IPL 2019: Best Unsold XI after the auction

The much anticipated IPL auction was a one-day affair held at Jaipur where 351 players went under the hammer. The players retention and release lists were announced in the month of November. The eight city-based franchises will compete for the coveted trophy in a nearly two-month tournament next year probably from March.

The auction witnessed some of the relatively unknown names ending up as the highest earning players. On the contrary, some of the biggest names in T20 cricket globally were given a pass by the franchises which raised a lot of eyebrows. Names such as Luke Ronchi, Alex Hales, Adam Zampa, Daniel Christian, Ben McDermott could have bridged the gaps for the struggling teams. But they won’t be featuring in the IPL next year.

Here we bring you the unsold XI of the IPL auction:

1. Luke Ronchi

The retired Kiwi batsman is one of the hottest free agents in T20 cricket today. Ronchi is one of the few cricketers to play for two nations. Born in New Zealand and brought up in Australia, he was an irregular fixture in the Australian side.

The 37-year old made his debut for the Blackcaps in 2013 and had a considerably good career before announcing his retirement in 2017. Since then, the veteran has been a household name in franchise cricket around the globe and was announced as the Man of the tournament in 2018 edition of PSL, having amassed 435 runs. The New Zealander came in the auction with a base price of 75 lakhs, however, surprisingly found no buyers.

2. Alex Hales

Alex Hales became the first batsman from England to smash a century in T20 Internationals and is still the only one from the country to achieve the feat. The English cricketer was chosen to replace David Warner for Sunrisers Hyderabad and played six matches for the franchise but had to spend more time on the sidelines.

Hales was impressive in his debut, scoring 45, however, he was released ahead of the IPL auction. The 29-year old, with a wealth of experience behind him in T20s could’ve been a very good buy in the auction but was given a pass. It was surprising to see none of the franchise showed any interest in him despite the fact that he has played some mindboggling knocks in T20s.

3. Naman Ojha

Naman Ojha was once very much in the scheme of things for the Indian set up. He is an experienced campaigner in the IPL and has been part of numerous teams including Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, and Rajasthan Royals.

In spite of being a giant in the first-class arena, the wicketkeeper-batsman couldn’t quite show the consistency in the shortest format. But the 35-year old is still quite capable of producing match-winning knocks under pressure. Ojha couldn’t have been a bad buy as he can bat anywhere in the line-up and is a specialist wicketkeeper, the job which is very under-rated in the T20s.

4. Manoj Tiwary

Manoj Tiwary had been endorsed as the pillar of India’s middle-order once but a combination of misfortune and injury had derailed his career. He has been part of Kolkata Knight Riders, Kings XI Punjab, and now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant.

The 33-year old was also the part of Kolkata’s winning team in 2012 and 2014 edition of the IPL. The Bengal batsman had a good run in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy with 366 runs at an average of 52. The franchises may have missed out on an in-form Tiwary who could’ve brought some stability for the struggling teams.

5. Ankit Bawne

The right-hander has been the vital cog of Maharashtra team’s middle order, amassing over 5000 runs at an average of 51. Ankit Bawne’s highest score of 258* came in 2016-17 of Ranji Trophy. Surprisingly, when so many uncapped players were going at a higher price, Bawne didn’t find any buyers for him.

He was rewarded with an IPL contract when Delhi Capitals picked him in 2017. However, the 26-year old could play just the one match scoring 12 runs. Having an average of nearly 31 in 22 T20 matches with 488 runs, the middle-order batsman could have been a very good addition to any team, if given more chances.

6. Daniel Christian

The veteran Australian all-rounder has been in franchise T20 cricket for a while now. He was first seen playing for the Deccan Chargers in the year 2011 and went on to play for Rising Pune Supergiant, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals.

Christian had endured his best season in 2017 for Pune where his vital contributions had almost led the team to the coveted title. The South Australian was also instrumental in Jozi Stars’ inaugural title triumph in the Mzansi Super League (MSL), South Africa‘s T20 league.

Christian’s ability to pitch in the slower deliveries in the death overs along with his hard-hitting abilities and his present form should have been enough to bag him an IPL contract.

7. Rishi Dhawan

A medium-fast bowling all-rounder, Rishi Dhawan has played three games for the national team. The 28-year old’s best year in the lucrative tournament had come in the year 2014 for Kings XI Punjab where he took 13 wickets in the same number of matches.

Dhawan last played an IPL game in 2016, where was part of Kings XI Punjab. He was acquired by the Kolkata-based franchise in 2017 for Rs 55 lakhs but was benched throughout the season.

The Himachal Pradesh all-rounder can make a match out of anything with his valuable lower-order batting skills. His medium pace bowling combined with clever variations can be very effective on slow pitches as well. Acquiring Dhawan for a base price of Rs 50 lakh could’ve proved very handy for any franchise.

8. Parvez Rasool

Parvez Rasool is the first ever cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to play in the IPL. He was the second player after Vivek Razdan to represent India from Jammu and Kashmir. Rasool serves as the captain of the state team and has a healthy first-class record with 226 wickets in 73 games.

The 29-year old couldn’t do much in the cash-rich league, however, considering his recent red-hot form in the Ranji Trophy, having also scored a hundred, Rasool can bring the batting depth to any side. Unfortunately, his heroics in the first-class arena weren’t enough to impress the franchises.

9. Adam Zampa

The young leggie emerged into the international scene with a reputation of becoming the next “Shane Warne” for the Australian side. For the Pune Supergiant, he straight away made an impact in the year 2016.

He took the second-best figures by a bowler in 2016, bagging six wickets for 19 runs. However, the New South Wales-born has been a little too leaky and proved less of a wicket-taking bowler in recent times. Nevertheless, Zampa, who has tasted considerable success in IPL could’ve made a difference on spinning pitches, if it happens to take place in India.

10. Ishan Porel

Indian cricket’s fast bowling stock the recent times has been on a spike. The U19 World Cup in 2018 saw the emergence of youngsters in Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi, who were snapped last year in the auction. However, their partner Ishan Porel has been overlooked from last year till this year.

The Bengal pacer’s most notable spell in the event came against Pakistan when he ran through the opposition batting, picking up four wickets for 17 runs. His is known for using his height of 6’3″ to good effect, generating a disconcerting bounce to unsettle the batsmen.

The 20-year old hasn’t yet played a T20 match but IPL could have provided him with a perfect platform to get even a wider recognition.

11. Sandeep Warrier

Born on 4th April, 1992, Sandeep Warrier has been one of the crucial bowlers to Kerala’s pace attack. The ability to swing the ball at an alarming pace makes Warrier the most lethal weapon for his team. He was signed by the Royal Challengers Bangalore way back in 2013 but hardly featured in the playing eleven for them.

Along with an impressive first-class record, the 27-year old also holds a reasonably good record in the shortest format of the game. The speedster ended up as the highest wicket-taker for Kerala in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2018-19, affecting twvelve dismissals in six games.

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