IPL Unsold XI

The IPL auction is the news which is trending everywhere. While many players got sold at exuberant prices and some players’ price went unquoted, here are some men who despite of their unquestionable capabilities went unsold this season.

OPENERS

Hashim Amla – Opener, Vice Captain: The South African ‘run machine’ is one of the biggest stars to remain unsold in the IPL auctions this year. It comes as a big surprise considering that 2014 was indeed very incredible for him. He garnered 892 runs, the highest, for his country in ODIs. To everyone’s disbelief, he made to the team of unsold players as an opener.

Kumar Sangakkara-Opener, Wicket Keeper, and Captain: The unsold Sri Lankan star, base price: Rs 1 crore, too came out as a huge revelation. With his ability to hit the ball hard coupled with skilled captaincy and wicket keeping, he had always led his team, stood at the front and batted at the top.

TOP ORDER

Cheteshwar Pujara: Though a substandard limited-over player, he has some fine skills and can play match winning knocks. The base price of Rs 1 crore was a steal for the skills this man possesses.

Mahela Jayawardene: With a total of 1802 runs in IPL and a terrific strike rate of 123, the 37 year old Sri Lankan has shown no signs of ageing over the years. Remaining unsold in the auctions would have been a big let-down for him considering his phenomenal talent with the bat.

MIDDLE ORDER

Abhinav Mukund: 25 year old Abhinav Mukund remained unsold this year as well. He unveiled his talents at a very tender age and has given some impressive performances in domestic cricket which earns him this place in our team of unsold players down at number 3.

Venugopal Rao: Shuffling between Delhi and Hyderabad over the years in IPL, Rao remained unsold this year despite a low base price of Rs 30 lakhs along with some impressive performances over the years in this cash rich tournament. A good, aggressive batsman with a strike rate of 117 and 985 runs in 65 matches in IPL, Venugopal Rao can provide capital finish to the game batting down the order.

Rajagopal Satish: Among the few unsold all-rounders, Rajagopal Satish is a handy batsman down the order. His bowling and fielding flair further justifies the reason for his inclusion in our team, especially with a base price of Rs 20 lakhs.

Ajantha Mendis: The Sri Lankan genius, famous for his unorthodox action and his ability to ball a wide variety of deliveries, is always difficult to pick in the T20 conditions. With Indian pitches largely favouring the spinners, his experience of 19 tests and 83 ODIs would have been handy for any team.

BOWLERS

Pankaj Singh: This year’s IPL could have been a perfect platform to prove his mettle to the selectors given the injury of Ishant Sharma. He was unsold in the auctions, despite making his Tests debut against England in 2014.

Lakshmipathy Balaji: He is one of the most experienced IPL players to have been left out this year. Having played 73 IPL matches, he knocked off 76 wickets including a hat trick and a five wicket haul. He is an experienced bowler at the death overs and with his speed variations, he would have been a great deal at Rs 50 lakhs.

Sarabjit Ladda: A decent domestic season at his back, Punjab’s spinner Sarabjit Ladda would accompany Ajantha Mendis well in our team.

edited by Bhavna Rachuri