IPL Auction 2018: Five uncapped players who could engage a bidding war

New Delhi, Jan 24: In its 10-year-long journey, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has witnessed several inspiring rags to riches stories of several uncapped players.

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Franchises, in the past, triggered massive bidding wars when the names of uncapped came up for auction. It is a common norm during auctions when some players get manyfold increase in their salaries after franchises opened up their coffers during bidding. As a result, cricketers, who were unknown to the masses, became news makers overnight.

The franchises constantly monitor the performances of the uncapped players in the domestic circuit, access what all skills they bring to the table.

Of course, the marquee players are the ones who'll get the maximum attention for there are many big names in the pool. But the team owners' interests in uncapped players can't be overlooked for these youngsters bring variety as well as the freshness to the side.

Also, these youngsters bring in the element of surprise with them for most of the players haven't played against them. These uncapped players went on becoming one of the most prized assets for the side and went on representing the national side.

Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya are perhaps the best examples of how the young talents were spotted by Mumbai Indians as uncapped players and both have now established themselves as a permanent member of the Indian national cricket team.

Here are a few uncapped players who might trigger bidding war:

Krunal Pandya

The left-handed all-rounder from Baroda needs no introduction. The elder brother of India all-rounder Hardik Pandya has been a match-winner for Mumbai Indians.

The elder Pandya was adjudged the Man of the Match for his match-winning knock of 47 against Rising Pune Supergiants.

Mumbai Indians may not have retained the Baroda cricketer but won't shy away from using the right to match (RTM) card during the IPL auction.

Pandya scored 243 runs at an average of 34.71 in the IPL 10 and that too at a good strike rate of 135. The left-arm spinner also took 10 wickets with an economy of 6.85.

Basil Thampi

The young pacer from Kerala impressed all with his brilliant performance in his maiden IPL stint. Thampi played for Gujarat Lions (now defunct) in IPL 2017 after being bought by the franchise for Rs 85 lakh.

He picked up 11 wickets from 12 games for the franchise. It was his good show in the domestic circuit as well as in the IPL that earned Thampi maiden call-up to the Indian national side.

Rajneesh Gurbani

The young Vidarbha pacer is the talk of the town following a brilliant run in the Ranji Trophy 2017-18 season. The speedster was the second-highest wicket-taker in the season and grabbed 39 wickets.

It was his bowling exploits helped Vidarbha lift their maiden IPL title. The right-handed pacer took a hat-trick against Delhi in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy final.

He may not be pacey enough but his ability to move the ball both ways might come in handy for the franchise. He has already given his trail for the defending champions Mumbai Indians.

Rahul Tripathi

The talented young batsman was very impressive debut season for his IPL franchise Rising Pune Supergiant.

The Maharashtra batsman was purchased for a base price of Rs 10 lakh and proved out to be quite a deal for the franchise.

Of 14 matches played for RPS, Tripathi scored 391 runs and his highest score was 93 against Kolkata Knight Riders.

The right-handed batsman scored 450 runs at an average of 50 and strike rate of 96.98, including two centuries and two half-centuries.

Nitish Rana

The left-handed batsman from Delhi was also amongst promising young talents in the IPL 10. Rana scored 437 at an average of 31.21 in 17 matches he played for Mumbai Indians.

Rana's base price has been valued at Rs 20 lakh but had a pretty ordinary domestic season. He scored just 121 runs in 5 games but his heroics in the previous season could still be a potential candidate for several franchises.