South India stars who may fetch big money in IPL 2018 player auction

Mumbai: The player’s auction for the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to take place on January 27 and 28 in which Indian capped and uncapped players apart from international stars will go under the hammer during the two-day event.

With some talented players making it to the list, the eight franchises will be keeping their eyes on some exciting Indian players from the domestic circuit.  There will be mix of players, who already have IPL experience under their belt, as well as some fresh faces who will be looking to grab IPL contracts.

Here are some of the players from the southern India on whom the franchisees will keep an eye on during the auction.

Washington Sundar

This Tamil Nadu youngster needs no introduction, as his exploits with bat and ball have done all the talking for him. The 18-year-old already has one season of IPL experience under his belt, when he played for Rising Pune Supergiant last year alongside Steve Smith and MS Dhoni.

The youngster picked up 8 wickets in 11 matches and was a key figure in team’s run up to the final. After his IPL stint, Sundar put up some brilliant performance with both bat and ball in Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).

Last year the youngster was called up to the national side for T20 series against Sri Lanka, where he also made his debut for Men in Blue. He also made his ODI debut after being drafted in the side for injured Kedar Jadhav. The youngster is valued at 1.5 crore and teams will be battling hard to sign the talented youngster.

Mayank Agarwal

The experienced campaigner has been valued at Rs 20 lakh in the current auction. The right-handed opening batsman had been a part of three different IPL teams – Delhi Daredevils, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rising Pune Supergiant – for past seven seasons playing 53 matches in total and scoring 814 runs.

However, what makes him one of the hottest buys is his recent form. The 26-year-old had a fantastic domestic season, where he was the leading run-getter in the Ranji Trophy 2017-18 season, with 1160 runs in 13 innings. Playing for Hubli Tigers in the Karnataka Premier League, Agarwal topped the chart among run-getter 265 runs in 7 innings.

R Sai Kishore

The franchisees will take notice of the left-arm spinner after his impressive performance in Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) last year. The Tamil Nadu player, who represented Chepauk Super Gillies, finished as season’s leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets with an economy of 5.70.  The 21-year-old was also the second highest wicket-taker for Tamil Nadu during the 2016-17 50-over Deodhar Trophy.

K Gowtham

The 29-year-old Karnataka all-rounder was picked up by Mumbai Indians last year for 2 crores but he did not get a game as the Rohit Sharma-led side lifted the IPL trophy for a record third time.

Gowtham had a fantastic Ranji Trophy season, where he scored 229 runs in 8 matches and 11 innings and picked up 34 wickets, ending up as the leading wicket-taker for Karnataka ahead of the experienced campaigner Vinay Kumar (27 wickets). Overall, he was the sixth highest wicket-taker in the Ranji season

V Athisayaraj Davidson

This Tamil Nadu rookie pacer is relatively an unknown quantity. The Indian version of Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga had a great T20 debut season. The bowler shot to fame with his slinging action while playing for Tuti Patriots.

He was the joint second-highest wicket-taker alongside Washington Sundar with 15 wickets in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). Davidson also attended a trial with the Mumbai Indians recently. In the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the pacer has picked up 11 wickets in 9 matches so far.

Notable mentions

Mohammad Siraj

Mohammed Siraj was the talk of the town after been signed by Sunrisers Hyderabad for  a whopping Rs 2.6 crore. The pacer from Hyderabad was included in Indian  T20 squad for matches against  New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

In last years IPL, Siraj played 6 matches picking up 10 wickets at an avaerage of 21.20. Inspite of not a great debut for India , the 23-year-old bowler will be hoping to get good price during the auction.

Basil Thampi

The young pacer was the find of the tournament last year. The Kerala speedster is known to bowl accurate yorkers during the death overs and this makes him an asset to any team.

He played for Gujarat Lions in the last edition and picked up 11 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 38.54.

Thampi was signed for Rs 85 lakh (a high figure for an uncapped player) in the auction last year and was called up into the Indian team for T20 match against Sri Lanka. The seamer will once again look to catch the attention  of franchises.