IPL 2018: 3 players who can replace injured Billy Stanlake

Australian fast bowler Billy Stanlake has been ruled of the tournament due to a finger fracture and will fly back to Australia. Stanlake was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 50 lakhs in the auction. His injury comes as a shock for the Sunrisers Hyderabad who will now miss the services of one of their inform bowlers this season.

Billy Stanlake was impressive in the 4 matches that he played this season. He troubled the batsman with his bowling which clocked over 150kmph multiple times. In the 4 matches that he played, he took 5 wickets at an economy of 8.12. The team may be looking to sign a reliable wicket taking bowler who can be effective with the new ball and in the death overs.

Here are three players who may replace the injured bowler:

Note: According to the rules the player to be replaced must have a base price equal to or less than what the player to be replaced was bought for.

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#3 Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera has been one of the best T20 specialists from Sri Lanka. Perera has the ability to win the match both with the bat and the bowl. He has been a regular in the Sri Lanka T20 team and has won several matches for them.

Apart from being a wicket-taking bowler, Thisara Perera is a good finisher who can add depth to the Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up. The Sri Lankan is a hard hitter of the ball and can be relied on to hit boundaries in the death overs.

Perera has played in 236 T20s in which he has taken 214 wickets at an economy of 8.46 and has scored 2782 runs at a strike rate of 145.04. With enough of experience under his belt, he is an ideal replacement for Stanlake to partner the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddharth Kaul in the bowling department.

#2 Sean Abbott

Sean Abbott, the Australian fast bowler has been one of the best domestic bowlers in Australia. He first came into the limelight after a bouncer bowled by him struck Phil Hughes who died on the spot. The cricket fans showed support for the bowler and helped him recover from the tragedy.

In the last season of the Big Bash League, Sean Abbott played for Sydney Sixers and was impressive throughout the season. He took 13 wickets in 10 matches at an economy of 8.49. He emerged as the highest wicket-taker for his franchise in the season.

It was surprising to see him go unsold in the auction even after having an impressive Big Bash League season. Abbott is a wicket-taking bowler and thus can be a perfect fit in the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad.

#1 Junior Dala

Junior Dala, the South African fast bowler made his debut in the T20I series against India. He was impressive throughout the series troubling the Indian batsmen in all the three T20 matches.

Dala took 7 wickets in the 3 matches at an economy of 9.16. He emerged as the joint highest wicket-taker in the series along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

He went unsold in the auctions this year, probably because he was unknown to the franchises at the time of the auction. The opportunity is knocking his door as he is one of the best among the bowlers who are left in the unsold pool now.

Sunrisers Hyderabad though has a potent bowling unit, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been in and out of the team due to a back problem. Dala can be the wicket-taking bowler that Sunrisers Hyderabad need.