5 Indian players who could be bargain buys at the IPL auction

The countdown to the 9th edition of the Indian Premier League has intensified with the much-awaited players auction due to take place on 6 February at Bengaluru. The pool of players that will be available for the option has grown even bigger with the two suspended franchises, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, having to release their players.Alongside the real bigwigs who are sure to fetch steep prices at the auction, there are some local players who may turn out to be great bargain buys for franchises who get them. Here are 5 Indian players who could possibly fall in this category come the 2016 IPL Players Auction:

#1 Pawan Negi

Negi was one of Dhoni’s top finds at CSK

Young left-arm spinner Pawan Negi, who has played all his IPL cricket for Chennai Super Kings, could turn out to be one of the great bargain buys at this year’s auction. Apart from doing well in his limited opportunities at the IPL, Negi also has an impressive record in domestic T20 cricket.

In 56 matches, the diminutive allrounder has picked up 46 wickets an average of 26.28 and also scored 479 runs at a very good strike rate of slightly under 135. Pawan Negi is a real utility player and MS Dhoni managed to get the best out of him in his days at CSK.

#2 Deepak Hooda

Hooda had a great debut season in the IPL last year

Baroda youngster Deepak Hooda emerged as one of the exciting young stars of last year’s IPL. A hard-hitting batsman and a handy off-break bowler, Hooda performed quite well for Rajasthan Royals in 2015 scoring 151 runs at a breathtaking strike rate of 158.94. He also rolled his arm over on a few occasions with just 1 wicket to his credit.

More than his stats, it was the manner with which Deepak Hooda went about his job, which made everyone stand and take notice. Hooda may turn out to be a real bargain buy for his new franchise at this year’s auction.

#3 Hanuma Vihari

Hanuma Vihari has been a decent performer at the IPL

Hanuma Vihari is a spin bowling allrounder who has played his IPL cricket for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, the 22-year old is currently in the list of players that have been released by the franchise. More than performance, it has been the potential he has shown that could pose him as a good bargain buy at the 2016 auction.

Vihari’s overall T20 record has been quite decent as he has scored 925 runs at a decent average of 21.02 and has also picked up 16 wickets with a very good economy rate of under 7. It will be interesting to see which franchise picks up this promising youngster.

#4 Baba Aparajith

Baba Aparajith is yet to make his IPL debut

Tipped to become one of India's future stars, Baba Aparajith had been roped in by the Chennai Super Kings for the IPL. However, the young all-rounder has still not made his IPL debut and finds himself in the auction pool with CSK suspended for 2 years.

Aparajith has been quite a strong performer for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket, though, and could turn out be one of the bargain buys during the IPL auction. His domestic T20 record is pretty decent as he has scored 381 runs at an average of slightly under 24 and also picked 5 wickets with an economy of less than 7.

#5 Padmanabhan Prasanth

Prasanth impressed at the recent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

30-year old Kerala left-arm spinner Padmanabhan Prasanth was associated by the now defunct Kochi franchise in the IPL and played just a solitary match for them. Recently, he was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad roster but has been released without getting a game.

Prasanth, however, has been performing quite well in domestic T20 cricket for Kerala. He excelled for them in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament with 14 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 14 and an economy rate of under 6.

Padmanabhan Prasanth can also be handy with the bat and has a T20 strike rate of more than 133. He could well be one of the bargain buys at the IPL auction.