IPL 2019: 5 promising players who could spark bidding wars at the Auction

It is that time of the year when every IPL team mulls over their team combinations and how they can address issues that can provide them the best chance of winning the coveted trophy. The player auction for IPL 2019 will be held at Jaipur on the 18th of December. While teams like Chennai Superkings and Sunrisers Hyderabad might only look to fill in a few vacant spots, teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils, who are now Delhi Capitals, will have their task cut out at the auctions.

However, the absence of some star players might take the shine away from the all important auction this time around. Some big players like Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Finch and Mitchell Starc have already pulled out of the IPL citing World Cup preparations as the reason.

This will prompt the franchises to change their strategy and look for other options. However, there are a few names that are sure to set the stage on fire when they come up for the bidding. These players have delivered some eye-catching performances in the recent past and will be in high demand at the auction. Here are 5 players who every team will go after at the auction.

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#5 Hardus Viljoen

Hardus Viljoen

IPL teams have never shied away from spending big bucks on players with potential. Tymal Mills, Sunil Narine, Jofra Archer were all unheard quantities before they made it big at the IPL auctions. Hardus Viljoen can join the list this time around. The big South African fast bowler has played just a solitary Test for the Proteas.

He has turned his focus towards T20 cricket after that and has earned accolades for his hostile fast bowling. The 29-year-old looked unplayable in the recently concluded T10 league where he took 18 wickets in just 9 matches with an unbelievable strike-rate of 6. Viljoen is a Kolpak cricketer now, which means he will be available for the entire season and might be in the wish-list of many teams.

#4 Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran has been around for a quite a while now. He burst in the scene with a superlative performance in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup where he scored 303 runs in 6 matches.

Pooran was seen as a future prospect for West Indies. He was also picked up by Mumbai Indians at the 2017 IPL auction. Unfortunately, he failed to live up to expectations and failed to put up consistent performances.

However, the wicket-keeper batsman came back strongly with some stunning batting display for Barbados Tridents in CPL 2018. Pooran backed it up with an unbeaten 53 off just 25 balls in the final T20 of the T20 series against India. Teams like Kings XI Punjab, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore are struggling to find a stable wicket-keeping option and thus might go after the Barbadian at the auction.

#3 Sam Curran

Sam Curran

Sam Curran shot to prominence with an exceptional all-round display in the Test series against India. The young all-rounder troubled the Indian batsmen with his swing bowling and bailed out England from tricky situations a number of times with the bat.

And even though he has made a mark in the longer format, Curran can be a valuable addition to any side in T20 cricket too. The slightly-built all-rounder can bat anywhere in the batting order and can be effective with the ball in the Power Play.

Interestingly, Sam's elder brother Tom played IPL last year for Kolkata Knight Riders when he was called up as a replacement for Mitchell Starc. A thing that might go Sam Curran's way is the fact that he might not be in contention for a place in England's World Cup squad and can be available for the entire season. With all-rounders always being in demand at the auction, he is all set to earn big bucks.

#2 Shivam Dubey

Shivam Dubey

IPL teams are always in search of young talented Indian domestic players who have the ability to make it big on the big stage. Shivam Dubey from Mumbai is seen, by many, as the next big thing in Indian cricket. The all-rounder, who made his Ranji Trophy debut last season, recently hit the experienced Pravin Tambe for 5 sixes in an over in a local T20 match.

Dubey is in fabulous form playing for Mumbai in Ranji trophy this year too and has been praised by none other than the legendary Sunil Gavaskar. The batting legend has spoken highly of the young man and has predicted that he will be in the radar of a lot of IPL teams at the auction.

Apart from being a hard-hitting lower-order batsman, the 25-year-old is a fine medium pace bowler. Dubey seems to be a perfect T20 package and a number of teams will be queuing up to grab him at the auction.

Surprisingly, Dubey went unsold at last year's auction. But with the kind of form he is in right now, it will be difficult for the teams to overlook him this year.

#1 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer is one of the most promising talents going around the world. The youngster has caught everyone's attention by playing some scintillating innings in international cricket and T20 leagues. What makes him special is his fearlessness in any situation.

The southpaw doesn't shy away from taking on the bowlers from the word go. Also, he possesses the typical Caribbean brute power and can tonk the ball big. Hetmyer's big hitting abilities were on display in the recently concluded ODI series against India.

He took on the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, who have troubled some top batsmen of world cricket, with considerable amount of success. Hetmyer does not mind taking on the pacers either. Hetmyer was also the third highest run-scorer in CPL 2018. With so much to offer, the 21-year-old is bound to start a bidding war at the auctions.