IPL 2019: 5 Unsold players at a low base price who would have added value to any team

Every year hundreds of players take part in the auction, and the eight IPL franchises spend a fortune to buy them. But still, a lot of them remain unsold.

Every franchise wants to buy the best player at the table but faces budget constraints. This factor often limits their buying powers and franchises fail to rope in the right talent. However, this year there were 80 players who went unsold. These included a few prominent names like Brendon McCullum, Dale Steyn, Eoin Morgan, Usman Khwaja, Manoj Tiwari, and Morne Morkel. A lot of uncapped players and lesser-known names also failed to make the cut.

There were also some quality players who went unsold at a low base price. The list discusses some players who a base price of ₹1 crore and less. While these players were cheap and bought quality with them, they did find any interest in them.

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#5 Rajneesh Gurbani (Base price-₹20 lacs)

Rajneesh Gurbani represents Vidharbha in domestic Cricket

Rajneesh Gurbani is a medium pacer; who plays for current Ranji trophy champions Vidharbha. He emerged a hero in their maiden title win, where he picked a hat-trick in the final.

Rajneesh possesses uncanny swing bowling skills and is bound to remind one of a young Bhuvneshwar Kumar. His representation of the seam is exemplary which helps him derive help out of wicket consistently. He does not have express pace but his ability to bowl consistently in the right areas is enough to trouble batsmen. He made a name for himself 2017-18 Ranji season, where he was the second highest wicket-taker with 39 scalps to his name. The 26-year old is a major reason behind Vidharbha not over-relying on Umesh Yadav.

Despite being one of the top names in the domestic cricket, and a low base price of ₹20 lacs, he was not purchased by any franchise in the auctions.

#4 Manoj Tiwari (Base Price-₹50 lacs)

Manoj Tiwari was instrumental in RPS journey to runners-up in IPL 2017

Manoj Tiwary is probably the most unfortunate cricketer in India. Despite delivering hefty performances in domestic cricket, he was never entrusted with sufficient chances at the International level.

He sounded dejected and took to Twitter to express his disappointment after being not picked in the auction. Manoj Tiwary had stared in IPL 2017 and had delivered numerous match-winning performances to propel Rising Pune Supergiant's to the finals.

He is a seasoned middle-order batsman and is a player with an adept technique. Tiwari can also contribute to the team's cause with his leg spin has the capability to provide vital breakthroughs. His all-around performance in Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy this year were critical in Bengal reaching super league stage.

Except 2016, Tiwari has featured in every season of the IPL so far. He has represented Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders, Pune, and Kings XI Punjab in the last 10 years. With a base price of ₹50 Lacs, he could have been a great choice as a middle-order batsman for any franchise in need.

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#3 Mushfiqur Rahim (Base Price- ₹50 lacs)

Mushfiqur Rahim is an effective wicket-keeper batsman from Bangladesh

Despite his stature in Bangladesh cricket and utility as a player, it is difficult to understand why Mushfiqur Rahim has not found an IPL contract yet.

Mushfiqur is undoubtedly one of the best players that Bangladesh has produced since attaining Test status. Rahim's physicality may not be very imposing, but he carries the ability to overpower his opponents with his game.

His numbers in the shortest format of the game establish his credibility. In 155 innings of T20 Cricket in his career, he has scored 3366 runs at an impressive strike rate of 127.

He also keeps wickets and is a proven game-changer in the middle-order. With a low base price and high utility, Rahim would have been a real steal buy in the auction.

#2 Sikandar Raza (Base Price-₹75 Lacs)

Sikandar Raza is a Pakistan-born Zimbabwean Cricketer

Sikandar Raza is an elegant batsman from Zimbabwe, who has made an image as a hard-hitting player. He made his ODI debut in 2013 as a middle-order batsman and later graduated to the opening slot.

He gained attention and recognition after scoring a quick 100 off 84 balls in 2015 in Lahore against a Pakistani bowling attack that consisted of Wahab Riaz, Mohammed Sami, Yasir Shah, and Anwar Ali.

His ability to hit sixes with ease earned him opportunities in various T20 leagues around the world. In a Bangladesh Premier League game in 2017, he powered Chittagong to a mammoth total of 211 in 20 overs against Sylhet Sixes with a 45 ball 95.

Despite Zimbabwe's failure to qualify, he was awarded the player of the tournament in the World Cup qualifiers in 2018 after scoring 319 runs and 15 wickets in the tournament.

Tatenda Taibu and Brendon Taylor remain the only Zimbabwean players in history to have earned an IPL contract. Taibu played three games for KKR in the inaugural season of the IPL whereas Brendon Taylor, who was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, did not get to play in even a single match.

Zimbabwean Cricket has been in a dismal state due to internal politics and poor administration for long. In such a scenario, if a player like Raza got picked in the IPL, it will provide a real boost for budding cricketers and inspires them to do better. At a base price of ₹75 Lakh, he is definitely a player; teams missed out on.

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#5 Adam Zampa(Base Price- ₹1 Crore)

Zampa has picked 19 wickets in 11 IPL games

In the times when batsmen dominate the game of Cricket, wrist spinners have come in as saviors. As the present trends in the limited overs cricket suggest, wrist spinners have turned out as more economical and wicket taking options.

The young leg spinner Adam Zampa has been a reliable bowler for Australia for a few years now. It was Zampa who turned the final game at Feroz Shah Kotla against India by picking 3 wickets for 46 runs.

He has been equally effective in the T20 format. His consistently economical bowling interested several franchises is various T20 tournament across the globe. While playing for Rising Pune Supergiants in IPL 2016, Adam Zampa recorded the second-best bowling figure in IPL after Sohail Tanvir after taking 6 wickets for 19 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Zampa was priced at ₹1 crore in this year's auction, which is not very high looking at the quality, he will bring to a team. However, no franchise showed interest in him despite his record of 19 wickets in 11 IPL career games.