IPL Auction 2018: 5 International players who could be bargain buys

The main focus of the IPL auction is always about the money spent on buying each and every player. Without a doubt, the likes of Colin Munro, Evin Lewis, Rashid Khan, Mitchell Starc etc. are expected to go for a huge amount of money.

If the franchises drain their purse early in the auction, they won't enough money to fill their squad. In such a scenario, a low base price can help a performing player earn a spot in one of the teams, offering them the chance of plying their trade against the best, while not giving the side's bank accounts a big hit.

There were instances of a few players being bought at bargain prices and succeed in the tournament. Let us take a look at five international players who could be the bargain buys at this year's IPL auction.

Ben Laughlin (Base Price: 50 lakhs)

Ben Laughlin, who has set his base price at 50 lakhs in the upcoming IPL auction, is one of the most underrated death bowlers in the format. Laughlin was a part of Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past and is likely to attract a bid in this auction as well.

The 35-year-old will be a valuable addition to any T20 side as he has a lot of variations up his sleeve and has the ability to choke the run flow in the death overs.

Laughlin, who is the leading wicket-taker in the history of BBL with 69 wickets, has taken 139 wickets in 108 T20s at an average of 20 and an economy of 7.71, a number that is extraordinary for someone who bowls his majority of his overs at the death.

D'Arcy Short (Base Price: 20 lakhs)

D'Arcy Short is taking the cricket world by storm with his heroics in the ongoing Big Bash League. With 504 runs in nine innings so far, the left-hander has already scored the most number of runs by a batsman in one season. With two scores of 96, 97 and an unbeaten 122, Shot has sent a message to the IPL franchises ahead of the auction.

Apart from being an explosive batsman at the top of the order, Short is also a chinaman bowler and is capable of giving his captain some overs in the middle. With the wickets in India assist the spinners, he could be handy as a team's sixth bowler.

Lungi Ngidi (Base Price: 50 lakhs)

Those who were not familiar with Lungi Ngidi would have been aware of the talent the South African youngster possess after his recent exploits against the Indian team. He was a part of the auction last season but was unfortunately injured before the day the players went under the hammer.

This time around, he is one of the hot prospects going into the auction. In the three T20Is the 21-year-old has played for the Proteas, he has accounted for six wickets at an average of 7.3 and an economy of 5.5. Even for Titans in the 2017 Ram Slam T20 league, Ngidi he was instrumental in them winning yet another title.

With 43 wickets in 39 matches at an average of just over 19 and an economy of 7.23, the right-arm pacer is expected to attract a bidder at the IPL auction.

Mohammad Nabi (Base Price: 50 lakhs)

With Rashid Khan grabbing a lot of attention, his Afghanistan teammate Mohammad Nabi's contributions have gone unnoticed. Unlike Rashid, Nabi is a complete all-rounder who can give his captain four overs with the ball and is too good a batsman to bat at number 7.

Last year, he scored 406 runs in T20s with a fantastic strike-rate of 170. With the ball, his off-spin accounted for 40 wickets in 39 games, with an impressive economy of 6.75 and 3 three-wicket hauls in his kitty.

He is one of the most sought-after players around the world and is a mainstay of his team in the BBL, Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League and Caribbean Premier League.

Ish Sodhi (Base Price: 50 lakhs)

Ish Sodhi has never got the taste of IPL as he went unsold in all the previous editions. This time, there are a lot of chances of the Kiwi leggie getting picked in the auction, thanks to his recent exploits in the format.

Ish has been spinning a web around the batsmen in the format and has become the number 1 bowler in T20Is. He has a lot of variations up his sleeve and can pack a punch on the wickets in India that traditionally aid the spinners.