IPL 2019: Top 5 value-for-money players of the season 

IPL 2019 is in the history books now, with the Mumbai Indians defeating the Chennai Super Kings to win their fourth IPL championship. Rohit Sharma's men played positive cricket right from ball one, and that made the difference in the end.

Apart from the two finalists, the other six teams also made sure that there was healthy competition in the league. The points difference (1) between the number 4 team and the number 8 team in the league indicates how competitive the tourney was.

It is said that the season does not commence when the first ball is bowled, but when the first player is up for grabs in the IPL auction. Teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are known for their smart budgeting techniques.

It is important to have the star players in the squad but at the same time it is also necessary to have strong supporting players who make sure that the team performs well. In this article, we take a look at the top 5 value for money players of IPL 12:

#5 Lasith Malinga

Malinga celebrates the IPL 2019 final win (Image courtesy - IPLT20/BCCI)

Price - INR 2 crore

IPL 2019 performance - Matches - 12, Wickets - 16, 4 wicket-hauls - 2

Lasith Malinga accomplished a unique feat in this year's IPL. The Sri Lankan legend was a part of the Mumbai Indians coaching staff last year and this season he turned up for the franchise as a player.

Although Malinga was not at his best in IPL 2019, his remarkable wicket-taking abilities made him a vital cog of the Mumbai team. In the 12 games he played, Malinga scalped 16 wickets which even included 2 four wicket hauls.

He had an expensive economy rate of 9.76 but his performance in the last over of the grand finale ensured that he justified his price tag of Rs. 2 crore.

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#4 Deepak Chahar

Deepak Chahar was the lead bowler for Chennai Super Kings (Image Courtesy - BCCI/IPLT20.com)

Price - INR 80 lakh

IPL 2019 performance - Matches - 17, Wickets - 22, Economy Rate - 7.47

Deepak Chahar has been the main Indian fast bowler of MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings since IPL 2018. He was bought in the auction at a price of Rs. 80 lakhs, but he performed way better than several players who hold a high-paying contract.

Chahar often bowled in the powerplay overs for Chennai, and his economy rate of 7.47 indicates how successful he was in keeping a check on the run flow. He played all the matches for Chennai in IPL 2019 and picked 22 wickets at an average of 21.90.

Taking into account his consistent performances, there is no doubt that Chahar will soon become a regular fixture in the Indian squad as well.

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#3 Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir (Image Courtesy - BCCI/iplt20.com)

Price - INR 1 crore

IPL 2019 performance - Matches - 17, Wickets - 26, Purple Cap winner

The 40-year-old Proteas leg-spinner Imran Tahir defied all odds in IPL 2019 to emerge as the Purple Cap winner of the season. Donning the Chennai Super Kings jersey, Tahir played 17 matches for the franchise where he picked 26 wickets. His economy rate of 6.69 and strike rate of 14.84 helped his team go all the way to the final.

The leggie was Dhoni's trump card this season. The fact that he was bought by Chennai at a price of 1 crore INR in last year's auction would have pleased the Super Kings team management as well.

Tahir is all set to retire from international cricket after the World Cup. But looking at the way he performed in IPL 2019, he has guaranteed himself a place in the Chennai squad for the next few years.

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#2 Jonny Bairstow

Warner and Bairstow: The Dynamic Duo (picture courtesy: BCCI/iplt20.com)

Price - INR 2.20 crore

IPL 2019 performance - Matches - 10, Runs - 445, Highest Score - 114

The player who had gone unsold in every IPL auction he participated in, Jonny Bairstow finally found his first IPL franchise in 2019 when Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for a price of Rs. 2.20 crore. The Englishman won the hearts of the Hyderabadi fans by smashing 445 runs in the 10 games he played.

His opening partnership with David Warner established Sunrisers Hyderabad as the team with the best opening combination in the league.

Bairstow averaged over 50 in this year's IPL, and no one knows where Sunrisers Hyderabad would have ended up had Bairstow played the entire season. He finished in the top 10 of the Orange Cap leaderboard in spite of playing a mere 10 games in the season. That indicates how much of a value-for-money player Bairstow turned out to be.

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#1 Shreyas Gopal

Shreyas Gopal celebrating his hattrick in the match against RCB (Image Courtesy - BCCI/iplt20.com)

Price - INR 20 lakh

IPL 2019 performance - Matches - 14, Wickets - 20, Hat-trick - 1

Shreyas Gopal was the lone bright spot in the Rajasthan Royals bowling department as none of the other Indian bowlers lived up to the expectations this season. Gopal and Jofra Archer were the cornerstones of the franchise, but even their best efforts could not help Rajasthan secure a playoff spot.

Gopal played all matches for the Royals in IPL 2019 and ended the season with a tally of 20 wickets. He even took a hat-trick in the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, dismissing Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Marcus Stoinis off successive deliveries.

The Karnataka spinner was bought by Rajasthan for the meagre price of INR 20 lakh in the previous auction. Looking at his numbers in IPL 2019, we can easily conclude that he was the top value-for-money pick of the season.