5 Big Players Who Went Unsold In IPL 2020 Auction

The mega IPL 2020 auction which was held in Kolkata had its moments. It was an absolute peach of an event where all the eight competitive Indian Premier League franchises brought the best players during intense bidding wars. Pat Cummins stole the show as he became the most expensive signing in this year’s auction. He was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping price tag of INR 15.5 crores.

Glenn Maxwell was the second expensive player as he was drafted in by Kings XI Punjab for INR 10.75 crores. It was a shocker when premium fast bowler Dale Steyn went unsold in the initial rounds of the auction. He set his base price at INR 2 crores but no franchise showed interest in him at the start. However, Royal Challengers Bangalore racked him up in the later stages of the auction by drafting him in their squad for the upcoming IPL.

On the other hand, it is never a good story to write about when big players go unsold in the IPL auction. There were significant players who failed to inspire the bidders in the initial and final stages of the marquee event.

Let’s take a look at the five big players who went unsold in IPL 2020 Auction.

1. Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman who set his base price at INR 1 crore went unsold in the auction. The specialist left-arm fast-medium bowler hit the peak performance at the beginning of his international career by bowling off cutters. In the 2016 Indian Premier League auction, Rahman was drafted by Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He justified his signing right by taking 17 wickets in 16 matches in the tournament where he helped his team win the title. He was also named as “Emerging Player of the Tournament” and in fact, he was the first overseas player to receive this award. In January 2018, he was drafted in by the Mumbai Indians in the 2018 IPL auction. He didn’t get many chances as he played only a handful of matches.

Having played 7 games, he took 7 wickets. He was not part of the previous auction as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to grant him No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the lucrative tournament. The board also denied his permission to take part in foreign T20 leagues considering his fitness for the 2019 World Cup.

2. Evin Lewis

The 28-year-old capped international set his base price at INR 1 crore but the Caribbean failed to attract any bidder in the initial and final stages of the auction. Evin Lewis who had a terrific spell in international as well as domestic cricket was at the cynosure of bidders’ eyes at the IPL 2018 auction.

Mumbai Indians came out on top by signing Windies opener. The left-handed batsman bagged his first IPL contract as he was purchased for an amount of Rs 3.8 crores. Known for the knack of his big-hitting skills, Lewis failed to channelise his aggression in the right manner.

In the two seasons, he had played for Mumbai Indians, he scored 430 runs in his 16 games at a below-par average of 26.87. He was released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the IPL 2020 auction.

Read More: Jasprit Bumrah Welcomes Chris Lynn To Mumbai Indians With Hilarious Warning

3. Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the auction. The capped international set his base price at INR 1 crore. However, no franchise showed any interest to afford the services of the 33-year-old opening batsman. The New Zealand batsman first hogged the limelight when he plied his trade for Mumbai Indians in the 2016 Indian Premier League.

He was roped in as the replacement for the injured Lendl Simmons. After that, he played for Kings XI Punjab in the 2017 Indian Premier League. In December 2018, he was purchased by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the player auction for the 2019 Indian Premier League.

However, he was warming the bench more often than not. He played only three games where he could score a paltry of 81 runs. For a player of Martin Guptill’s reputation, his below-par performance in the Indian Premier League so far can be a big humiliation for him. Considering his age factor and his low-profile statistics, he was not picked by any franchise at the IPL 2020 auction.

4. Colin Munro

Colin Munro was released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the IPL 2020 auction. The 33-year-old all-rounder set his base price at INR 1 crore but unfortunately, he failed to attract any bidder at the auction. The New Zealander was signed up by Kolkata Knight Riders.

However, in the initial season, he played only 4 games where he scored an aggregate of 30 runs and picked zero wickets. He was then drafted in by Delhi Capitals in the 2018 IPL auction. He got only fewer opportunities to play. Playing only 5 games, he scored 63 runs.

Despite being naive in that season, he was retained by the same franchise in the 2019 season. However, he failed to impress in the second chance as he scored just 84 runs in 4 games. The all-rounder was under-utilized in the tournament as he played just 13 matches in his entire IPL career.

Also Read: Anil Kumble Reveals Reason Behind The Purchase Of Glenn Maxwell In IPL 2020 Auction

5. Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the auction and he set his base price at INR 1 crore. However, he didn’t find any team at the auction. He was among the prominent names who went unsold at the marquee event. The player with loads of experience has played 174 games in his IPL career. He played for Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad in his 12-year old career.

Yusuf Pathan was roped in by the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in 2007/08 in the wake of his good performance in domestic cricket. He was sold to Shane Warne’s team for US$475,000 (INR 1.9 crore). He made an instant impact by scoring 435 runs while also taking 8 wickets. He stole the show with the season’s fastest half-century (from 21 balls) against the Deccan Chargers, and was named the Man of the Match in the final against the Chennai Super Kings.

In 2010 season, Pathan scored the century off 37 balls against Mumbai Indians. In the 2011 IPL auction, he was sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.1 million and was also retained by the same franchise for Rs 3.25 crores via the ‘Right to Match’ card option in the IPL auction 2014.

Yusuf went on to score the second-fastest 50 in IPL history off just 15 balls. In January 2018, he was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 1.9 crore in the 2018 IPL auction. He chipped in with good knocks in that season including a vital 45 against Chennai Super Kings in the final which came in a losing cause.