IPL Auction can often turn out to be a life changing moment for any cricketer. IPL is deemed as the best T20 league in the world and players aim to get an opportunity to play in the IPL. A nod in the IPL auction not only helps a player financially but also recognizes his potential to feature alongside the best in the world. However, there are times when a downward slope in one's career can draw curtains over IPL aspirations. It can also coincide with the availability of potent options in the auction pool leading to some players going unsold in the auction.
IPL 2022 auction also brought contrasting feeling for players who find themselves at opposite ends of the tunnel. The likes of Avesh Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Deepak Chahar, and others went for big bucks. At the same time, a host of experienced campaigners couldn't interest any of the ten IPL franchise during the auction. We take a close look at five such big names who were part of the IPL 2022 auction unsold players list.
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Big Names Who went Unsold in IPL Auction
Here's a look at the list of Top-5 players who went unsold in IPL auction 2022:
1. Suresh Raina
Known as the Mr.IPL, the exclusion of Suresh Raina is in itself a significant moment in the IPL. Over the years, Raina was one of the most consistent batters in the league. Except for the last couple of season, the CSK batter had delivered for his franchise on a numerous occasions. He was a bankable player for Chennai Super Kings at No.3 throughout his IPL career.
Suresh's consistency can be estimated from the fact that he scored over 350 runs in each IPL season until 2019. The Southpaw entered the IPL 2022 auction at a base price of INR 2 Crores but couldn't find interest from any of the franchise to bid for him. A lot of Raina fans have even expressed their outrage towards CSK for not bidding for their ‘Chinna Thala' in the auction.
2. Eoin Morgan
England Captain Eoin Morgan was another notable absentee from the list of players who could find a bid in the IPL 2022 auction. Morgan's failure to find any takers in the auction comes after he led Kolkata Knight Riders to IPL final in 2021. While he had a torrid time with the bat for KKR, it didn't hamper his team's winning run in the second half of IPL 2021.
The 35-year old could have proved to be captaincy options for a lot of teams who were looking for a captain ahead of the auction. However, his extended struggle for form didn't help his cause in the auction. In IPL 2021, Morgan struggled throughout the season before ending with 133 runs in 17 matches at an average of 11.08.
3. Aaron Finch
Australia T20 World Cup winning skipper Aaron Finch was another prominent player who was rendered without an IPL contract in the auction. For a second time in a row, Finch went unsold at the IPL player auction. The opening batter entered the auction at a base price of INR 1.5 Cr. Despite his recent success with the Australian T20I team, he failed to attract any bids.
He last played in the IPL for RCB in 2020 and had a lean run of form in the UAE. His recent decline, especially in his T20 game, is one of the reasons for his constant failures to break through in any of the IPL teams.
4. Steve Smith
One of the best Test batsmen of the modern era, Steve Smith's T20 stats don't instill enough confidence in his efficiency at a T20 player. He relies a lot on his ability to acquire crease for longer periods of time, a skill which isn't greatly valued in the shortest format. Even in the past, Smith has often failed to quickly switch through the gears in a T20 inning. He bats at a strike rate nearing 100 which doesn't augur well with the demands of T20 cricket.
In the 2022 IPL auction, Smith was placed in the highest base price bracket of INR 2 Crores. It was no surprise that he wasn't picked in the auction despite doing a decent job with Delhi Capitals in 2021.
5. Shakib Al Hasan
Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan is one of the best all-rounders in white-ball cricket. The Southpaw packs a punch with his all-round abilities to find place in any playing XI for either skill. Despite that fact, he failed to garner any interest in the IPL 2022 auction. With a base price of INR 2 Crores, none of the IPL franchise felt interested to rope the services of the all-rounder.
Shakib has been associated with KKR and SRH in the previous few IPL seasons. He has played 71 matches so far, scoring 793 runs and scalping 63 wickets. Even in IPL 2021, he wasn't the first-choice player for KKR in the playing XI but found a way to play eight games on spin-friendly pitches in the UAE. His exclusion from IPL 2022 has definitely raised a few eyebrows over his future in the IPL.
