The auctions at the Indian Premier League are always a much-sought affair and almost every player who is in the auction pool is intrigued by the whole process.
As has been the trend over the years, the franchises do not hesitate in investing into players even if they are not very known in the International circuit. The scouting team does their homework and the teams generally do their homework before they go into the auction.
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This year as many as 351 players, which includes 122 capped internationals, will feature in the IPL auction, scheduled to be held in Bangalore on February 20.
The franchises are also well aware that they will have to put a majority of their players back into the auction in 2018 and thus they would look to be cautious while splashing money and this then opens up plenty of room for a number of bargain buys.
Here in this list, we take a look at 5 international players who could be real steals for the different teams.
#5 Colin de Grandhomme
The upcoming New Zealand all-rounder has made massive strides in his short International so far and is a utility player cut-out for the shortest format.
A hard-hitting all-rounder, De Grandhomme has career strike rate of 170.54 which is the best among all batsmen with a minimum of 500 T20 runs. He is no slouch with the ball either and more often than not bowls at the death and does a decent job of it. He has picked up 38 T20 wickets at an average of 29.42.
His base price is 30 lakhs and owing and considering his ability he could be one of the picks for the teams. However, he is not as flashy and thus could be one of the bargain buys.
#4 Sabbir Rahman
The young Bangladesh batsman is the face of the new emerging country which is fearless and not afraid to express themselves.
An equally attractive player, Rahman is, without a doubt, one of the most exciting batsmen to have emerged from the country in a very long time.
An experienced batsman, the 25-year old has already played 101 T20 matches and in 92 innings has scored 2176 runs at a strike rate of 122.17.His average is a healthy 29 and is a very accomplished batsman in the sub-continent.
He has all the strokes in the book and is brilliant fielder which makes him a complete package for the shortest format. His base price is 30 lakhs and the franchises could be interested in availing his services.
#3 Lakshan Sandakan
The wiry chinaman from Sri Lanka has emerged as one of the best spin prospects for Sri Lanka. He has a bouncy approach to the crease and then uses the wrists to flick the ball out and turns it both ways. He bowls wicket-to-wicket and thus becomes a very difficult prospect to go after.
He has picked up 21 wickets in 17 matches with an average of 21.61. His economy rate is 8.30 which is quite respectable in sub-continental conditions.
Summer is setting in India and the pitches would start turning come the IPL and thus Sandakan could bolster any side with his variations and control. His base price is 30 lakhs and with his promise, he could be another bargain buy for any team.
#2 Tymal Mills
The young England pacer has had a rather erratic start to his career owing to injuries, which forced him to quit the longer formats of the game. However, with his abilty, he has impressed one and all in the shortest format.
He is the new breed of globe trotters and has gained experience in T20s by playing all over the world and is a very exciting prospect this IPL.
“I’m available for the whole tournament whereas I know some guys are not. This series will either help or hinder my reputation,” Mills spoke about the IPL.
He impressed during the T20 series against India with both the new ball and then with the older one as he mixed his pace perfectly to befuddle the batsmen and there is no denying the IPL teams would love to have a fiery bowler in the mix.
His base price is 50 Lakhs and this makes him a lucrative prospect.
#1 Mohammad Nabi
The experienced Afghanistan all-rounder is one of the most under-rated cricketers going around and it has to do with the fact that he is from an associate nation and never quite gets the due.
Consider these stats: He is one the 10 players to have scored more than 600 T20 runs and take over 60 wickets and has an impressive strike-rate of around 179 in the final 4 overs.
In Indian conditions, he has already given an account of his potential as he emerged the highest wicket-taker in the 2016 World T20.
There is so much to like in Nabi and his base price of 30 Lakhs does not quite do justice to his ability but then this tag could make him one of the biggest steals this season.
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