IPL 2021: 5 big overseas players who may go unsold in the auction

The IPL auction is just around the corner, and preparations for the same are surely going to intensify as all the teams will be looking to build title-winning squads. 292 players will go under the hammer on the 18th of February and there is a maximum of 61 slots that can be filled by franchises.

There are 22 vacant slots for overseas players and teams are definitely going to use up all of them. A total of 128 overseas players are on the final list and players like Shakib Al Hasan, Dawid Malan, and Chris Morris are definitely going to attract a lot of bids.

However, it isn’t bright for everyone as a majority of the players will go unsold. Players may go unsold due to various reasons like poor form in recent times, unimpressive form during the previous IPL seasons, or even due to injury concerns.

Here’s a look at 5 overseas players who may not find any taker in the auction:

1. Alex Carey

Alex Carey is Australia’s premier wicketkeeper-batsman in the 50-overs format and has impressed fans with his batting lower down the order. However, he hasn’t been able to replicate the same batting down the order in the shortest format.

He is at his best at the top of the order, but due to the abundance of top-order batsmen at the Delhi Capitals, he was forced to play in the middle order. He played 3 games last season and scored 32 runs at a strike-rate of 110.34, and struggled to score boundaries.

The Australian scored 425 runs in the recently concluded Big Bash League, but his strike-rate of 122.12 might go against him. Teams will be primarily looking at him as an opening batsman, and given that there are better and more explosive openers in the market, Carey might end up going unsold. Even his lofty base price of Rs. 1.5 crore might deter teams from bidding for him.

2. Matthew Wade

Another Australian wicketkeeper-batsman, Matthew Wade might also go unsold on 18th February. He has been in terrific T20 form over the last couple of years and was highly impressive in the T20I series against India recently.

That should be enough to guarantee him an IPL contract on most days. However, it might not be enough in Wade’s case. Most of his runs have come on the fast and bouncy pitches of Australia, but the pitches are different in India and whether he would be able to produce the same level of returns remains to be seen.

He has listed himself at a base price of Rs. 1 crore and with openers like Dawid Malan, Alex Hales, and Aaron Finch in the auction, it isn’t going to be easy for him. His best bet of bagging a contract will be being bought as a backup batsman.

3. Nathan Coulter-Nile

Nathan Coulter-Nile was the 5th most expensive buy at the auction last season as Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians bought him for a staggering Rs. 8 crore. He was expected to be a key player for them but played just the 7 games due to injuries and mediocre form.

He picked up just 5 wickets in 7 games and wasn’t able to justify his price tag. A fully fit Coulter-Nile is an excellent bowler, but that has become a bit of a rare sight as he has struggled with quite a few injuries in recent times.

With the presence of pacers like Chris Morris, Jhye Richardson, and Riley Meredith, it isn’t going to be easy for the former KKR player who has listed himself at a base price of Rs. 1.5 crore. Unlike the other players on the list, Coulter-Nile has been included here on the basis of his history with injuries, which might not attract several franchises.

4. Marnus Labuschagne

Marnus Labuschagne has established himself as one of the best Test match batsmen in the world and his consistency ever since he made his debut has been second to none. He has been pretty impressive even in the 50-overs format as he averages nearly 40 and has a strike rate in excess of 90.

While he has been outstanding in the aforementioned formats, he is yet to establish himself as a T20 batsman. He has played just the 16 T20s in his career. While his bowling in the BBL was pretty effective, IPL teams aren’t going to give it a lot of weightage as batting is his primary skill.

His strike-rate of 123.07 in the Big Bash isn’t going to do him a lot of favours. He has listed himself at Rs. 1 crore, and with players like Shakib Al Hasan, Glenn Maxwell, and Steve Smith available to play at either No. 3 or No. 4, Labuschagne’s chances of attracting a bid look slim.

5. Jason Roy

Jason Roy is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world and thus it might surprise people that he has been included here. He has played 8 IPL matches and scored 179 runs, and 91 of those runs came in a single game, thus portraying his struggles in general.

While he averages a stunning 40.03 in ODIs, he hasn’t been as successful in T20Is as he averages a modest 23.42. Although it may look like T20 is his best format, he hasn’t enjoyed a whole lot of success both for club and country.

Not many teams are in need of a specialist opener like Jason Roy and with a base price of Rs. 2 crores, it remains to be seen if teams go for him or look towards cheaper options like Aaron Finch, Ben McDermott, or Rassie van der Dussen. His best chance of being picked is if either RCB or KKR decide to take a punt on him given the batting-friendly conditions.