All-rounders have the most valued skills in the game of T20. Someone who can bowl 4 overs and bat with a strike rate of over 140 can be a huge asset for any team and IPL has had the luck of seeing many quality all-rounders featuring in the league since its inception in 2008.
The IPL 2018 auctions will also see many quality all-rounders go under the hammer and we have a list of 7 such brilliant all-rounders that any team will want to have in their lineup.
Check the list:
DWAYNE BRAVO
Dwayne Bravo has been one of the best all-rounders in the Indian Premier League’s history. He has 1238 runs and 122 wickets in 106 matches in IPL. He had to miss the 2017 edition of IPL due to his thigh injury; and therefore will be on the radar of every franchise in the auction.
Bravo is a street-smart cricketer who has played for MI and CSK apart from featuring in the Gujarat Lions team for IPL 2016. His experience in bowling makes him a captain’s dream; as he can be used as an opening bowler and is one of the best death overs’ bowler in any format of cricket. Now fit and raring to go; Bravo will definitely be getting some big bucks bids in the auction.
SHAKIB-AL-HASAN
Shakib-Al-Hasan has been one of the top Bangladeshi players to make their name in foreign T20 leagues. Shakib has also maintained his spot as one of the topmost all-rounders in the world and rendered his services to the Kolkata Knight Riders.
His best IPL edition was in 2014, when scored 227 runs with the bat and took 11 wickets to lead the KKR team to its second IPL title. Shakib is a good enough batsman to hit a double hundred in Test cricket for Bangladesh and a good enough spinner to bowl out a team like Australia on his own. Any team will be more than happy to have him in their lineup and if needed, he can also lead the team as a captain.
RASHID KHAN
Afghanistan’s most brilliant player has to be their 19-year-old legspinner, Rashid Khan. Rashid took everyone by surprise in his debut season in IPL 2017 and though his batting abilities were not given proper exposure, Rashid can wield the long handle with proper technique.
The legspinner knows how to keep the runs down and pick wickets and it has been on display for the ongoing BBL season. Rashid will definitely be an asset to whichever franchise buys him and he is someone, who any team will want to invest, keeping long-term returns in mind.
VIJAY SHANKAR
Vijay Shankar has established himself as one of the key players for Tamil Nadu team and was picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad for IPL 2014 and 2017. Though he played only 4 matches in IPL 2017 and managed to score a half-century (63*) against Gujarat Lions.
Though he was selected in the Indian squad, being an uncapped player, Shankar is a high value for money all-rounder that can also open the batting if needed and make full use of powerplay overs. As a medium pacer, he can give the team a tidy four-over spell anywhere from power plays to middle overs.
WASHINGTON SUNDAR
Another Tamil Nadu all-rounder, Washington Sundar has made his much-awaited India debut at age of 18. Sundar came into prominence when he scored some runs and picked some wickets in the TNPL before the IPL 2017. He was picked up by Rising Pune Supergiant as a replacement for R Ashwin, who missed the season due to a sports hernia problem.
Sundar proved to be one of the trump cards for RPS, as he bowled brilliantly in the power plays and though he picked up just 8 wickets in 11 matches, the overall impact by his bowling was too much to ignore. Sundar again shined in the TNPL’s latest season, top scoring in the tournament with the bat, including a century and was also in the top 3 bowlers in the tournament.
He can be a perfect choice for teams like Chennai Super Kings or Rajasthan Royals, as the respective captains of both teams support spinners in their lineups.
KRUNAL PANDYA
Krunal Pandya won the Mumbai Indians the finals with both bat and ball. Despite not getting retained by the franchise, he will definitely be on the radar of the team for the use of RTM card. Pandya has become one of the most sought-after players in IPL 2018 auctions, after his exploits in the IPL 2017 season.
He has 480 runs in two seasons of IPL with MI, with the best score of 86 and 16 wickets to his name. Any team would love to have an all-rounder who can bat such explosively in the order and has the ability to shepherd the team to a win. He bowls in middle overs and can keep the batsmen quiet and pick wickets at the same time.
Definitely, one of the top two all-rounders the franchises will be after in the IPL 2018 auction.
BEN STOKES
The biggest name of all all-rounders to be in the auctions of IPL 2018 will be England’s Ben Stokes. Currently going through a bad time in international cricket due to his involvement in a police investigation, Stokes has received an all season pass from ECB to play in the IPL.
He took RPS to the playoffs last season along with contributions from MS Dhoni and Manoj Tiwary. But his scintillating century in the tournament and 12 wickets in 12 matches was enough for the most expensive overseas player ever in IPL history, to win the Most Valuable Player award in the 2017 IPL edition.
Every team will be vying for Ben Stokes in the IPL 2018 auction and he is set to break his own record in the auctions this time.
