Sandeep Sharma has been in the domestic cricket circuit for over a decade. The medium pacer is an economical fast bowler who is well known for his variations. The pacer is an arsenal that the captain can use in any phase of the game.
Last year, Sharma managed to stop MS Dhoni from finishing the game and was critically celebrated for his comeback in the IPL circuit. However, in most of the remaining games, things didn’t turn out well for him. In most of the matches, he went for runs and his wickets-to-matches ratio fell below one. Maybe, it was the management and captaincy that affected his performance as he didn’t get enough opportunities to attack the batting side.
With 124 wickets in 116 games, Sharma has a career economy rate of 7.86. With a plethora of talent, he can ace under another captain. Sharma needs another franchise to get his touch back. It will be interesting to see who bids for this domestic veteran in the upcoming auctions.
1. Joe Root
The legendary England batter Joe Root came into the IPL circuit last year with the Royals picking him up. Root is an underrated T20 batsman with a knack for playing cheeky shots under pressure. However, the Royals should focus more on their all-rounders rather than their batsmen because they already have a decent top order.
Root needs another franchise that will give him a decent amount of opportunities to shine. With 32 T20Is and a highest score of 90, Root has the ability to play the role of an anchor, and the rest of the batting lineup can play around him. Adding on, he can convert starts into big scorers. Therefore, he is a priceless asset for any team when it comes to facing the storm on any given day.
Apart from that, he has over 60 Test wickets and 40 List-A wickets to his name. This depicts that Root can chip in with two or three overs in every game. Root can provide the cushion for the captain to rotate the bowling attack and he is a terrific fielder as well. However, he has been underutilized by Rajasthan last year. It seems like they might release him ahead of the IPL season and it will be beneficial for the former English skipper as well.