IPL Auctions 2018: 5 New Zealand players who could start a bidding war
Unlike the brown birds native to New Zealand, the Kiwis have flown high in the IPL over the years, trading their unmistakable black jerseys for different hues in the ten seasons of the tournament. The fireworks of the brand itself were set alight by a brazen Brendon McCullum in 2008, and his countrymen have carried on the legacy in different ways, from Mitchell McClenaghan's dream spells to Ross Taylor's stunning leg-side hoicks.
IPL 2018 promises to be another such year, with as many as 24 Kiwi players having enlisted for the auctions.
Five of them, courtesy their unmatched prowess in the shortest format, could start a bidding war amongst the franchises:
#5 Luke Ronchi
A rather surprising name on this list, Ronchi has experienced the IPL in the past, albeit for an extremely limited duration.
The 36-year-old's stint with the Mumbai Indians in 2008 and 2009 did not go according to plan though as he featured in just five matches, aggregating 34 runs with a high score of 13.
However, his game has come leaps and bounds since then and he has become a T20 mercenary of sorts, offering his services to franchises across the globe. Ronchi excelled in T20s in 2017, scoring over 1000 runs at a strike rate of nearly 180, making him one of the top players last year.
Almost all the franchises will be on the lookout for a destructive wicket-keeper batsman and at INR 75 lakhs, Ronchi will not burn too big a hole in their pockets.