With the biggest T20 carnival on the door, the cricketing fraternity is excited for the next chapter of the Indian Premier League. Along with the fans, even the cricketers are ready to hone their T20 skills before the biggest cricketing event of the year — the T20 World Cup in Australia. With that being said there are some players who have missed the 2020 IPL bus as they went unsold in the IPL auctions.

Some of those players might consider themselves unlucky as they were inactive or performing poorly at the time of IPL auctions. After that, they picked up steam and have been putting up match-winning performances. Hence these individuals might have earned IPL contracts if the IPL auctions happened in recent weeks.

Here is the list of 5 players who might have earned IPL contracts if the auctions happened now :

1. Alex Hales

At the moment England’s limited-overs cricket is at its peak as the team consists of some of the most destructive white-ball players of this generation. Such is the competition in the team that a talented individual like, Alex Hales is waiting in the wings. Unfortunately, the right-hander is yet to play an international game after his drug ban but it has not stopped him from showing his white-ball skills around the world.

At first, Hales topped the charts in the 2019 T20 Vitality Blast with over 400 runs for the Nottinghamshire Outlaws. Thereafter he continued his good work in the 2019-20 BBL where he scored more than 500 runs for the Sydney Thunders. And now, he is already hogging the limelight in the 5th edition of PSL as he has gathered over 150 runs in his 4 outings for Karachi Kings.

Seeing his recent form, it seems Hales is on top of his game. That’s why he would have been a hot pick if the 2020 IPL auctions happened now. Especially for someone like KKR who lack an experienced head at the top, Hales would have been a wise option. His presence would have helped youngsters like Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana play with complete freedom.

2. Ashton Agar

Since the retirement of Shane Warne, the Australian team has struggled to find a dependable spin option for their white-ball sojourn. Even though they have tried several options most of them have not produced fruitful results. However, things have changed for good in recent times as Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar have stepped up to the plate.

Especially the latter has been making a strong case for the upcoming T20 World Cup. In the last 10 T20Is, Agar has picked up 15 wickets including a fifer. More importantly, he has provided the required control in the middle-overs and it is evident from his economy rate of 7.0. Add to that his batting skills and agility on the field which makes him a complete T20 package.

It seems Agar is finally developing into a quality spin all-rounder and such talents are always in demand in the T20 leagues including IPL. In particular, the Mumbai Indians camp would have roped him to increase their spin potency. He can be a serious threat to the opposition on the bouncy tracks of Wankhede. Besides he could have been a reserve option for Krunal Pandya whose form has been patchy in the last 6 months.

3. Kyle Jamieson

Though cricket is a team-sport sometimes an individual can change the atmosphere of the dressing-room. A similar thing happened in the recently concluded bilateral series between India and New Zealand. After facing a 5-0 drubbing in the T20I series the Kiwis bounced back in style in the ODI and Test leg. At the centre of it was their new-found hero, Kyle Jamieson.

Whether it was batting or bowling, the 25-year old showed great composure in his debut series. The lanky pacer scaled 12 in just 4 outings. In addition to that, he also played a couple of cameos down the order which proved to be crucial in the context of the entire series. In short, he contributed to the team in every possible way and immediately became the captain’s delight.

His match-winning performances would have surely earned him an IPL contract if the auctions took place in the last couple of weeks. Especially a team like Royal Challengers Bangalore would have spent bountiful for his services. He could have been their death over specialist as he has the variations and ability to handle pressure situations. Besides, his inclusion would have increased their batting depth which has been a concern for the team for some time now.

4. Rilee Rossouw

The two issues which have been plaguing the South African cricket has to the Quota system and the Kolpak signings. While the former seems an unavoidable barrier the latter can be solved if the country’s cricket association can take correct measures at times. Otherwise, the Proteas will often lose a gifted player like Rilee Rossouw. There was a time when the left-hander was expected to carry the batting mantle of the national team.

Sadly, a couple of years ago, he signed the Kolpak deal and decided to pursue his cricketing dreams at Hampshire County cricket club. Since then he has been a consistent performer in the England domestic circuit. He accumulated 388 runs in the 2019 Royal One-Day Cup. Then he took his game to the next level in the 2019-20 BPL as he amassed over 550 runs in the tournament.

Rossouw has also continued his hot run of form in the 2020 PSL with a blistering century. However, these herculean efforts didn’t fetch him another IPL contract as it came a tad too late for the auctions liking. The southpaw would have been bagged by the Chennai franchise as they are known for picking experienced players in their set-up. He could have been a dependable middle-order batsman for the Yellow Army as he is equally good against pace and spin.

5. Mustafizur Rahman

One of the players who has considerably lost his charm in the last year or so is Mustafizur Rahman. The Bangladesh pacer has completely gone off the boil after being highlighted as the spearhead of the national team. Having said that with age on his side he is expected to carry the fast-bowling hopes of the Bangla Tigers in the coming times.

Rahman is one of the most versatile fast-bowling talents the country has produced and it can be validated from his 2019-20 BPL performances. He picked up 20 wickets in 12 games at a stunning economy rate of 7.0. His return to form is a piece of good news for the Bangladesh team as the T20 World Cup is just months away.

Unfortunately, his BPL heroics came after the IPL auctions so he went unsold for the second consecutive year. He would have been a valuable asset for the Delhi Capitals as a couple of their fast-bowlers are doubtful for the start of the season. In the past, Mustafizur has proved his mettle in the IPL as he helped the Sunrisers Hyderabad lift the title in 2016. At the time he scalped 17 wickets and won the ” Emerging Player of the Season ” award. Hence he would have hugely benefitted if the auctions happened now.