IPL 2018: Best playing XI of Uncapped players

Nitish Rana. (Photo Source: Twitter) The eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to take centre stage after the franchises have done the overhauling of their squads. The mega-auction lived up to its hype as the players in demand racked a lot of money while it was surprising that some of the key figures in the cricketing world had no bidders. Though like every year, the uncapped Indian cricketers were the talk of the town and once again ruled the charts during the two-day event. However, it remains to be seen if they can justify their price tag in the upcoming season. There was no surprise that the teams went for some of the local players aggressively as seven Indian players have to feature in the playing XI in every match. While there is certainly a chance that many of them will walk into the team, some cricketers will have to wait for their chance to come. IPL is a long tournament and there are a lot of chances that a player might get injured and ruled out which automatically opens up the door for such uncapped players. The tournament is for the Indian contingent especially and they are set to shine in this year’s cricketing festival as well. Here we bring you the best playing XI of the uncapped players: 1. Mayank Agarwal (KXIP) Mayank Agarwal lit up the domestic season this time around and he was snapped up by Kings XI Punjab for a decent amount of Rs. 1 Crore. There was no doubt that he was going to be picked in the auction but the bidding war for him was amazing as his stakes went high from the base price of only Rs. 20 Lakhs. He deserves all the accolades for the way he has fared this year in Ranji Trophy and the domestic T20 trophy. Mayank has featured in 100 T20s in his career so far and has scored 2220 runs at a strike rate of almost 131. He has also smashed a century in the format to go with 15 half-centuries which prove he is an aggressive player at the top. KXIP is the fourth team in the IPL for the opener after playing for Delhi Daredevils, Rising Pune Supergiant and Royal Challengers Bangalore previously. Mayank Agarwal would love to continue in the same venue for them. 2. Rahul Tripathi (RR) Rahul Tripathi was one of the finds of the last year in the IPL while playing for the now-defunct RPS under the captaincy of Steve Smith. He will once again take the field for the same captain, in the blues though, for Rajasthan Royals. There was an intense bidding war for him and was finally bought by them for a whopping amount of Rs 3.4 Crore. Almost every team was willing to procure his services as there will be pressure on him to perform now being the known entity in the cricketing world. The 26-year-old has played only 31 T20 matches so far and has accumulated 637 runs at an impressive strike rate of 131.61. Moreover, he shone after RPS management decided to promote him to open the innings last year. He struck seven thirty-plus scores in eight innings, including 93 off 52 balls against the well-equipped KKR side. He was tipped to be on of the better T20 openers going around and another excellent season with the bat might earn him a national call-up. 3. Manan Vohra (RCB) Manan Vohra is yet another decent run accumulator from Punjab who will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore this year. He garnered decent bids and earned an IPL contract worth Rs 1.1 Crore. He impressed last year while playing for KXIP and his delightful strokes are absolutely a treat to watch for the spectators. Vohra again is also capable opener and likely to open with the legendary Brendon McCullum during the tournament. His exploits at the top would be crucial for the fortunes of the team. Vohra, 24, has featured in 82 T20s scoring 1979 runs with 11 half-centuries at an acceptable strike rate of around 128. He is also in good nick with the bat as he struck three fifty-plus scores in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He had set the stage ablaze last year in IPL with some match-winning knocks but should aim to be a little more consistent this time around. 4. Nitish Rana (KKR) Nitish Rana was the find of the tournament in 2017 while playing for Mumbai Indians and was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for a hefty amount of Rs 3.4 Crore. He played some memorable innings for the current champions of the league and caught the eye of everyone. He aggressive traits make him a better batsman as Rana backs his ability clear the ground with utter ease. He was also the part of a victorious campaign of Delhi in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy prior to the auction. The youngster has scored all his 1089 T20 runs in 47 matches at an amazing strike rate of 136.98. He was one of the top run-getters for MI with 333 runs in 13 outings at an average of over 30. He also bowls part-time off-spin which will be useful at times for his captain. KKR would be expecting more from him in the 11th edition of IPL as they’ve shelled out a huge amount for him. 5. Deepak Hooda (c) (SRH) Deepak Hooda was also a shining light in the auction as he triggered an intense bidding war and was finally used RTM card by Sunrisers Hyderabad to buy him for Rs. 3.6 Crore. The amount was quite high for the cricketer as he had displayed his hitting skills in the last season for the same team. Moreover, Hooda also impressed everyone with his captaincy traits during the domestic season for Baroda. Though the onus will be on him now to provide the finishing touches during the tournament proper. The all-rounder has scored 1102 runs in 63 innings and strikes at 143.48 every 100 balls and is the one definitely to consider for the future. He has also remained unbeaten 11 times so far which is also the testimony to his finishing capabilities. He would want to play the same role for SRH this year and leave a lasting impact on the selectors. 6. Vijay Shankar (DD) Vijay Shankar is one of the best all-rounders India currently have after Hardik Pandya. He hails from Tamil Nadu for whom he has been one of the key members in the domestic circuit. He was called up to the Indian team recently but failed to get a game. He will turn out for Delhi Daredevils after representing Chennai Super Kings previously. He would be itching to prove his worth after being paid a reasonably hefty amount for an uncapped player. Shankar has featured in 41 matches in the shortest format of the game scoring 589 runs at a decent strike-rate of 122.45. He is known to tonk the ball mostly as he did for Lyca Kovai Kings in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Surely, he is a future prospect for India but needs to shine now for Delhi side after promising a lot in the domestic arena. A good IPL season might well earn him another call-up to the national side to play T20 Internationals. 7. Ishan Kishan (MI) Ishan Kishan is another exciting cricketer going around in Indian cricket who was bought by Mumbai Indians for a whopping amount of Rs 6.2 Crore. His speciality is wicket-keeping has made him one of the top picks in the auction. Kishan is touted as the second best wicket-keeper in the domestic circuit currently and surely Mumbai franchise has gone by his reputation. He was also the captain of the U19 team which qualified for the finals of ICC Cricket World Cup. The left-hander last year played for Gujarat Lions and displayed this prowess with the bat opening the innings. He has featured in 41 T20 matches so far in his short career and has scored 919 runs at a strike-rate of 124.18 with four half-centuries to his name. He will most likely open the innings for MI if he makes it to the playing XI in the upcoming season. 8. Shahbaz Nadeem (DD) Shahbaz Nadeem will once again don the jersey of Delhi Daredevils who bought him for Rs 3.2 Crore. He will take over the spin duties for the team as he is a very effective T20 bowler. The 28-year-old has been the around for a long time now in the domestic cricket and relies on the flight to pick wickets. The left-arm spinner poses different challenges to the batsmen with his variations and makes life difficult for them. Nadeem has spun the web around 86 batsmen in 103 appearances in T20s at an impressive strike-rate of 25.6 and average of 28.26. His economy of 6.61 proves that he keeps the lid on the run-scoring which help in mounting up the pressure on the opposition. Last year too he played seven matches for the same franchise and conceding runs only at 6.67 runs per over striking at 17.83. He must be expected to do the same job this time around as well and would be looking forward to an exciting season. 9. Siddarth Kaul (SRH) Siddarth Kaul emerged as one of the biggest positives from the Indian T20 extravaganza last year. His impeccable death bowling impressed everyone and particularly the knuckle ball which he had mastered to bowl at. He also made it to the national side recently against Sri Lanka for the three-match ODI series but didn’t get a game to feature in the blue jersey. Though this is another chance for him to prove himself and will hope to rock the tournament this year as well with the same side. Kaul has been exceptional in the shortest format with the ball in hand. he has featured in 66 matches so far and has picked 70 wickets at an amazing average of 23.42. His economy of 6.99 is absolutely jaw-dropping given the fact that he mostly bowls at the death when the batsmen are going tonkers over the bowlers to add some quick runs. Siddarth is surely the one to watch out for and the teams should be wary of him in the IPL. 10. Basil Thampi (SRH) Basil Thampi caught eyes of all the cricket experts while playing for Gujarat Lions in 2017. His pace and ability to bowl pinpoint yorkers is brilliant based on which he too earned his maiden national call-up. He will also play for SRH this year who have invested in the talented Indian bowlers in the auction. Thampi’s stakes went up to Rs. 95 Lakhs in the bidding war and should’ve got more given the enormous talent he possesses. The cricketer from Kerala has been part of the team in 39 matches in which he was made 42 batsmen his bunny at an average of 27.50. His strike rate of 20.1 is the most impressive and any team would want him in their squad despite the fact that he concedes runs at around 8 runs per over. Thampi will be eager to improve on his economy after which he will be the lethal weapon for his captain. 11. Pradeep Sangwan (MI) Pradeep Sangwan lends variety to any bowling attack with his left-arm pace. He was snapped up by Mumbai Indians in the auction for the decent amount of Rs. 1.5 Crore and would hope that he performs well with the variations he possesses. Sangwan was with Gujarat Lions last year and has played for Delhi Daredevils before which means he is not new to the pressure of playing in IPL where the whole world is watching you. The 27-year-old quick is very experienced in the shortest format as he has played a total of 87 matches and has scalped 84 wickets at an average of 27.50. Recently, he was the vital cog of Delhi’s victorious campaign in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. He also displayed his skills with the bat during the tournament and added some crucial runs for his team. This season would be crucial for him as he leaked runs last year while playing for Lions.

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IPL 2018: Best playing XI of Uncapped players

This is the bunch of talented cricketers which will give any team a run for their money.

4. Nitish Rana (KKR)

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