The 2017 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is only a few hours away. A total of 352 players (including the late addition of Ishank Jaggi) will go under the hammer at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bengaluru. While the spotlight surrounds the high-profile international stars, there are several names who could be quite valuable despite their relatively lower base prices.
Extra Cover: How does the IPL auction work?
Let us take a look at five of the most promising Indian players who could be bargain buys in the auction. A couple of those have already represented India across different formats with mixed results.
#5 Harpreet Singh
Harpreet Singh is a solid left-handed batsman who plays for Madhya Pradesh in the domestic circuit. The 25-year old grabbed eyeballs by scoring 211 runs from just four matches in the recently completed Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter-Zonal Trophy. He played six matches for his country in the 2010 U-19 World Cup in New Zealand.
With the tournament serving as an ideal platform for young Indian players to showcase their skills, Harpreet could attract the attention of quite a few franchises looking to bolster their batting strength. From previous stints with Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors, he has featured in a handful of IPL games.
Base Price – INR 20 lakhs
#4 Aniket Choudhary
Among other things, Aniket Choudhary has been preparing the likes of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane in the nets for Australian speedster Mitchell Starc’s hostile bowling ahead of the upcoming 4-Test series. A product of the MRF Pace Foundation, he has honed his impressive skill-set under the watchful eyes of Glenn McGrath.
Extra Cover: Meet Aniket Choudhary – the bowler preparing Indian batsmen for Mitchell Starc
The 27-year-old Rajasthan seamer shares some similarities with Starc, in terms of build and action. With not many left-arm Indian pacers available in the market, Aniket could be highly sought-after in the auction. At a base price of just INR 10 lakhs, he will be a steal.
Base Price – INR 10 lakhs
#3 Virat Singh
Sharing his first name with Indian cricket’s modern-day superstar, Virat Singh is a promising young batsman from Jharkhand. The free-flowing southpaw has set his base price at just INR 10 lakhs. Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders, who are in need of a back-up Indian opener, could be looking to sign him up in the auction.
Virat showed his potential by helping East Zone lift the Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter-Zonal Trophy with back-to-back unbeaten half-centuries. The 2016/17 domestic season was a breakthrough one for the 19-year old whose stocks continue to rise.
Base Price – INR 10 lakhs
#2 Karn Sharma
In spite of possessing a not-so-outstanding first-class record, Karn Sharma managed to earn a Test cap against Australia during the 2014/15 series down under. More at home in the shorter formats, his stifling stump-to-stump line and hefty blows from the lower-order make him an utility player.
With his smart variations in pace, Karn formed a threatening bowling combination with fellow leg-spinner Amit Mishra for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2013 IPL season. He was justly rewarded when the Sunrisers team management picked him up for a whopping INR 3.75 crores in the subsequent auction. This time around, he will be available for only INR 30 lakhs.
Base Price – INR 30 lakhs
#1 Manoj Tiwary
Making his first-class debut way back in 2004, Manoj Tiwary has played just 12 ODIs and three T20Is for India in a career plagued by numerous injuries. Aside from being a reliable batsman who can control the flow of the innings, he also bowls useful part-time leg-spin.
Manoj listed his base price at INR 1 crore during last year’s auction and went unsold. For this one, he has smartly cut down his valuation by half. Having prior IPL experience with sides like Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders, 31-year-old will be hoping to land a deal this time around.
Base Price – INR 50 lakhs
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