Stars who were not picked ahead of IPL 2018

The 2018 IPL Auctions was nothing less than a typical Bollywood masala flick, with its fair share of drama and action, and a few twists to cap it off. The Auctions provide a good opportunity for fans to speculate and get a feel of what goes on in the minds of the team management while building a team.

Chennai Super Kings seem to have had a good time at the auctions, buying huge names like Faf Du Plessis, Mitchell Santner and Imran Tahir, at the lowest prices possible. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders came out of the auctions with least number of players (19), while also spending the most amount of money.

However, this year, the Auctions saw some head-scratching decisions made by the franchises. Looking at the pool of unsold players, it really makes one wonder as to what the franchises are really looking for. There are some real match-winners on that list. So, let's take a look at the five biggest names that went unsold in this year's auctions.

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#5 Martin Guptill

A legitimate threat for any bowling line-up, Martin Guptill is a decent pick for any team to have at the top of the order. In an unsuccessful effort against Australia, Guptill showed off his batting prowess, smacking 105 off just 54 balls.

With this knock, he is now the leading run- scorer in T20Is. Guptill has had sixteen 50+ scores in T20 Internationals, just behind Virat Kohli who leads the list with 18. Guptill has been a regular feature of the Kiwi team, and his presence would have boosted any team's chances of winning the tournament.

#4 Samuel Badree

The Trinidadian leg-spinner is widely considered one of the best T20 bowlers in the game today. The experienced campaigner, currently placed fifth in the ICC Rankings, spend a large part of the calendar year playing in various T20 leagues around the world.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore fans would surely remember his stupendous performance against the Mumbai Indians, where he picked up a hat-trick, wreaking havoc on Mumbai's top order.

Badree is a confident leg-spinner who doesn't shy away from bowling in the PowerPlay, and has the ability to pick up wickets upfront.

#3 Mitchell McClenaghan

This one is a stinger, especially for the Mumbai fans, considering the fact that McClenaghan was the leading wicket-taker for them last season, picking up 19 wickets from 14 matches.

He has been a consistent performer with 54 wickets across the last three seasons. The Kiwi was a vital cog in the Mumbai bowling machine, helping them to clinch the title on two separate occasions.

McClenaghan would've been a welcome addition to any team, given his past performances and his ability to move the ball.

#2 Hashim Amla

Replacing an injured Shaun Marsh, Hashim Amla made his IPL debut in 2016 for the Kings XI Punjab. Amla was viewed as a player, by many, who could do well only in the longer formats of the game.

Amla, silenced his doubters, scoring 577 runs in 16 matches, which included two centuries, and three half-centuries, across two seasons. With a healthy average of 44.38, Amla surely is a name that should not have been left unsold.

The South African has also performed exceptionally well in the previous editions of the Caribbean Premier League, maintaining a healthy strike rate of 126.54. Amla currently sits on the tenth spot in the ICC T20 batsman rankings.

#1 Ish Sodhi

Currently placed third in the ICC T20 Bowler Rankings, the New Zealander could've been a healthy addition to any teams' bowling unit.

Sodhi has a genuine knack for wickets, and the conditions in India would've suited him all the more. He's pretty economical and is a good bowler to have during the middle orders.

With a base price as low as Rs 50 Lakhs, Sodhi should've been a first-round pick, considering he was the No.1 T20 bowler in the rankings at the time of the auctions.

Sodhi has tasted success in other T20 leagues as well. In his third game for the Adelaide Strikers, Sodhi ended with figures of 6-11 in 3.3 overs to win the match for his side.