IPL 2019: 4 top-ranked T20I stars in ICC ranking who could miss the tournament
With the upcoming IPL 2019 auction occurring at Jaipur on December 18, the franchises must be shortlisting the players whom they are going to target this time. The ICC Cricket World Cup, which is happening in a fortnight after the IPL finals, could be thwarting the preparation of the franchises.
The teams and their owners are not clear on players availability till now. The players from countries like Australia and England will not be available during the final third of the tournament as they need to be in the World Cup preparation camps from May 1st week. This will result in major names from Australia and England missing out the tournament this time.
As far as the batting department is concerned, the IPL 2019 will most likely miss six of the world's best 10 T20 batsmen in the world. Similarly, five of the top 10 T20I bowlers will most likely not play a part in this tournament. Also, eight of the 10 world's best T20I all-rounders may miss the grand event.
This slideshow covers the top four players who may not play any part in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2019.
#1 Aaron Finch - Australia
Aaron Finch is currently the No.3 T20I batsman in the ICC rankings. He is right behind Babar and Munro with 806 points.
The Australian opener was released by Kings XI Punjab surprising everyone during the transfer window. His participation in the ICC ODI World Cup would have played a huge part in Kings XI not retaining him. Also, Finch may miss the initial weeks of the IPL tournament as the Australian team is scheduled to play Pakistan in an ODI series in late March.
It is most likely that Finch may go unsold in the upcoming auction as he will be available only during the middle phase of the tournament.