Nidahas Trophy 2018: 5 unsold players in the IPL who did well

Who are the players the IPL teams will regret not buying?

View : 12.5K

5 Min Read

Tamim Iqbal in the Nidahas Trophy 2018
info

Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Tamim Iqbal in the Nidahas Trophy 2018
Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

The Nidahas Trophy 2018 turned out more exciting that one could ever imagine. At the beginning of the tournament, no one would have expected Sri Lanka to lose both the games against the Bangladesh team. The Bangladesh team did surprisingly well in the tournament and miraculously reached the finals.

However, it was the tournament favorites India who’ve won the Nidahas Trophy. They defeated the Bangla Tigers in the finals to take home the trophy. Dinesh Karthik finished the game off for India with an unbelievable inning and sealed the game off with a six. He scored 29 from just 8 deliveries in a high-pressure chase. In the midst of all this action, there were a few players who had performed exceptionally well in this series. But, they failed to bag an IPL contract this year

Here is the list of 5 unsold players who did well in the Nidahas Trophy:

1. Kusal Perera

Kusal Perera
Kusal Perera plays a shot. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

If you look at the whole list of top-performers in the series, Kusal Perera is a no-brainer to make it into that list. He was exceptional with the bat throughout the series and has stunned everyone with his consistency. He played both the aggressive and the defensive game as per the demands of the situation. He has shown a lot of maturity with the bat and was not someone who threw his wicket away whilst being aggressive as well.

The southpaw has scored 204 runs in the tournament at an average of 51 and at very impressive strike rates. He reached the 50-run mark in three out of the four games showing his consistency. He was probably a big miss in the auction and after watching these performances, the franchises would be regretting their decision not to buy him. Moreover, Kusal also doubles up as the wicket-keeper in the side.

2. Thisara Perera

Thisara Perera
Thisara Perera celebrates a wicket. (Photo Source: Twitter)

It was the Perera brothers who stood out for Sri Lanka in this tournament. Although Thisara wasn’t as impressive with the ball, he provided his team some fireworks with the bat. He also provided his side with the much-needed impetus in all the games with some blistering cameos, in spite of not helping his side secure victory on the important occasions. He scored his runs at a great pace and followed the mantra of ‘Hit out or Get out’ in this series.

In the first game against India, he smashed 22 off just 10 deliveries to provide his side a much-needed win. Although he got out for a duck in the next game, he managed to score 15 off 6 balls in the second game against India. His best performance with the game came in the last game against Bangladesh where he scored 58 off 37 deliveries. His bowling wasn’t that great and he was very expensive. Perera has been very inconsistent both with the bat for a very long time now. So, this might have made the franchises think otherwise.

3. Mahmudullah Riyad

Mahmudullah Bangladesh
Mahmudullah. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

This Nidahas Trophy was quite a revelation for Mahmudullah. He was handed the responsibilities of the side in the first three games of the tournament. Although Bangladesh lost two out of these three games, they won a crucial encounter against Sri Lanka. They managed to chase a target over 200 in that game and Mahmudullah will definitely remember that game for a long time. However, he hasn’t fared that well with the bat in those three games and failed to convert his positive starts into something substantial.

But, his best knock came against Sri Lanka in a virtual semi-final game. He took Bangladesh home from the brinks of a defeat. He scored 43 off just 18 deliveries in that game to help his side win the game. He is also capable enough to roll his arm over when required and provides some handy overs in the middle. However, he was not at his best throughout the series and that could be one factor why the franchises ignored him.

4. Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal Bangladesh
Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh plays a shot. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Although Tamim Iqbal didn’t have the best of the tournament, he was one of the better performers for Bangladesh. He scored a very useful 47 runs from just 29 balls when Bangladesh chased down that target of 215 against Sri Lanka. In the second game against the Lankans, he scored a sensible 50 off 42 deliveries and ensured that his side was in a good position. However, he failed to convert his good starts in both the games against India.

He averaged a pretty decent 31 in this series. He looked to be in decent nick with the bat and would have been a great addition to any side in the Indian Premier League. But since there is an abundance of Indian and some quality foreign openers already available, the franchises wouldn’t have favored buying Tamim.

5. Sabbir Rahman

Sabbir Rahman
Sabbir Rahman plays a shot. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

The 26-year-old Sabbir Rahman scored 147 runs in the five games at an average close to 30 in the Nidahas Trophy. The batting all-rounder has the ability to hit the ball hard and long. He often takes up the finishers’ role and also is used as a floater in the lineup. Moreover, he is decent enough with the ball. But, he didn’t have a great time with the bat in the league stage of the series.

But he proved his mettle in the finals as he scored a brilliant 77 from just 50 balls under some great pressure. It looked tough for the Bangla Tigers to cross 150 at one point in time. They managed to reach 166 in the finals courtesy his innings. However, just like the other men, Sabbir has been very inconsistent and hence the franchises preferred not to pick him.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store