IPL 2019 Auction: Players to watch out in the highly anticipated event

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The stage is all set for the money spending spree of Indian Premier League 2019 auction. The event will take place in Jaipur, Rajasthan at 02.30 PM IST. It will be an opportunity for every franchise to buy the key players with right strategy in the auction to complete their squad. There will be a total of 346 cricketers going under the hammer in this edition of auction. 

With the rule of having 7 Indians out of the playing XI in the IPL, the domestic players always get an edge over the foreign ones. Also, due to their availability during the entire course of the tournament, Indian players usually attract far greater bids at auctions. The defending champions Chennai Super Kings released only three players while other teams have released almost half of their squads, so the latter have to be a little more attentive during the bidding to complete their squad.

Here is the list of players to watch out for at the auction:

1. Shimron Hetmyer

The Caribbean southpaw will be one of the biggest fishes during the auction period. Hetmyer has already proved his mettle during the limited-overs series against India away from home. He has set his base price very low to INR 50 lakhs and that can surely attract a lot of attention from franchise owners. Earlier, veteran Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh also predicted him to be the next million-dollar baby in IPL on his Twitter account.

2. Mohammad Shahzad

Afghanistan players and IPL is a better love story than Twilight. For the past few years, Afghan players have shone brightly in the sunlight of the India's T20 league. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman were the key players of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab respectively in IPL 2018. It is expected that destructive Afghan opener Shahzad will be the next big thing in IPL after he smashed 74 runs off just 16 balls in the T10 tournament held in UAE recently. Shahzad's availability will also grab attention from IPL teams as many players will leave the tournament midway.

3. Mohammad Shami

The Indian Test specialist is yet to prove his abilities in the shortest format of the game but that doesn’t mean that he can't do it. Shami was released by Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) after a poor show in previous editions of IPL. He will be under the radar of many teams as an Indian bowler has always been a plus factor of any franchise.

4. Martin Guptill

The Kiwi international is one of the most destructive batsmen in T20 cricket and his record speaks highly for himself as he is the highest run-getter in T20I cricket. He is very underrated in IPL as many a times in previous seasons owners ignored him during auction, but this time as New Zealand board has given permission to their players to participate in the full IPL season the chances of him getting a high bid gets stronger.

5. Oshane Thomas

He might not be a big name in International cricket but the way he troubled Indian batsmen in the T20I series earlier this year, his arrival on Asian turf knocked the doors of many IPL owners. Thomas will be available for the full course of the tournament and will be a handy pick for any team as he is quick bowler who can also swing the ball both ways. Teams who are lacking an overseas bowler in the squad should go for this Caribbean sensation to complete their squad.