Middle Order
3. Kevin Pietersen
Kevin Pietersen is already attracting attention in the media after he had a relatively poor showing at the Ashes with the bat. He did finish as England’s highest run-getter. Pietersen’s attractive batting style, his natural aggression and superstar status make him an ideal Indian Premier League commodity.
He is a player who comes with a fan-following of his own and is a proven match winner in the shorter format of the game. He was one of the players released by Delhi inspite of the fact that he did not have a major role to play in their disastrous campaign of last year as he was then suffering from a knee injury.
He is experienced enough to lead a side as well so he will be a worthy catch for teams that are planning to revamp their squads. Pietersen boasts of a small but stellar IPL career. He has scored 634 runs in 21 matches scoring at an average of 42.00 at a strike rate greater than 140.00. This might just be a bomb waiting to explode!
4. Yuvraj Singh
Perhaps a controversial inclusion in this list given his recent slump in form but if you are an optimist and prefer to look at the glass as half-full, there are a lot of positives to be had here. The player retention policy entails that all major Indian batting stars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina are unavailable for this auction.
Sides like Kings XI Punjab, Delhi Daredevils and even Rajasthan Royals need a big name Indian player to attract native fan-following. Moreover, Yuvraj comes with a great amount of IPL experience, leadership skills, world-renowned batting ability and some pretty useful bowling ability.
Not a long time ago, he single-handedly destroyed the Australian pace attack in a T-20 match that India won. And who can forget his full-monty of six-sixes in the inaugural T-20 world cup? This might be the best bargain on offer.
5. Steve Smith
Another Australian on our list. Steve Smith was a part of the now-terminated Pune Warriors side last year but he was one of the few positives that emerged out of their catastrophic campaign. Smith was benched for a great period of the tournament to the fury of many pundits of the game but when he got his opportunity he took it with both hands.
He has loads of aggression but more importantly the ability to back it up with incredible talent. He scores at a heavy run-rate and can provide the final impetus in the last few overs. His Ashes stint could not have been more successful and he was one of the great finds of last year.
Alongside his explosive batting abilities, he can also turn his arm over if required. His fledgling IPL career stats indicate what he can offer: 521 runs in 22 matches at an average of almost 40.00 with a strike rate over 130.00.
6. Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav has been on the margins of the Indian Premier League extravaganza for a while now but he has not made the kind of impact that the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Ambati Rayudu and S. Tiwary have made. The middle-order batsman from Maharashtra has just helped the state defeat giants Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy and has been at the top of the scoring charts. This might just be his turn to come into the limelight.
Jadhav just needs some responsibility and perhaps a role at no. 4 or no. 3 which he has not received in this side. He is an attacking player by instinct, but his durability is suggested by the sheer number of runs he has been scoring at the domestic level in recent years.
Many might not remember his eye-catching debut in the Indian Premier league when he smashed a half-century in just 29 balls for Delhi. He deserves his place in this list for his recent run of form at the domestic level.
Other Options: Mahela Jayawardene, Glenn Maxwell, Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary, Cheteshwar Pujara.
Wicket-Keeper
7. Dinesh Karthik
The wicket-keeper batsman has been in and out of the Indian side but he makes a claim for himself every year with the Indian Premier League. He was scintillating for champions Mumbai in the first half of the last edition helping them through a phase when they were not playing their best cricket.
He is a tough character and often shines when the team needs it most. He has the ability to score quickly with a wide array of shots and can guide the innings from a tricky situation. His agility with the gloves is exceptional and perhaps better than that of MS Dhoni.
He scored over 500 runs for Mumbai last season and was unlucky not to be retained. He is picked ahead of Wriddhiman Saha and Quinton De Kock for his last season exploits that remain fresh in memory.
Other Options: Parthiv Patel, Quinton De Kock, W. Saha.
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