10 Indian players to watch out for in the IPL 2017 auction

The Indian Premier League will enter it’s 10th edition this year and before that 351 players will go under the hammer to be sold to the 8 franchises in the auction. Out of the 351, there are 226 Indian players which include some of the capped players and plenty of uncapped ones. Their faith will be decided on February 20th when these players go on sale.

The IPL has been a huge event for the Indian youngsters as many of them were picked to play for the national side based on their performances in the league in the years gone by. The Indian players play a very important role in every team as there are 7 natives in the playing XI as opposed to 4 overseas.

There are some of the big overseas players on the list to be auctioned that have grabbed all the attention in the last few weeks but there are certain Indian players that will catch the eyes of the team owners as well.

Here are the top 10 Indian players to watch out for in the auction:

10. Umar Nazir

The Jammu & Kashmir cricket is on the rise and Parvez Rasool’s inclusion in the Indian T20 side is a proof of that. Another name that has come up the ranks from that state is that of Umar Nazir. The right-arm seamer has caught the limelight after his excellent performances in the Zonal T20 League.

He picked up 11 wickets at an astonishing average of 8 and ended up being the second highest wicket-taker in that tournament. His economy rate of just 4.57 would certainly grab the attention of the team owners looking for an Indian fast bowler at the base price of INR 10 Lacs.

9. Krishnappa Gowtham

Indian all-rounders will be in huge demand in this auction and one all-rounder who is expected to be in the thick of things is Krishnappa Gowtham. The 28-year-old from Karnataka possesses skills with both bat and ball and will be available at a base price of INR 10 Lacs.

In the recently concluded Zonal T20 League, he played the role of a pinch-hitter batting at number 3. His strike rate of 166.66 and an economy rate of only 7 with his off-breaks would certainly interest a few franchises.

8. T Natarajan

The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) put the left-handed fast bowler on the map after his impressive shows as a death bowler. His style of bowling earned him the title of India’s version of Mustafizur Rehman. He will be stacked at the base price of INR 10 Lacs.

Natarajan was quite impressive in the league and his ability to bowl yorkers consistently having the left-armer’s angle similar to Mustafizur can make him a useful buy.

7. Ishank Jaggi

The right-handed batsman initially didn’t make it to the list of selected players to be auctioned but after his stellar performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter-Zonal Trophy, he was added to the list and will now be available at the base price of INR 10 Lacs.

He had a tremendous time in the tournament as he finished as the second-highest run-getter with 204 runs in 4 matches at an average of 68. The 28-year-old helped his side East Zone win the trophy. His strike rate of 163.2 adds value to his chances of being picked by the team owners.

6. Pravin Tambe

The story of the 45-year-old leg-spinner has been a hugely inspiring one. He was picked to play for the Rajasthan Royals at the age of 41 when most players hang their boots. He was a revelation for them in the Champions League T20 and helped the side reach the final.

After the suspension of the Royals, he was picked up by the Gujarat Lions but was left out of the squad for this season. He will now be sold at a base price of INR 10 Lacs and could turn out be a smart buy.

5. Karn Sharma

The leg-spinner was released from the squad of the defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad. He had done well for them in the past but failed to make an impact in the last season. He is not a big turner of the ball but can come in handy with his consistent lines and lengths.

He has played 47 IPL games in which he has picked up 36 wickets at a strike rate of 23.61. His economy rate of 7.83 is decent considering the number of power hitters in the modern era. Teams who would be looking for an Indian spinner might look to go for him. He has set a base price of INR 30 Lacs for himself.

4. Aditya Tare

Mumbai skipper Aditya Tare has had immense success with his team in Indian domestic cricket but hasn’t yet been able to cement himself with a team in the IPL. He was a part of the Mumbai Indians initially then moved to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Tare played just 3 matches in the season for the champions and didn’t quite deliver what they expected from him.

He has been in great form leading Mumbai to the final of the Ranji Trophy this season as well. Tare featured in the West Zone team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but didn’t quite have a great time scoring just a 40 and 26 as his two best knocks. He is a pretty handy wicketkeeper-batsman and a team that needs an assured keeper along with a hitter at No. 6 or 7 should definitely opt for the 29-year-old.

3. Pawan Negi

The left-hander was in the limelight as he was picked up by Delhi Daredevils last year for a whopping bid of INR 8.5 crores making him the costliest Indian player in the 2016 auction. That had a lot to do with the fact that he was a part of the Indian squad for the 2016 World T20.

He did not prove his prize worth and as a result, DD omitted him from the team. Interestingly, he has set his base prize to INR 30 Lacs, way below what he earned last year. In his IPL career, Negi has bagged 14 wickets in 29 matches and possesses a strike rate of 189.81 which makes him a useful all-rounder.

2. Ishant Sharma

The tall fast bowler was with the Rising Pune Supergiants last year and played just 4 matches in which he could grab just 3 wickets and went for plenty of runs. Consequently, he wasn’t retained in the squad. One might say that he has gone over the top by setting his base price to INR 2 crores.

More than anything else, it will be interesting to see which team bids for him first. He has 58 wickets in his record in 70 IPL matches at an economy rate of 8.08. The aspect where he lags is at the death bowling but he can certainly be handy at the start of the innings if the pitch offers assistance to the fast bowlers.

1. Irfan Pathan

The southpaw has been making the headlines after his stellar performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy which might bring him big bucks in the auction. Last year, he was with the Rising Pune Supergiants but hardly got a chance to play and he was excluded from the squad this year.

He will be up for grabs at a base price of INR 50 Lacs. Team owners are expected to keep him in their desire list as the all-rounder could be a useful pick. In 102 IPL games, he has picked up 80 wickets to go with 1137 runs at a strike rate of 120.57. Going by his current form, he could well turn out to be one of the top buys this season.