IPL 2019: 5 unsold players from last season who might be hot properties at this year's auction

The 2019 IPL auction will be held at 'Pink City' Jaipur on Tuesday, the 18th of December. As usual, several international stars will go under the hammer during the much-anticipated curtain-raiser for season 12 of the league.

Though the venue for IPL 2019 still remains a mystery, the auctions will go ahead as planned from 3 PM to 9.30 PM. Several stars are in the fray to land lucrative contracts based on their credentials in the shortest format of the game.

With the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup slated to take place from May 30 to July 14, many cricket boards are reluctant to let their players compete in full-throttle cricket right until the end of May. That would throw a new twist in deciding which players to pick at the auction, as some of the biggest stars may not be available for the full duration of the tournament.

Many big names who went unsold at the 2018 auctions are now in contention again, after impressing the cricketing fraternity with their exploits this year. Let us now look at five unsold players from the 2018 IPL who might be the most expensive buys of this year's auctions.

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5. Jason Holder

Jason Holder

Holder began his IPL stint with the Chennai Super Kings in season 6 after being bought for US$ 20,000 during the 2013 auctions. The all-rounder, who won the 2016 ICC World T20 with the West Indies in India under skipper Darren Sammy, has represented two other IPL franchises in his career - the Sunrisers Hyderabad (2014 and 2015) and Kolkata Knight Riders (2016).

After being released by the two-time winners KKR ahead of the 2017 auctions, the current West Indies Test and ODI skipper went unsold at a base price of INR 1.5 crore. Many thought he was unlucky to miss out on an IPL contract last season owing to his high base price.

2018 has been a memorable year for the Barbadian, who has displayed fine all-round performances in both Tests and ODIs. During the recent Test and ODI series against hosts India, Holder looked good with both bat (71 runs in two Tests, 161 runs in five ODIs) and the ball (five wickets in Tests and two in ODIs).

With age (27) and form on his side, the Windies skipper, who has 638 runs and 61 wickets in T20s, might land a lucrative IPL 2019 contract.

4. Moises Henriques

Moises Henriques

The Aussie all-rounder, who represents New South Wales in the domestic circuit, has played for five different franchises in the IPL - Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

In 2016 his all-round performance was vital in Sunrisers Hyderabad's title win under David Warner (182 runs and 12 wickets at an economy of 7.98). An experienced T20 campaigner, Henriques has played for Glamorgan and Surrey apart from his seven-year stint with Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League.

With 3219 runs and 107 wickets, Henriques is an ideal player when it comes to the T20 format. He can contribute with the bat down the order, as well as bowl toe-crushing yorkers and cutters.

In 57 IPL matches, Henriques has made 969 runs at a strike-rate of 128.17, with his highest score being 74*. He also has 38 wickets to his name at an economy of 8.38, with his best figures being 3/16.

It is likely that quite a few teams will be vying for his signature at this year's auctions.

3. Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn

The fiery South African pacer last played an IPL game in the 2016 edition for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions side led by Suresh Raina. Steyn, who played just one game throughout that season, went unsold at both the 2017 and 2018 auctions.

Unfortunately, frequent Injuries have been a part and parcel of his career. Having played nine seasons in the IPL, Steyn has taken 92 wickets at an economy of just 6.72 with his best figures being 3/8.

Though his last appearance was more than two years ago, he is still in the scheme of things when it comes to limited-overs cricket. During the three-match ODI series against the Aussies last month, Steyn finished with seven wickets. And in the ongoing inaugural edition of the Mzansi Super League, the speed gun has scalped five wickets in seven matches while clocking 140-kph with ease.

The pacer, who is eight short of 100 IPL wickets, will once again be hot property at the auctions given his credentials.

2. Nicolas Pooran

Nicolas Pooran

The wicket-keeper batsman finished as the highest run-getter in the recently concluded second edition of the T10 league held at Sharjah. He racked up 324 runs in nine matches with his highest score being 77.

The 23-year-old amassed 21 fours and 33 sixes during the tournament, scoring at a strike-rate of 245.45, and he played a pivotal role in his side's (Nothern Warriors) first T10 title.

The Trinidadian was a part of the title-winning Mumbai Indians squad in 2017 after being bought for INR 30 lakh at the auctions. Unfortunately though, the southpaw did not get an opportunity to don the blue jersey for the entire duration of the 10th edition and was eventually released ahead of the 2018 auctions where he went unsold with a base price of INR 50 lakh.

Pooran has played in the Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League, amassing 1249 T20 runs at a strike-rate of 141.12. He brought up his first T20I half-century against India at Chennai last month (53* off 25), and seems set to bag a lucrative contract at the 2019 IPL auctions.

1. Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow

Bairstow is the third highest run-getter in ODIs this year; he has slammed 1025 in 22 matches at an average of 46.59, with his highest score being 139. The wicketkeeper-batsman has also registered four centuries and two half-centuries to his name in 2018.

In the recently concluded T10 league at Sharjah, the Englishman scored 84 off 24 in one of the games and registered the highest T10 score, which was subsequently broken by his compatriot Alex Hales (87 off 32).

Moreover, Bairstow's century (110) against hosts Sri Lanka in the third and final Test of the series last month helped England clinch the series 3-0.

Bairstow went unsold at the 2018 auctions with a base price of INR 1.5 crore. The explosive Yorkshire wicket-keeper batsman, who has amassed 1649 T20 runs in his career, will be one of the hottest properties at the 2019 auctions given his consistency with the bat as well as his smart work behind the stumps.