Rishabh Pant plays for Delhi Daredevils in IPL

Rishabh Pant is a hard-hitting wicket-keeper batsman who has made quite a name for himself. He played for India in the 2016 U-19 World Cup. Pant emerged as one of the best performers for India, amassing 267 runs in 6 matches at a blistering strike-rate of 104. Subsequently, he was picked by Delhi Daredevils where he continued his exploits with the bat. Finally, he represented India in T20 matches in 2017. Rishabh Pant is an exciting future prospect and a key contender for the wicket-keeper batsman slot.

Sanju Samson has been an important player for Rajasthan Royals

Sanju Samson is among the best young talents in the country. Hailing from Kerala, the young batsman has a sound technique. Samson was picked by Rajasthan Royals in 2013 and instantly grabbed eyeballs with some useful performances. Samson is a regular in the India-A squad, and is being built into a wicket-keeper batsman. Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals went into a bidding war for Sanju Samson in this year's auctions and was subsequently bought by RR for Rs. 8 crores.

Ishan Kishan led India in the U-19 world cup 2016

Hailing from Patna, Ishan Kishan plays for Jharkhand in Ranji matches. He was selected as the captain of the Indian team for the U-19 World Cup 2016. The wicket-keeper batsman has played some good innings in the first class cricket. However, his wicket-keeping still needs some improvement.He was picked by Mumbai Indians in this year's auctions. RCB and MI went into a bidding war for the young prodigy. With age on his side, he looks a strong prospect for India in future.

Harvik played for India in the U-19 world cup 2018

Harvik Desai belongs to Bhavnagar, Saurashtra. He was recently selected as the wicket-keeper batsman for the 2018 U-19 World Cup that India won. Desai played a few good innings in the World Cup. He scored 157 runs at an average of 78. With age on his side, he is only going to get better. He looks a bright prospect and will surely get a chance at some stage. He is short of first-class experience, which he will surely gain over time.

Ankush Bains played for India in the 2014 U-19 World Cup

Born in Hamirpur, Ankush Bains plays for Himachal Pradesh in domestic cricket. The wicket-keeper batsman played for India in the U-19 World Cup 2014. He showed some good form with the bat, despite India bowing out of the World Cup. Bains scored 195 runs in 6 matches and at a good pace. Also, his wicket-keeping is pretty impressive. Ankush is just 22 years old and is a good future prospect for India behind the wickets.

The Kohli-Gambhir altercation didn't go down well with the fans

This is among the worst altercations in IPL. Gambhir and Kohli are renowned cricketers and both of them are from Delhi. The incident happened in a match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2013. When Kohli was walking back after getting out to Balaji's delivery, Gambhir threw few verbals at him. Kohli also retaliated with his choice of words. Rajat Bhatia, who also plays for Delhi with the duo, had to calm things down between them. Later, Gambhir and Kohli were reprimanded by match referee for breaching the code of conduct.

The MI duo had a heated exchange in the field

Harbhajan and Rayudu are expressive cricketers. Both like to be aggressive on the field. Both of them represented Mumbai Indians for a long time. The feud between the duo occurred in a match against Rising Pune Supergiants. Saurabh Tiwary had pulled a ball from Harbhajan. Rayudu put in a full-length dive at the boundary but couldn't prevent the ball from going to the boundary. Harbhajan was not pleased with the effort and let out his frustration. Rayudu, on seeing that, charged towards him. Harbhajan tried to calm down the things but Rayudu snubbed the gesture and walked back. However, they later made peace after the match.

Mishra got the better of Munaf and scored 23 runs in the final over

The match between Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians in the 2011 edition of IPL was full of animated chats. In the last over of Deccan's innings, Amit Mishra was facing Munaf Patel. Amit Mishra collected two boundaries of two balls. An enraged Munaf threw verbals at Mishra. Not the one to back down, Mishra retaliated. As the temperatures soared, the umpires helped calm the situation down. Then after two balls, there was a collision which resulted in another round of verbal spat. Mishra, however, weighed down the incidents, calling them the heat of the hour.

Rayudu had a heated exchange with the RCB players after winning the match

The altercation between Harshal Patel Ambati Rayudu happened in the 2012 edition of IPL. Harshal Patel was playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore while Rayudu was representing Mumbai Indians. The match went down to the wire and MI clinched victory in the final over. However, Rayudu went to use obscene and abusive language towards Harshal Patel after the victory. Harshal Patel, too, charged towards the batsman and had to be stopped by the team-mates. As a result, Rayudu was fined 100% of his match-fee while Harshal Patel was fined 25% of his match-fee.

Harbhajan was banned from IPL 2008 for slapping Sreesanth

Throughout his career, Harbhajan is known for his aggression in the field. He was famously involved in the monkey-gate saga in Australia. In the inaugural season of IPL, Harbhajan was involved in another controversy. The off-spinner was playing for Mumbai Indians. MI lost the game against KXIP. Apparently, when the players were exchanging pleasantries after the match, Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth for mocking. Sreesanth was seen crying and was consoled by his team-mates. Harbhajan was later banned for the whole IPL season. Subsequently, he was suspended for 5 ODI matches as well.

Mitchell Starc sustained a stress fracture during AUS-SA series

The left-arm fast bowler has been in red-hot form in limited overs cricket. He has been the backbone of Aussie bowling ever since Mitchell Johnson retired.Mitchell Starc has previously played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. This season he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping INR 9.40 crores. He was expected to lead the KKR bowling. However, he sustained stress fracture in the tibial bone of his right leg in the ongoing Australia-South Africa series. Subsequently, he won't be taking any part in this year's IPL.

Mitchell Johnson will look to continue his good form

Mitchell Johnson is one of those cricketers who can give credit to the IPL for a paving a way for his national comeback. In 2013, playing for Mumbai Indians Johnson took 24 wickets at an average of 19.13 and an economy of 7.17. After his successful stint with MI, Johnson made a comeback to the Australian Test team.However, he retired from all forms of international cricket in 2015. He has been playing T20 cricket in the IPL and in the Big Bash. In last year’s IPL, he played a crucial part in Mumbai’s title-winning season. He had returns of 3/26 in the final which helped MI defend a modest 129.

He had a decent Big Bash season as well where he took 7 wickets but more importantly has kept the runs down. He bowled with an economy of 6.35 in this year’s BBL. He was bought by KKR for Rs 2 crore and will play a crucial part for them. With Mitchell Starc not playing this year’s IPL, there will be added responsibility on Johnson to deliver and hence he will be a vital member of the KKR set-up.

Amla managed to drop a few jaws with his performances in the IPL

The snub of the South African genius was one of the biggest shocks that came out of the auction in 2018. Hashim Amla, who managed to score 2 IPL centuries and conquer the tournament itself, was ignored at the auction with his former franchise Kings XI Punjab, opting to go for more firepower at the top with the purchase of Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Aaron Finch. The right-handed batsman, who has captivated all with his consistency, came into the tournament after replacing Shaun Marsh in 2016. But, with 577 runs under his belt after 16 matches, the South African proved his detractors wrong.

Joe Root is yet to play an IPL game in his caree

With the absence of one member of the "Fab-4" in the form of Steve Smith, the IPL will be devoid of the England Test captain as well. Joe Root, who came into the IPL auction with a base price of INR 1.5 crore, did not attract any bids and stayed unsold over the three rounds. Despite having a pretty decent T20I record and playing a huge role in England's success in the 2016 World T20 held in India, the middle-order batsman was snubbed by the IPL franchises. The batsman admitted feeling disappointed having gone unsold in the auction. It is a shame that a technically gifted batsman will not be a part of the tournament as the event could have used some class amidst all the hard-hitting that is about to steal the limelight.

Travis Head has been a huge asset for Adelaide Strikers

Storming into the auction with a base price of INR 1.5 Crore, the Australian failed to gather any bids, with his former side Royal Challengers Bangalore looking for other options. Head was part of the 3-time IPL finalists and was given sporadic chances which the 24-year-old managed to utilise over his course of time with the team. Moreover, Head managed to lead the Adelaide Strikers to their maiden Big Bash League title wherein he managed to contribute immensely, by amassing 374 runs with a stellar strike rate of 134. Head has also added off-spin to his arsenal which can enable him to chip in with some overs and thus will be a huge miss in IPL 2018.

Guptill's exploits in the T20 format would have been a huge asset for the IPL franchises

Despite being one of the most clinical players in the shortest format of the game, Martin Guptill has had a hard time convincing the IPL franchises. The destructive New Zealand opener underwent short stints with Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, most of which was spent on the sidelines. Despite Guptill's well-known adversity to spin and not-so-impressive IPL record, the player would have been a perfect backup opener pricing at just INR 50 Lakhs.

The 31-year-old made a huge statement after failing to attract any bidders, by scoring the fastest ton by a Kiwi batsman. The opener's clean hitting, the ability to dominate a powerplay and a liking for mammoth innings, will be sorely missed by the fans all over the world.

Morkel played IPL for three different sides with Rajasthan Royals being the first

The South African, who announced his international retirement, was not picked by any of the IPL franchises at this year's auction. His former side Kolkata Knight Riders opted for a strategy of focusing on death bowlers which became more evident when they picked Tom Curran as a replacement for the injured Mitchell Starc.

Morkel has proved that he belongs in the IPL by generating bounce which has guided his side through several powerplays. The tall pacer has managed to notch up 77 wickets over 70 matches in the IPL, which includes a Purple Cap for his heroics in IPL 2012 for Delhi Daredevils, who managed to top the table in that edition.

Shane Watson has always been an IPL bully

It is important to know that behind every team’s success recipe, there is Australian flavour involved. In the first season, Rajasthan Royals emerged as surprise packages, an anchor in the form of Shane Warne orchestrated a fantastic inaugural season victory, where he perfectly assigned roles to every player and fabricated the right balance, bringing the best out of everyone. He set himself apart as an attacking wicket-taker, claiming 19 scalps in the 2008 season and leading by example. Second on the list is Shane Watson, who put up an all-round show, picking up 17 wickets, four player of the match awards and player of the tournament. In fact, he is the only man to have won the player of the tournament accolade twice. The same season, Shaun Marsh announced himself by winning the Orange Cap for the Kings XI Punjab, helping them to third place.

The Australian captain scores runs by his own ways

Undoubtedly, the Aussie skipper is a player to watch out for. Steve Smith may not be like David Warner, who plays perfect cricketing shots alongside old-fashioned slogs, but he certainly trusts his technique and keeps it simple.Last year, a lot of eyebrows were raised when he was given the captaincy role, despite the availability of IPL's most successful captain, MS Dhoni. But, with his sturdy leadership, team selection and field placements, Rising Pune Supergiant finished the season as runners-up. The fidgety batsman was outshone due to Warner's and Gambhir's leverage but ended the season with a handful of match-winning performances for his side. He scored 472 runs at an average close to 40.

Mitchell Starc will surely be steaming in for the Knight Riders

Feared as the deadliest bowler in present-day cricket, Mitchell Starc will be set to go and lead Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling attack. Starc bowls consistently at a pace of above 145 clicks and is one of the most all-round bowlers at the moment.He garnered praise in the 2015 IPL season, where he picked up 20 wickets in just 13 matches, at a stunning average of 14.55 and an economy of 6.76. With a younger looking bowling line-up consisting of U-19 stars like Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, the onus will be on the New South Wales speedster to deliver the goods.