Top 3 T20 Players of 2018 without an IPL contract

T20 cricket has done wonders for the sport. Not only has T20 made cricket more exciting than it ever was but also is taking cricket forward in becoming a global sport. Cricket without any doubt has become more globally popular than it ever was.

Currently, there are over 110 countries with a T20I status. Moreover, now talented players from countries such as Afganistan, Netherlands, Scotland, USA etc can dream of becoming superstars by performing in the numerous T20 leagues around the globe.

In 2018, the T20 action began with the Australian Big Bash League, followed by PSL, IPL, Vitality T20 Blast, CPL etc. Over the course of the last 11 months, we got to see some excellent individual performances.

With less than five months to go for the IPL let's take a look at the top three players in T20 cricket for 2018 so far who don't have an IPL contract.

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#3 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch was released by KXIP earlier this month.

The destructive right-handed Australian is the second highest run scorer in T20s this year only behind Colin Munro. This year Finch has amassed a total of 1295 runs from 36 innings at an average and strike rate of 51.8 and 175.23 respectively. In these 36 games, he also has three hundreds and six fifties. Finch is one of the most consistent batsmen in T20 cricket history and is among the top performers every year.

In his T20 career, Finch has scored over 7550 runs in his T20 career at a dominating average and strike rate of 36.5 and 144 respectively.

Finch was the second highest run-getter in the English Vitality Blast this year. He scored 589 runs at an astonishing average of 147. He has been phenomenal in T20Is this year scoring 475 runs from 13 games at an average of 53 and at a strike rate of 190.

Finch gave his best performance of the year when he slammed 172 runs against Zimbabwe breaking his own world record for the highest individual score in T20Is.

#2 Colin Ingram

Colin Ingram was part of Delhi Squad for IPL 2012.

Colin Ingram was one of those shining talents who couldn't go a long way in International Cricket. He made his debut for the Proteas back in 2010 against Zimbabwe scoring a century. He was later dropped from the side due to his inconsistent performances. The South African is a well-known figure in the Proteas domestic circuit and in the various T20 leagues around the globe. Ingram has represented 10 teams in T20 leagues around the globe.

The hard-hitting left-handed batsman has found great success in 2018 so far. He has scored 1279 runs from 47 games at an average and strike rate of 39 and 150.5 respectively. Ingram began the year by taking Adelaide Strikers to Big Bash glory in February.

He was also a part of the victorious Trinbago Knight Riders in the 2018 CPL. While Ingram was consistent in the other T20 leagues, his best performances came in the Vitality Blast this year where he smashed 430 runs from 11 games at an average and strike rate of 54 and 165.

His great performances have caught many eyeballs and should find a taker for himself in the IPL auction.

#1 Joe Denly

Joe Denly has never played in the IPL.

Joe Denly made his debut for England back in 2009 on the back of his great performances in the English domestic circuit for Kent and England Lions. Denly went on to play nine ODIs and five T20Is. He was later dropped from the national side as he failed to impress in the opportunities he got. After nearly 10 years, Denly finally got a recall for the tour of Sri Lanka.

The right-hander is an eye-catching stroke maker and a handy legspinner. So far in 2018 with the bat, Denly has scored 898 runs from 30 games at an impressive average and strike rate of 37.5 and 135 respectively. While Denly's batting stats make him a good T20 player, his potential with the ball makes him really a great asset for any T20 side. In 2018 Denly has picked 25 wickets from 16 bowling innings at an economy of 7.4.

The all-round performances of Denly in 2018 probably make him the best T20 player of 2018 so far. I don't think we should be surprised if Denly starts a bidding war in the IPL auction.