The game of cricket comes with its own share of uncertainty!! When it comes to the shortest format of the game, lady luck too plays a big part in the success of a cricketer. Indian Premier League (IPL) has over the years been a cricketing fest over the summer with players from all over getting an opportunity to showcase their talent by being part of the franchise that has hand-picked them. While it is true that all the big players who love this short form of the game, look forward to be part of the IPL carnival, there have been many big players who have not been seen in action, with them being left out as ‘unsold’ in th big IPL auctions.
Today, we at IWMBuzz.com talk about such players who have lost out on varied grounds and have failed to catch the eye at the IPL auctions.
Check them here.
Hashim Amla:
The gutsy South African batsman had a bad IPL auction in the year 2018. He was quoted a base price of Rs 1.5 Crore, but lady luck did not favour him. He remained unsold even after being one of the top run-getters in the previous edition of IPL with 420 runs.
Michael Hussey:
The prolific opener in the Chennai Super Kings team found no place in IPL with his franchise getting banned in 2015. When he returned to the auction pool in the next year, there were no takers for him. However, he has been associated with his team Chennai Super Kings as the batting coach.
Evin Lewis:
The flamboyant West Indian batter scored big with 382 runs for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2018. However, he was dropped with Quinton de Kock coming into the team. Lewis however, remained unsold when he returned to the auction pool in the following year.
Shaun Marsh:
A great asset to any team, with his batting as well as bowling capabilities, Shaun Marsh had no takers in the year 2018 in the IPL auctions. Also, consistent nagging injuries have forced him to stay away for many seasons of IPL.
Dale Steyn:
Dale Steyn has always been a great bowler capable of delivering the goods in times of need. However, he has been susceptible to injuries, which meant that his IPL career was a bit too hampered. The South African bowler missed the entire year of 2017 owing to an injury, post which he did not get any takers in IPL auctions.
Lasith Malinga:
Lasith Malinga has overall had a great IPL career, being one of the ace bowlers in the Mumbai Indians attack where he was mostly part of. However, he went unsold in the IPL 2018 auctions. Post this, Malinga was roped in by the Mumbai Indians team as the bowling coach.
Tilakaratne Dilshan:
This Srilankan batsman had a great international career and was going top guns for Srilanka. Despite scoring 1160 ODI runs in 2013, Dilshan was left unsold in IPL.
Doug Bollinger:
This Australian speedster was instrumental in taking Chennai Super Kings to the trophy in 2010. However, he had a series of injuries in the subsequent years which saw him being in the unsold players list in IPL 2014.
Eoin Morgan:
The England captain and master player remained unsold in the year 2018 in IPL auctions, only to return as the spearheading Captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the later years. However, his inefficiency as a batsman in the IPL test failed him many times. In the 2022 auction, he again remained unsold.
Brendon McCullum:
The New Zealand striker was a big asset to the Kolkata Knight Riders team in his prime. He was one of their prolific scorers. But in the year 2019, McCullum remained unsold in the IPL auction. However, he secured himself with a long-lasting association with Kolkata Knight Riders as their coach.
Suresh Raina:
He has always been one of the strong pillars of Chennai Super Kings. However, things changed for him when he had to opt out of the IPL last year when he faced grave personal problems. When he was polled up for IPL auction in 2022, it came as a shocker that Chennai Super Kings did not buy him back. The once-big-scorer, Raia remained unsold.
Steve Smith:
The problem with a player like Steve Smith for many teams is that they are not very sure about the kind of role he has to play. Smith, the fearless batter has been shuffled in the batting order often, and this has not yielded results. Once touted to be one of the strong pillars of the growing Rajasthan Royals team, Steve Smith lost his place, never to gain a bid. In 2022 auctions, Steve Smith was surprisingly unsold.
The other big players who have remained unsold at some point of time include Angelo Mathews, Adam Zampa, Shakib Al Hasan, Imran Tahir, Jason Roy, Aaron Finch.
Are you enjoying this edition’s IPL? Do you miss any of your favourite players who have remained unsold? Do write to us.
