The IPL is just two months away and so the excitement of the tournament keeps on increasing as we get to close to it. The IPL Player auction for this season was held on the 19th of December in Kolkata and all the teams are ready with their squads. It was an auction for the overseas players as they got the big bucks.
Many overseas batsmen and fast bowlers got a lot of money but many overseas spinners went unsold. Over the years, there hasn’t been much demand for the overseas spinners and rightly so. Spin bowling is a skill set that is available in abundance in India. The overseas players get a green signal when the skill set which they possess isn’t available in India.
India has limited seam bowling all-rounders and hence these kinds of players get a lot of attention in the auction. Even though many overseas spinners don’t get picked in the IPL, there are a few who have come here and done extremely well.
On that note, let’s have a look at three overseas spinners who have done well in the IPL.
- Imran Tahir – DC, RPS, CSK
The South African leg-spinner will be part of IPL 2020 at the age of 40. Imran Tahir has played for three different franchises and he has been brilliant for all three of them. He started his IPL career with the Delhi Daredevils now known as the Delhi Capitals.
In the 2017 auction, he went unsold in the auction but later on was called in as a replacement for Mitchel Marsh by the Rising Pune Supergiant. He was instrumental in taking the RPS to the final of IPL 2017. When CSK returned from the ban, they picked him up for his base price in the auction. He has repaid his faith for the CSK team as he won the purple cap in the last season.
In 55 games he has picked up 79 wickets at an economy rate of 7.88 and there is no doubt that he will amongst the wickets once again in this season. Imran Tahir is one of the overseas spinners who has done well in the IPL and hence he makes this list at No.3.
- Rashid Khan – SRH:
Rashid Khan was picked up by the SRH team in 2017 for 4 CR. A lot of people didn’t know much about him and hence it came as a surprise when a spinner from Afghanistan was getting such a huge amount.
Rashid Khan has completed three seasons in the IPL and the batsmen still don’t know how to play him. In the 46 games which he has played, he has picked up 55 wickets at a staggering economy rate of 6.55. Many times, Rashid Khan has won SRH games which they shouldn’t have won.
SRH has defended totals that aren’t defended regularly and the main reason for that is their mystery spinner, Rashid Khan. His quick speed and arm action make it difficult to pick him. He is one of the best leg-spinners in the world right now and hence he had to feature in this list.
- Sunil Narine – KKR
Sunil Narine is the only overseas spinner to pick up 100+ wickets in the Indian Premier League. In 110 games, he has picked up 122 wickets at an economy rate of 6.68. Just like Rashid Khan, many people didn’t know much about him when he was first picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders.
But it was a terrific decision by the KKR team as he has been phenomenal for them. His class bowling was one of the main reasons why KKR won the trophy in 2012 and 2014. Since his action has been remodeled, he hasn’t been that effective but still the KKR team has backed him.
From the last couple of years, he added a new dimension as he started to contribute with the bat. If you look at the top players of the IPL then Sunil Narine makes that list!
