Players who might not be retained in IPL 2021 auction

The active auction dynamic of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has made it one of the most-followed sporting events in terms of business. Every year, each of the eight franchises comes to the auction table to pick their dream team of players in hopes to win the coveted IPL trophy.

Apart from the players picked, though, there’re also players who get released/traded among franchises. Consequently, this allows the other franchises to purchase, or even repurchase those candidates to further bolster their squads.

So keeping that spirit of barter-benefits in mind, let’s look at some players from the current season who might not be retained by their franchises for the next IPL season.

Here’s the IPL list:

1. Delhi Capitals, Chris Woakes

The Delhi Capitals had acquired Chris Woakes, the premier English all-rounder, at his base price of INR 1.5 Crores in the auction last December. With his proven ability to pick wickets upfront in the powerplay, Woakes was expected to complement the likes of Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada in Delhi’s quest to acquire their maiden IPL trophy.

But those plans got shafted when the Birmingham-based pacer decided to pull out of the tournament pre-season to focus on his international career. Even later in the year, when the COVID-19 enforced postponement of the tournament allowed him to reconsider his decision, Woakes opted against participating since he was expecting a child.

The Capitals eventually replaced him with Anrich Nortje, the South African speedster, who turned out to be a super-sub for the franchise. Across his 9 appearances this season, Nortje, courtesy of his lightning-quick pace, has picked up 12-wickets at an economy of 7.75.

Considering how well Nortje has fit into the Capitals’ fast-bowling side of things, it seems unlikely they’ll reinstate his original spot-holder in the team next season.