These five foreign players will be under the spotlight during the IPL 2019 auction.
However, there are a few foreign players who might get a chance to showcase their talents in the most famous T20 league of all. With England and Australia cricket boards confirming that their players, who are probable to play the World Cup in 2019, only available for the first half of the tournament; players from other nations might be in a high demand.
Team COC takes a look at five such international players who might be a handy pick for the franchises in IPL 2019 auction and serve their teams to the best.
Here are the top 5 foreign players to pick in the 2019 auction
HARDUS VILJOEN (SA)
Base price – 75 lakhs INR
This means that South African players will be in great demand and especially fast bowlers. Hardus Viljoen is one such express paced fast bowlers who will be in limelight in the auction. He has played one Test for South Africa and the 29-year-old quick has played for Kent and Gloucestershire in English country cricket.
Viljoen is currently playing for Derbyshire after signing a Kolpak deal with the county and has played in the PSL for Multan Sultans, impressing one and all with his pace and ability to bowl a pacy bouncer.
NICHOLAS POORAN (WI)
Base price – 75 lakhs INR
Trinidadian Nicholas Pooran is a left-handed batsman and wicket-keeper who has previously picked by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2017. He has also played for Islamabad United in PSL and represents Barbados Tridents and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL. He also had a good season for Warriors in the T10 league.
Pooran is an explosive batsman who scored 53 runs in 25 balls against India recently in a T20I and showcased his ability to strike big sixes and score at a frightening pace. Pooran will be a great addition to any of the franchise who are looking for an explosive opener-keeper combination.
ANRICH NORTJE (SA)
Base price – 20 lakhs INR
25-year-old Anrich Nortje is a promising right arm fast bowler from South Africa who might be great demand in the IPL 2019 auction. With the speculation of IPL 2019 being shifted to the rainbow nation, Nortje might come in handy for any team that picks him.
He plays for Eastern Province in the South African domestic cricket and was signed to Cape Town Blitz in the Mzansi Super League 2019. Nortje is a tall, well built fast bowler who regularly hits speeds of over 145 kmph and above; something that the IPL franchises are usually on the lookout for.
SHIMRON HETMYER (WI)
Base price – 50 lakhs INR
21-year-old Shimron Hetmyer set the cricketing world on fire when he scored a scintillating hundred and a score in the 90s in the ODI series against India. He scored 259 runs in 5 matches in the series with one hundred and a fifty with a strike rate of 140.
He is a hot favorite in the upcoming IPL 2019 auction. The franchises are always in need of an opener that can hit big sixes and has a strike rate over 130. Hetmyer has always shown his penchant to hit sixes and has scored his runs at a genuinely frightening pace.
MOHAMMAD SHAHZAD (AFG)
Base price – 50 lakhs INR
The Afghanistan keeper has shown interest in playing IPL and wants to showcase his hitting prowess against the best of the best in the premier T20 tournament in the world. Shahzad will be a great pick for a team looking for an explosive opener, who can keep wickets also.