IPL 2018: Stokes, Kohli and Nepal's Lamichhane among 10 players to watch in Indian Premier League this season

Swipe left/right on your browser to see who else made Paul Radley's list and also read why

1. Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals). There was a huge weight of expectation when the England all-rounder debuted in the IPL last year, given the vast sum lavished to get him there. He repaid Rising Pune Supergiant in style, picking up three man-of-the-match awards in 12 games. Were he still around for the final, they might well have been champions. Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP

2. Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore). The most expensive player in the IPL is tasked with finding the answer to a conundrum that neither he or any of a vast array of stars has been able to manage so far. Namely, how to make a franchise who regularly counts the most headline acts in any squad in the league winners for the first time. Punit Paranje / AFP

3. Mujeeb Zadran (Kings XI Punjab). Where Rashid Khan led last year, three more Afghans have followed this time around, by making the cut at the IPL auction. Mujeeb set a new record, as the 16-year-old became the youngest player to be signed to the league. A mystery spinner who could take the new ball, it will be intriguing to see how he fares. Nezar Balout / AFP

4. Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians). The way Mumbai Indians stole last year’s final from a seemingly unwinnable position against Rising Pune Supergiant last season spoke much of Rohit’s canniness as a leader. The Indian stroke-maker also has the third highest aggregate of runs in IPL history, after Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli. Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP

5. Sandeep Lamichhane (Delhi Daredevils). Delhi Daredevils landed millions more supporters at a stroke when they made the 17-year-old leg-spinner the first Nepal cricketer to feature in the IPL. Still very young, but he has shown he is already a fine talent in the past two months representing his country in the World Cricket League and World Cup Qualifier. AFP

6. Washington Sundar (Royal Challengers Bangalore). RCB won out in a duel at auction with Kings XI Punjab for the services of the 18-year-old off-spinner. He was miserly with the ball as Rising Pune Supergiant reached the final in 2017, and was similarly thrifty as India won the Nidahas Trophy ahead of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, when he was named player of the series. Indranil Mukherjee / AFP

7. D’Arcy Short (Rajasthan Royals). The 27-year-old left-hander was a revelation in this winter’s Big Bash League, finishing as the leading run-scorer with 504 runs in 10 games. He was subsequently capped for Australia, and landed a deal to play for Rajasthan Royals. His trip to India has been delayed, though, over the processing of his new passport. Phil Walter / Getty Images

8. Colin Munro (Delhi Daredevils). The left-handed opener was ranked as the world’s No 1 T20 batsman when the auction took place in January, and the side from India’s capital promptly snapped him up. The New Zealander is the only batsman to have scored three T20 international centuries. Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP

9. Rashid Khan (Sunrisers Hyderabad). If Mujeeb Zadran is the new Rashid Khan – a young, Afghan, bolter who bowls spin and is difficult to pick – then Sunrisers will be content in the knowledge the original is the best T20 bowler in the world. Rashid cemented his international renown by starring for Hyderabad last year. Money Sharma / AFP

10. Heinrich Klaasen (Rajasthan Royals). The South African wicketkeeper has had a second sliding doors moment in the space of two months. In February, he ended up starring on international debut in a game he was originally struggling to get tickets for to watch as a fan. Now he has been summoned into the IPL as a late replacement for the banned Australian Steve Smith. Christiaan Kotze / AFP

The 11th iteration of the annual Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament will pit eight franchises against each other.

Like in the previous years, it has pulled many of the world's best players in the shortest format of the game to the subcontinent to showcase their talents. And even though there is a limit to how many overseas stars can be included in any given XI – four – The National's Paul Radley has picked out seven of them among the 10 players he reckons we should watch this season.

Of the 10, some are household names, such as England all-rounder Ben Stokes and India captain Virat Kohli. But he has also earmarked some less-established players for success in this IPL season, as well as in the years to come.

Swipe or click left/right on your browser to see who all have made the list and why.

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In pictures: Nepal star Sandeep Lamichhane trains ahead of IPL 2018

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