Can't understand how players like Manoj Tiwary went unsold in IPL 2020 auction: Murali Kartik

Former India spinner Murali Kartik has come down hard on Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises after domestic cricket legend Manoj Tiwary went unsold in the auction once again. The Bengal star had failed to attract suitors in the last auction too and his fortunes did not change in the just-concluded auction either.

The turn of events are really surprising since Tiwary is not only one of the most consistent batsmen in the domestic arena for years now but has also proved himself in the IPL. He was an integral part of the Kolkata Knight Riders team that won the IPL in 2012. A couple of years ago, he played a key role in Rising Pune Supergiant’s stunning march to the final.

However, he fell out of favour after his disastrous stint with Kings XI Punjab in 2018. The right-handed batsman managed to score just 47 runs from 5 innings and was released by the franchise. He is yet to get an IPL contract since then. But Murali Kartik is not at all impressed with the treatment of Tiwary by the franchise.

The ex-cricketer-turned-commentator took to Twitter to express his anguish. He stated that it was tough for him to accept that players like Tiwary as well as Pragyan Ojha and S Badrinath went unsold in the IPL.

“I dont tweet a lot,this is somewhat late since the auctions were a few days ago,but can’t understand how players like @tiwarymanoj not be picked,these are guys who have given everything for the franchise they played for.other players who come to mind @s_badrinath & @pragyanojha,” wrote Murali Kartik.

I dont tweet a lot,this is somewhat late since the auctions were a few days ago,but can't understand how players like @tiwarymanoj not be picked,these are guys who have given everything for the franchise they played for.other players who come to mind @s_badrinath & @pragyanojha

— Kartik Murali (@kartikmurali) December 21, 2019

Big names went unsold in IPL 2020

Manoj Tiwary, nonetheless, is not the only big name who went unsold in the auction. His former Knight Riders teammate Yusuf Pathan failed to attract bids either. The likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Tim Southee, Martin Guptill are some of the other big names who could not get any suitors in the auction.

Meanwhile, Australia Pat Cummins became the costliest player at the auction. In fact, he became the costliest overseas player of all time after Knight Riders spent a staggering amount of INR 15.50 crore to sign him up.

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