The IPL auction for 2022 has already been completed. And while 204 players have been sold, some big names remain to be sold. Today we will tell you about 10 of them and the reasons why they may have been left out this season.
#1 Tabraiz Shamsi
This South African star player has proved his worth on the field. He is a right-handed batsman and his iconic pitch is his unorthodox spin bowling.
He is in the top ICC T20 players, but his cost for this year’s auction was Rs 1 crore. That may sound like a fair price for a star player, but not being an Indian, it seems quite a steep cost.
#2 Chris Lynn
This Australian cricketer had a base price of Rs 1.50 crore. He is an explosive top-order batsman. But his feats in Indian teams have not been among the best.
In fact, in the IPL 2021, Mumbai Indians hired him for the base price of Rs. 2.0 crore and he played in only one match.
It is true that his performance was exceptional, scoring 49 runs at a strike rate of 140. But what you expect to get from a player for such a high value is that he should be involved in at least half the matches.
#3 Dawid Malan
For this season of the IPL 2022, the base price for the English player started at Rs. 1.50 crore. Though he is among the top 5 ICC’s T20I batsmen ranking, his performance in the last few games has been declining terribly.
And it has not only been noticed that he is not performing as well on the field. But also, when he does manage to improve a bit and score, he does it alone. And this is something that no team wants, as it will negatively influence the overall performance of the team.
#4 Suresh Raina
This may be one of the best cricketers in India. He is 35 years old and has played more than 200 matches. He has an average run score of 32.51 which is exceptionally good.
In fact, in the rankings, he is just behind Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Shikhar Dhawan. He has a better strike rate than them. So what happened that he wasn’t sold?
We believe there were two factors. The first is that his base price was Rs. 2 crore. While that is a fair price for such a successful star cricketer, it is a bit high for a player in his 30s.
And mind you, his fitness is among the best. But the fact that he is over 30 works against him technically and performance-wise.
#5 Steve Smith
Known as the racing machine, this Australian athlete has been surprised not to be sold at auction.
Its base price was Rs. 2 crore. He played for the Delhi Capitals last year and managed to score 152 runs, with a strike rate of 112.59 and an average of 34.51.
So what happened? He performed exceptionally well, but no team dared to take him. Our guess is based on the fact that he had surgery a couple of years ago for an elbow injury.
That, while he has fully recovered, it has left clear signs of restrictions for some movements in his white-ball stroke play.
#6 Shakib Al Hasan
The Bangladeshi cricketer and businessman have been left out this year. And for many, it has come as a big surprise due to his excellent performance and being second in the ICC rankings.
His base price was Rs. 2.0 crore. He is 34 years old and has featured in 71 matches in the IPL. He has scored 793 runs in total and is averaging 19.82 with a strike rating of 124.49.
So what happened? We think it had a hell of a lot to do with his poor performance in IPL 2021 when he was playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. And that’s because during the eight matches he played in, he only managed to score 47 runs. Not to mention that he managed just four wickets.
#7 Adil Rashid
This English cricketer is ranked third in the ICC’s T20I player rankings. He is 34 years old and has only participated once in the IPL as a bowler.
His base price for the IPL 2022 auction was Rs. 2.0 crore. And this, we believe, was the main reason why no team took him.
Though he is one of the best in ICC T20I, he has almost no experience in the IPL. And what’s more, his performance the one time he participated with Punjab Kings was not as exceptional as it used to be in other events.
#8 Imran Tahir
The Pakistan cricket veteran has been caught out at the IPL 2022 auction as he was not sold. He is almost 43 years old. He has featured in 59 IPL matches, with 33 runs scored, 59 innings, 1703 runs scored, a strike rate of 89.19, and a batting average of 20.77.
His base price for this season was Rs. 2.0 crore. But what has really affected this year’s auction is his age. For even though he is a veteran who gives all the fielding, the franchises this year have opted to go for fresh talent.
#9 Eoin Morgan
The English left-handed batsman had a base price of Rs. 1.50 crore. And while it is true that he has a long history in the IPL, his performance in the last season was pretty disastrous at-bat.
For though he led Kolkata Knight Riders to the final of the IPL 2021, his performance was not a big part of this victory. That, coupled with his high cost, is what kept him out of this season.
#10 Cheteshwar Pujara
The Indian cricketer, who plays as a batsman, has appeared in 30 IPL matches, with 390 runs scored and a strike rating of 99.74.
His base price was Rs 50 lakh, the same as last year when CSK decided to buy him. But to bad luck and surprise, this year he was not sold. According to the athlete’s own words, the move is very much related to the fact that the franchises this year are betting more on young talent and less on veterans.