Notwithstanding the facts that the IPL auction is over and the teams have been finalized, there is still a ray of hope for players who went unsold in the auction. As has been the case in the past, some of these players are picked by teams because of injuries to their first-choice players.
Chris Gayle has been the biggest beneficiary of the same as back in 2011, he was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for Dirk Nannes.
Here is the list of five bowlers who are likely to come in as replacements (if required) in the IPL:
5. Tymal Mills (England) – Tymal Mills was amongst the headlines when Royal Challengers Bangalore acquired his services for INR 12 crore last year. The fact that he was sold at a price which was 12 times his base price threw enough light on his capability as a T20 bowler. However, he returned with disappointing figures of five wickets in five matches, which came at an average of 30.60, an economy rate of 8.57 and a strike rate of 21.40. Having said that, he is still playing around the world in the T20 leagues and might well make an impact in the IPL this time.
4. Matt Henry (New Zealand) – Having made his IPL debut last year for Kings XI Punjab, Matt Henry was given a mere couple of matches to prove his mettle in the tournament. In the couple of matches that he played, he picked up a lone wicket at an average of 71, an economy rate of 14.20 and a strike rate of 30. Numbers such as these are not ideal for an overseas bowler. That being said, Henry is not that a bad bowler that his numbers depict. His pace can come out good for an IPL franchise looking out for an overseas bowling option.
3. Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand) – In the limited opportunities that he got for Rising Pune Supergiants last year, Lockie Ferguson had impressed many with his pace and ability to rush batsmen. He played in four IPL matches last year, picking up three wickets at an average of 31, an economy rate of 7.15 and a strike rate of 26. He can be an apt replacement for any overseas fast bowler.
2. Varun Aaron (India) – It amazes everyone to see Varun Aaron fall off the radar, both at the international level and in the IPL. Considered as India’s big thing at one point of time, Aaron failed to attract any bids in the IPL auction. In the six matches that he played for Kings XI Punjab last year, he picked up seven wickets at an average of 23.28, an economy rate of 8.15 and a strike rate of 23.14. If he manages to bring down his economy rate, he is likely to be an effective T20 bowler.
1. Ish Sodhi (New Zealand) – Yet to make his IPL debut, Ish Sodhi must consider himself out of luck for someone of his capability is bound to make a difference in the T20 format. For a former World No. 1 spinner in T20Is to not attract any bid in a tournament which is to be played in India is not an easy thing to digest. Given his track record, he can easily make an impression in the IPL. In 26 T20Is, he has picked up 36 wickets at an average of 19.33, an economy rate of 7.43 and a strike rate of 15.6.
