There were some big names that went unsold in an IPL auction that saw franchises bleeding the money and South African all-rounder Chris Morris becoming the most expensive player in the tournament’s history.
Here are some players who would have expected to make a lot of money but surprisingly didn’t find any buyers in the auction:
Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch
Australian limited captain, Aaron Finch, who was released prior to the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) auction, was surprisingly unsold. Finch couldn’t live up to last season’s expectations. He scored just 268 runs in 12 games and scored just half a century.
Although Finch has been a very stable batsman at the top of the Australian rankings and his T20 numbers are flattering, he has not been able to replicate that form in the IPL in recent years. Finch has scored 9,251 runs in 314 games in the game’s shortest format.
Alex Hales
Alex Hales
English batsman Alex Hales of the highest order would have expected to be on the watch list of many franchises after his daring form in the Big Bash League, but was not sold. Hales, who was banned from the England Cricket Board for his off-field behavior, had 543 runs for the Sydney Thunders with an average of 38.79 and a hit rate of 161.61.
Like Hales, his English compatriot, hard hitting opener Jason Roy, was not sold.
Sam Billings
Sam Billings
Like Hales and Roy, Sam Billings was the other English batsman who found no buyers in the auction. The wicket keeper could have been a great acquisition for any franchise as he can be a real match winner with the bat.
Billings was in incredible shape in English last summer when he averaged over 78 in six games at a time. His IPL form was more modest: 334 runs from 17 games with an average of 17.57.
However, due to its high base price of Rs 2 crore, teams may not have shown interest in acquiring it.
Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill
For the second time in a row, New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill was not sold. Guptill, which had been published by Sunrisers Hyderabad before the IPL 2020 auction, had not found any buyers last year either.
Although his limited overs are good and he also has an ODI double hundred in his account, Guptill has never had consistent form in the IPL with 270 runs from 13 games at an average of 22.5. Despite its great clout, the franchises played it safe and didn’t want to rely on the aging kiwi superstar.
Mitchell McClenaghan
Mitchell McClenaghan
Even when Riley Meredith won 8 rupees at auction, the fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan was not sold. The Kiwi Quick has become a good performer in the IPL and once led the bowling line-up of the Mumbai Indians.
McClenaghen’s IPL stats are great with 71 wickets out of 56 games. He also has a good ability to roll Yorkers on death. But lately, when old age caught up with him, he had fallen from grace.
