IPL auction 2020, unsold players: The best of those who missed out
There are always a few shock omissions when the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction comes around. Here we present our top five shocks and a complete list of the unsold players at the IPL 2020 auction.
While some stars won big, including the most expensive overseas buy in IPL history, the IPL 2020 auction did see many big names miss out.
There were several players who arrived with big reputations but were unable to find a team, with many international stars and uncapped freshers failing to earn a deal.
Who do you think was the most unlucky among the list of the players unsold at the IPL 2020 auction?
Carlos Brathwaite (base price: INR 50 L)
Carlos Brathwaite made the world remember his name on that night at the Eden Gardens, making himself hot property in T20 leagues around the world in the process. But although he made one of the great ODI centuries against New Zealand at the 2019 World Cup, Brathwaite’s star has waned in the 16 IPL games he’s played across four seasons, two of them with Delhi Daredevils and the other two with Sunrisers Hyderabad. He averages 13.92 from 14 innings with the bat and has bagged nine wickets while conceding 8.95 runs per over.
Carlos Brathwaite … Remember the name!
Err, no one seems to, though. Unsold. #IPLAuctions2020
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 19, 2019
Martin Guptill (base price: INR 1 crore)
Guptill, currently the third-highest run-scorer in T20 internationals has, somewhat puzzlingly, consistently failed to garner much popularity in the Indian Premier League. The fact that he’s one of only three batsmen to have hit 100 T20I sixes speaks volumes of his ability, but he has just one IPL fifty to his name from 13 matches across three seasons, with a perceived weakness against spin seeing franchises unwilling to fork out huge sums for his services or give him a consistent run in the side. A poor World Cup campaign might also have contributed to a lack of any bids this time round.
The most expensive player (so far) at #IPLAuctions2020 ? pic.twitter.com/fw3ru1cugq
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 19, 2019
Tim Southee (base price: INR 1 crore)
It was a disappointing day for New Zealand’s cricketers in general, with Tim Southee joining Guptill, Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme in going unsold. Southee was part of the Chennai Super Kings during their victorious campaign in 2011 but never really delivered the goods. His 40 matches across seven seasons have resulted in 28 wickets at an average of 46.17 – it seems teams have taken note, ignoring his more impressive international record.
Most expensive buys so far!
Pat Cummins ➡️ INR 15.5 crore to KKR
Glenn Maxwell ➡️ INR 10.75 crore to KXIP
Chris Morris ➡️ INR 10 crore to RCB
Sam Curran ➡️ INR 5.5 crore to CSK
Eoin Morgan ➡️ INR 5.25 crore to KKR#IPLAuction2020
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 19, 2019
Yusuf Pathan (base price: INR 1 crore)
Pathan has adorned some of the IPL’s most memorable moments, and has won the title on three occasions: for Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural edition in 2008 and later for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2012 and 2014. His 37-ball century against Mumbai Indians in the 2010 edition stood as the fastest in the tournament until it was overhauled by Chris Gayle in 2013.
The all-rounder was bought for a whopping INR 9.66 crore by KKR in 2011, before being released ahead of the 2018 season, and there was little return to form to speak of during two seasons at Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 2019 he returned just 40 runs at an average of 13.33 with a strike rate of 88.89.
Ben Cutting (base price: INR 75 L)
Cutting has a strong reputation as a T20 all-rounder across the globe and has been a consistent performer for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. He starred for Sunrisers in the final of the 2016 edition against RCB, scoring an unbeaten 39 off 15 before bagging the key wickets of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul as SRH lifted their maiden IPL title. He has failed to set the world alight in recent seasons however.
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 19, 2019
Complete list of unsold players at the IPL 2020 auction:
India internationals: Hanuma Vihari, Cheteshwar Pujara, Yusuf Pathan, Stuart Binny, Naman Ojha, Manoj Tiwary, Rishi Dhawan, Barinder Sran
Overseas internationals: Colin de Grandhomme, Henrich Klassen, Mushfiqur Rahim, Kusal Perera, Shai Hope, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Adam Zampa, Hayden Walsh Jr, Zahir Khan, Evin Lewis, Colin Ingram, Martin Guptill, Carlos Brathwaite, Andile Phehlukwayo, Colin Munro, Ben Cutting, Anrich Nortje, Mark Wood, Alzarri Joseph, Mustafizur Rahman, Adam Milne, Jason Holder, Sean Abbott, Matt Henry, James Pattinson, Liam Plunkett, Kesrick Williams
India uncapped: Manjot Kalra, Rohan Kadam, Harpreet Bhatia, Shahrukh Khan, Kedar Devdhar, Srikar Bharat, Ankush Bains, Vishnu Vinod, Kulwant Khejroliya, KC Cariappa, Midhun Sudeshan, Ayush Badoni, Praveen Dubey, Shams Mulani, Rahul Shukla, Sumit Kumar, Aryan Juyal, Kuldeep Sen, Yudhvir Charak, Sujit Nayak, Vaibhav Arora, Saurabh Dubey
Overseas uncapped: Riley Meredith, Daniel Sams, George Garton, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad
