5 players from the 'minnows' who deserve to get an IPL contract

The group stage has flown by and in the years of World Cup cricket to come, it might well be considered the most important one in cricket's history. That will partly be because cricket’s governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC), timed their belief in fewer teams (and by extension, only the top 10 teams) at the 2019 World Cup poorly, bringing about spirited cricket from teams traditionally known as minnows during the World Cup. Indeed, it brought about performances of such calibre that come the next World Cup, the measure of whom we consider minnows will be tougher to call than whom we consider favourites. Another consequence of this surge from the minnows could be that the Indian Premier League (IPL), the most high-profile T20 league in the world, might start to look at these players as viable options considering the fact that they won't be as expensive as the players from the top teams and yet could have the same impact. This collection of players might be a good place to start:

#1 Brendan Taylor

Arguably the greatest batsman from the minnows over the last decade, the farewell Brendan Taylor received after his last match for Zimbabwe, against India, provides testimony to the high regard that Taylor is held in among cricketing circles.

Taylor was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 2014 IPL auctions, but he, unfortunately, didn’t get to play a single game for the franchise. Over the last couple of years, he has batted better than he ever has, and with his decision to now become a “Kolpak” player and end his international career, the 29-year-old can be an extremely useful player in the IPL. His ability is also backed by impressive career stats which show that he can also be destructive, a side of him that has seldom been on display thanks to the need to more often than not consolidate the innings when playing for Zimbabwe.

Given the fact that he is also a reliable wicketkeeper and a fairly strong leader, Taylor is a valuable cricketer that will enhance any side in the world.