4 players who should be picked in the auction even if they are unavailable due to World Cup

The 2019 IPL fever has started to kick in among the fans as the auction is just a few days away. The event which will be held in Jaipur on December 18, will have as many as 346 names going under the hammer out of which the franchises can pick a maximum of 70 players. The franchises will have their task cut out as they have a couple of factors to deal with when they pick their players.

First, the venue for the 2019 IPL is yet to be decided as the dates are clashing with the General Elections in India and secondly, most of the countries have allowed their players to take part in the T20 extravaganza for a limited period keeping the 2019 World Cup in mind.

Barring India, New Zealand and West Indies, the other boards are against allowing their players playing the whole tournament in a bid to keep them fresh for the World Cup.

The following is the deadline dates for the players to leave the IPL for international commitments.

Bangladesh: 15 April

England: 25 April

Australia: 2 May

South Africa: 10 May

Sri Lanka: 6 May

In spite of this, the franchise should look to invest in a few players keeping the future in mind. Let us take a look at four players who should be picked in the auction even if they are unavailable due to the World Cup.

---

Zahir Khan

Zahir Khan

Following the footsteps of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, a lot of young Afghanistan spinners are set to take the cricket world by storm. The latest addition to the list of Afghanistan's spin-bowling sensation is chinaman bowler Zahir Khan Pakteen.

The 19-year-old is a classical chinaman bowler who can confuse the batsmen with his variations and unlike most of the chinaman bowlers, the Afghan teenager bowls faster through the air and gives the batsmen less time to pick him.

He was already picked by Rajasthan Royals in the 2018 IPL auction but was later ruled out of the tournament due to an injury and was eventually released ahead of the 2019 season. He went on to ply his trade for Lancashire in the Vitality T20 Blast and impressed everyone with his bowling.

Till date, he has taken 34 wickets at an average of 18 in T20 cricket and is yet to make his national debut. With him turning heads with his performances in white-ball cricket, he could be picked for the 2019 World Cup and the franchises should still invest in him keeping an eye on the future.

Reeza Hendricks

Reeza Hendricks

Over the last one few months, South African batsman Reeza Hendricks has become of the most-reliable batsman for the Proteas. First, he scored a century on his ODI debut and with that, he has cemented his place in the Proteas side.

Following that, he had a decent series against the Aussies down under and has continued his good form in the ongoing Mzansi T20 league where he has scored 379 runs in eight innings at an average of 63.16 and a strike-rate of 153 for Jozi Stars.

During the tournament, he also created history by joining an elite list of batsmen who have scored two T20 centuries in consecutive innings.

With his recent performances, he is likely to make it to the World Cup, which means he won't be available after May 10. Still, the franchises should go after him as he will be available for a majority of the season and he can be a valuable batsman in the coming years.

Follow Sportskeeda for all latest IPL 2019 Auciton news, updates, probable playing XI, fantasy tips & stats.

Adam Zampa

Adam Zampa

The Australians have set a tentative date of May 2 for the members in their World Cup squad to return from the IPL as they are playing an ODI series in the United Arab Emirates before taking part in the 50-over extravaganza where they will be defending their title.

Keeping a packed schedule in mind, most of the Aussie hopefuls for the World Cup have pulled out of the auction. One name that is still in the auction pool is leg-spinner Adam Zampa. Zampa is Australia's first-choice spinner in the ODI format and yet, he will be going under the hammer allowing a few franchises to pick him.

He has a brilliant record in the format as he has taken 22 wickets in 19 innings at an average of 18.27 and an economy of 7.24. He has already played IPL for Rising Pune Supergiant in the past and has the second-best bowling figures in the tournament, 6/19.

With age on his side and wrist spinners dominating the format, it won't be a bad move if the franchises pick him keeping the future in mind.

Jonny Bairstow

Jonny Bairstow

Not long ago, England batsman Jonny Bairstow was struggling to make it to the England ODI XI. But, ever since he was asked to open the innings, things changed as he has cemented his place at the top of the order by scoring runs on a consistent basis. Now, he has become one of the most destructive opening batsmen in the world.

He scores his runs without taking risks and ensures that he gets his team off to a great start more often than not. This makes him one of the hot picks in the IPL. But, with him being a part of the English side across all three formats, he won't be available to play in the IPL after April 25, which will make the franchises think twice before spending their money on him.

However, buying him won't be a bad decision as he is a proven match-winner as he has won matches for both England and Yorkshire on a consistent basis. The franchises should keep this in mind before they take a call on letting him go.