IPL 2022: 5 overseas players that might go unsold in mega auction

India’s most celebrated sporting festival, the Indian Premier League, is all set to sail in the month of March and the mega auction is a day away. A total of 1,214 players had registered for the auction (896 Indians and 318 Overseas) and 590 cricketers have been shortlisted (370 Indians and 220 Overseas).

However, only around 200 cricketers will be a part of this year’s IPL, in which there would be slots for just 80 foreign players as the teams can only have a maximum of eight. The remaining registered cricketers should have to wait until their next chance.

As this is a highly competitive tournament, only the top players at the moment get selected and as the majority of the players go unsold, and it is not unseen that even big names get ignored.

Here are five overseas players who might go unsold in IPL 2022 mega auction:

1. Chris Lynn

This Aussie player has been a part of the IPL since 2012 and has played for various franchises including Deccan Chargers, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians. He is one of the most explosive opening batters and is well suited for this format.

Lynn has been a part of 42 IPL matches and has hit 1329 runs at a strike rate of 140.63. Despite his numbers being good, he is on this list as he is inconsistent with his form and is very prone to injuries. He has discontinued many tournaments in the middle due to his injury conditions.

This 31-year-old batter was not seen in his prime in the Big Bash League in 2021-22 and he has also been away from the national side for a long time. He has now reduced his base price from INR 2.0 crores to INR 1.5 crores expecting a contract. But considering the aforementioned factors, it is doubtful that he will represent any team this time.

2. Dawid Malan

The left-handed English batter was formerly ranked No.1 in the ICC T20I rankings and as he has been inconsistent with the bat lately, he is now dropped to the fifth position. He was purchased by Punjab Kings in 2021 for the base price of INR 1.5 crore when he was at his peak.

In the first phase of the league, he only played a solitary match in which he struggled to hit a run a ball 26 and after that, he withdrew himself from the second phase. His form in the national side also encountered a dip as he just managed to score 116 runs in six matches in the T20 world cup 2021.

Malan will now continue with his base price of INR 1.5 crore this year. He has just an experience of playing one IPL match and is not in his prime now. Hence, it is uncertain to comment on this player’s auction status and might even go unsold.

3. Riley Meredith

Riley Meredith, the right-arm-fast bowler, is a young prospect of Australia. He is capable of bowling above 140kmph consistently. He had an amazing Big Bash season in 2020-21 as he picked crucial wickets and was also very economical in the tournament.

The pacer was in the limelight that year and got the chance to represent an IPL team as he was picked by Punjab Kings for a whopping price tag of INR 8 crore. But the franchise and the player did not justify this price point as he only played five matches.

In the five matches he played, he grabbed just four wickets at an expensive economy rate of 9.94. He was expensive in the international matches too and his pace alone wasn’t enough to stop the batters. Meredith failed to impress in the subcontinent and might not attract any bids this year.

4. James Vince

James Vince debuted in the England T20I side in 2015 and after a string of poor performances, he was dropped from the squad after 2019. Vince made his comeback to the T20I squad this year after his impressive show with the bat in franchise cricket.

This year, Vince has played five T20I matches and has scored 123 runs with a strike rate of 143.02. Though he seems in a good touch currently, there are some elements which stand against his favour. One such factor is his base price.

This 30-year-old batter has no experience in playing in the IPL but has set his base price to the maximum (INR 2.0 crore) along with the other experienced IPL candidates. Neither he has justified his base price cap. There are a lot of top-order batters who have proved more and they are available for a lesser base price. Hence, there are a lot of chances that the franchises overlook this player.

5. Marnus Labuschagne

Another Australian batter to feature on this list is Marnus Labuschagne. He is one of the famous names in the longest format of the game, but when it comes to the limited-overs format, he hasn’t proved much yet.

He is yet to make a debut for the country in ODIs and T20Is. This 27-year-old batter does not have any justifiable records to not miss him out in the IPL. He has only played 16 BBL matches overall and just has an average and strike rate of 18.40 and 112.20, respectively.

Labuschagne was unsold in the previous IPL auction and now has set the base price of INR 1 crore. The franchises wouldn’t look to hire a Test specialist in their T20 squad and particularly to sign a player for this price cap who hasn’t played IPL before.