The IPL Mega Auction took place on 12th and 13th February in Bangalore, and all ten teams have managed to build their squads for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. The 15th season of the IPL is less than a month away and all the teams will be looking to find their best XI in the first couple of games. A total of 77 overseas players have been picked and will be part of the upcoming IPL season. Many overseas players got huge amounts of money in this Auction. Liam Livingstone from England was the most expensive overseas player for 11.5 CR.
Having said that, there were quite a few good overseas players who went unsold in this year’s auction. But these players shouldn’t lose hope because you never know when a player might get injured or opt-out of the tournament and the overseas unsold players might get called in as replacements. So, let us have a look at the five overseas unsold players who could come in as replacements.
5. Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch is one of those IPL players who have played for multiple teams. Finch has been part of eight teams including teams like Gujarat Lions and Pune Warriors India which no longer exist. Finch who led Australia to the T20 WC title last year in the UAE went unsold in this year’s IPL Auction.
Aaron Finch has played 87 IPL games and scored over 2000 runs at an average of 25.38 and 127.71. While these numbers aren’t great, he has a lot of experience at the international level. The matches will be played in Mumbai and Pune which will suit his batting style. With Jason Roy already opting out of the IPL, Aaron Finch might be one of the overseas unsold players who comes in as a replacement.
4. Roston Chase
Roston Chase doesn’t seem to be a T20 cricketer but he has been mighty impressive in recent times. In the last CPL, he was the leading run-scorer as he scored 446 runs in 12 games at an average of 49.56 with four fifties to his name. He was the of the tournament in CPL 2021.
In the recently concluded India-West Indies T20I series, he kept picking up wickets at regular intervals. Chase can bat at No.4 and bowl some crucial overs of off-spin. Teams who need an anchor might look at him as a replacement.
3. Adam Zampa
Adam Zampa was one of the leading wicket-takers in the last T20 WC. Zampa has been a consistent performer at the international level. Zampa has played 61 T20Is and picked up 70 wickets at an economy rate of just 6.79.
Overseas wrist-spinners don’t generally get an IPL deal but with ten teams it was expected that a quality spinner like Zampa might get a deal. Having said that, there is a high chance that he might be one of the overseas unsold players to come in as a replacement when the need arises.
2. David Wiese
David Wiese who helped Namibia to qualify for the T20 WC in 2021 could be one of the overseas unsold players who come in as a replacement. Wiese in the Pakistan Super League played two great cameos in the playoffs and picked up a few wickets which helped his team win the tournament.
He is one of those players who can finish off an innings with big hits and he is a seamer. A seam-bowling all-rounder is a rare breed, and so he could be called up as a replacement in IPL 2022.
1. Dasun Shanaka
Another player who can smash sixes at the end of an innings and who can bowl medium pace – Dasun Shanaka should be on the list of franchises as a replacement player. In the India-Sri Lanka T20I series, Shanaka scored 124 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 196.83.
He was smashing all the Indian pacers and was hitting quite big sixes. He enjoys batting on good batting decks and he could be a good replacement player for many teams in IPL 2022.
