5 ODI captains who won't feature in IPL 2019
The IPL this year is set to be a slightly less fun affair than usual. Some of the top international stars have opted out with the World Cup in mind, and a few players will return halfway through the tournament due to restrictions posed by their cricket boards.
That might throw the captaincy issue in particular into disarray. Although most teams prefer to have Indian players as captains, teams like Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have opted to have foreign players as captain.
Steven Smith has done a good job with Rajasthan and Kane Williamson showed his experience as the Kiwi national captain by leading the SRH side last year. That being said, as many as 7 international ODI captains from the top 10 ranked teams won't be a part of the IPL this year.
Here are 5 International captains who won't feature in the IPL.
Selection criterion: The captain must have given his name for the auction previously or must have been part of an IPL franchise.
Honorable mention: Asghar Afghan, the Afghanistan ODI captain, hadn't given his name for any IPL auction in the past and hence his name doesn't feature in this list.
Note: Sarfraz Ahmed (Pakistan captain) has been excluded because he hasn't been allowed to play.
#5 Jason Holder (West Indies)
Jason Holder is the captain of the West Indies team which is slowly rising in stature. Before the emergence of Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer and Kraigg Brathwaite, Holder was the lone ranger for the Windies and often waged long battles in losing causes with both bat and ball.
Holder is in fact the 4th-ranked all-rounder in the ICC Test rankings, and 9th in the ICC ODI rankings. Typically a No. 8 batsman and bowler who bowls at all stages of the match, Holder has great T20 potential but hasn't lived up to it the way some Windies stars like Bravo or Russell have.
He went unsold this IPL auction in both the rounds, and his base price of Rs. 75 lakh was probably too high amidst the competition from others.
Holder has played for the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, and has picked up five wickets in 11 matches with an economy of 8.50.