that it's a 10 overs game.

The now South African 'discard' has returned as a complete limited overs package. He was named the 'Man of the Tournament' in a tournament which contained a lot of big stars, which is a big feat. This did attract attention but as far as the auction went, his was a quiet signing.

Hardus Viljoen

Viljoen would be an able replacement for either Tye or Curran if they return for the World Cup or if the team wants to try something new. He can be of even greater importance if the IPL is shifted to South Africa.

#2 Joe Denly (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Joe Denly was signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders for his base price of 1 crore. The England batsman is making a comeback into the T20I team after a great run of T20 games.

Denly's national career seemed to be over in 2010 but he's somehow found his way back into the side. The opening batsman can also bowl leg spin and has been signed as someone who can replace the injury prone Chris Lynn.

Joe Denly after his comeback to the England national side

Denly has four T20 centuries and he won a Man of the Match award against Sri Lanka in October 2018 where he picked up four wickets and scored 20 runs, which also proves his ability with the ball.

Denly is a stable yet unnoticed choice from KKR and if given the opportunities, he can really prove his mettle.

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#1 Heinrich Klaasen (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Heinrich Klaasen was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for his base price of 50 lakh but he could become a steal at that price. Much of the focus of RCB's buys has been on the young Shivam Dube and Shimron Hetmyer while Klaasen, the keeper-batsman, has gone largely unnoticed.

He could be slotted in as the opener so that he gets more time to settle in and display his big hitting abilities.

Heinrich Klaasen

The fact that RCB have spent so much on Dube and Hetmyer means that players like Moeen Ali and Colin De Grandhomme in the middle order aren't going to get much opportunities, and Klaasen might just edge them out in the competition for a starting spot.

Though Parthiv Patel offers an alternative too, RCB could opt to let this Proteas player unleash himself, in which event he might prove to be a gem of a signing.