IPL 2019: 5 foreign players who could set the auction on fire

A total of 1003 players have registered themselves for the 2019 Indian Premier League auction, which is scheduled to happen on December 18 in Jaipur. A total of 232 overseas players have registered for the 20 overseas slots that are currently vacant.

Among the overseas players, 35 are from Australia, which does not include some of the prominent names like Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch, Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins. With 59 players, the highest number of overseas players registered are from South Africa while Afghanistan have 27 players registered.

However, the list will further be trimmed when franchises submit their wish-list on December 10. Some of the overseas players have been doing extremely well in the various T20 leagues across the globe and are expected to start a bidding war in the auction.

Without much ado, let’s take a look at the five overseas players who could set the auction on fire.

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#5 Hardus Viljoen

Hardus Viljoen in action for Derbyshire County Cricket Club

Out of nowhere, Hardus Viljoen took the T10 League by storm this November. The tall fast bowler from South Africa picked up 18 wickets in the tournament from just 18 overs. He was brilliant throughout the tournament and finished as the top wicket-taker.

He averaged 7.7 with the ball and his strike rate was an unbelievable 6.0. The 29-year-old seamer possesses a brutal bouncer and is tailor-made for the limited-overs cricket. He can bowl well with the new ball and also in the death overs.

Despite an excellent record in the domestic cricket, Viljoen could not make it big for South Africa in the international arena. Viljoen has played only one Test match in his career and later signed the Kolpak deal in 2016. With many international seamers not available because of the 2019 World Cup, Viljoen could be in demand.

#4 Reeza Hendricks

Australia v South Africa - 1st ODI

The 29-year-old top-order batsman from South Africa has been in scintillating form this season and it is getting better with every game in the Mzansi T20 League. The Proteas star struck a back-to-back hundred in the tournament to become only the second player in T20 history to achieve the feat.

Reeza Hendricks is the top run-getter in the ongoing T20 League in South Africa. He has scored 346 runs in just five games at an average of 115.33 and a strike rate of 164.76, which included two breath-taking hundreds and two fifties.

He has also become a regular in the South Africa limited-overs side and has hit form at the right time. With the IPL auction just 10 days away, Reeza Hendricks has every chance to make it big in IPL 2019. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad might go head-to-head to sign the in-form South African to strengthen their top order.

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#3 Shimron Hetmyer

Jamaica Tallawahs v Guyana Amazon Warriors - 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Tournament

The 21-year-old is considered the next big thing in West Indies cricket. He was exceptional for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2018 Carribean Premier League. Hetmyer scored 440 runs in just 12 innings at an average of 40 and at a stunning strike-rate of almost 150, which included a blistering hundred and two fifties.

An aggressive middle-order batsman, Hetmyer was brilliant against India in the recently concluded ODI series. He scored a scintillating hundred in the first One Day International, which was followed by a superb 94 off just 64 balls in the second ODI. He destroyed the Indian bowlers and displayed a wide array of attacking shots.

Hetmyer has played 17 One Day Internationals for West Indies so far and scored 594 runs at an average of 43.41 and a strike rate of 108.52. Hetmyer averages 31.12 in T20s and has a strike rate of 144.34. He is one of those players who can win games single-handedly.

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#2 Nicolas Pooran

Trinbago Knight Riders v Barbados Tridents - 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League

Another Caribbean cricketer who is making it count in T20s this year. Nicolas Pooran has been in great form of late with the bat and is scoring runs on a consistent basis. Playing for Barbados Tridents in the 2018 Carribean Premier League, the 23-year-old has scored 267 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 144.32.

He was selected in the West Indies Twenty20 side for the tour of India in November and he repaid their faith with an explosive 53 off 25 balls in the third T20I. He then continued his excellent form in the recently concluded 2018 T10 League.

Playing for Northern Warriors, Pooran finished as the top run-getter in the tournament with 324 runs at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 245.45. He scored the most number of sixes (33) in the tournament and was unstoppable. A brilliant wicket-keeper, Nicolas Pooran could be one of the stars of IPL 2019.

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#1 Sam Curran

Sri Lanka v England: Second Test - Day One

The England international is arguably the best all-rounder available for franchises in the IPL 2019 auction. Having made his debut for England in June, the 20-year-old has been a revelation for his national side with some phenomenal performances.

In seven Test matches so far, Sam Curran has scored 404 runs at an average of 36.72, which included three crucial fifties and also picked up 14 wickets. He has also played two One Day Internationals and has shown a lot of maturity with both the bat and ball.

With not many quality all-rounders available for franchises in the auction, Sam Curran might already be in the wish-list of almost all of them. He has set his base price at INR 2 crore, but, expect him to go for a much higher price. He is expected to start a bidding war and set the auction on fire.

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