Top 8 English players in IPL 2018

The IPL auction is over for another year and the countdown to the start of the tournament in April is already underway.

England have eight representatives playing in this year’s IPL, but many more signed up for the auction, only to go unsold under the hammer.

Test captain Joe Root and ODI captain Eoin Morgan both failed to attract franchisees, but what about those who have been selected?

I’ve had a look at the English players who have been called up and assessed how well they’ll get on in the tournament.

#8 Moeen Ali (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

This is one of the most bizarre buys from any franchise in this year’s IPL auction.

Where is he going to fit in? He’s a good batsman, but RCB are well stocked in that department, while his bowling, particularly outside England, has been poor.

RCB have put a lot of faith in their Indian wrist-spinner Yuzvenda Chahal and he’ll be their first choice going into their opening game.

However, if Ali is going to improve his bowling, he’s got the perfect mentor in Daniel Vettori at the helm.

#7 Chris Jordan (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Chris Jordan is a good T20 bowler, but it’s hard to see where he’ll fit in the Sunrisers team.

The four overseas players are likely to be David Warner, Kane Williamson, Shakib Al Hasan and Rashid Khan, which means no place for him.

However, injuries do happen and he is an excellent death bowler.

#6 Mark Wood (Chennai Super Kings)

Chennai needed some fast bowlers and went for Mark Wood alongside South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi.

Wood’s unproven in Indian conditions but has the pace and skiddy ability to cause a lot of damage.

His fitness needs to be monitored though as getting through 14 games, plus eliminators could prove very tricky.

You can see him rotating with Ngidi throughout the tournament, instead of them both playing together.

#5 Sam Billings (Chennai Super Kings)

Billings is a versatile player, can bat anywhere in the order and he might even open for CSK this year.

He has an advantage over Shane Watson in terms of being able to bat against spin and he’s also younger than many of his other high-profile teammates.

With MS Dhoni part of the squad, it’s unlikely that he’ll keep the wickets, but he could prove to be a shrewd buy for Stephen Fleming and the Super Kings.

#4 Jason Roy (Delhi Daredevils)

Roy didn’t get a run of games at Gujarat last year as he sat behind Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch and Dwayne Smith in the pecking order, but he could have a breakout season this year at Delhi.

He’ll likely be competing for an opening position with Colin Munro, but they could also open together with Gautam Gambhir batting at three.

He’s a streaky player, but very destructive when he comes off. He’ll no doubt benefit from having Ricky Ponting as a coach as well.

#3 Chris Woakes (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Woakes was part of the Knight Riders bowling unit that destroyed RCB last year but has swapped Eden Gardens for the Chinnaswamy Stadium for this season.

In a team packed full of all-rounders, Woakes looks the most likely to play, such is his ability to bowl in the death overs.

He took 17 wickets at a strike rate of 15.52 last year and his economy of going at 8-an-over isn’t bad for a fast bowler in the modern game.

#2 Jos Buttler (Rajasthan Royals)

For a player of his ability, Jos Buttler went for a very low price in this year’s auction. He opened the batting for the Mumbai Indians last year but could be dropped down the order for this year’s campaign.

That would be a big risk for the Royals, especially as he’s prolific if given overs to bat. There’s no point in him coming in with one or two overs to go. He’s a special talent and he shouldn’t bat any lower than four.

Much will also depend on whether he keeps wicket. If he doesn’t, then expect him to bat higher up the order.

#1 Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals)

Stokes’ IPL campaign, and to an extent Rajasthan’s, will very much depend on his upcoming court case.

However, he was the best player in last year’s tournament and the Royals have bought well in the event that he doesn’t play.

Jofra Archer can match his ability with the ball, while Darcy Short is just as destructive with the bat. Having said that, Stokes will be a big miss to the side if he’s unavailable.