IND vs SL: "Franchises Would Probably Not Have Had The Money To Buy Him"- Gautam Gambhir On Dasun Shanaka

Former Indian batsman Gautam Gambhir says Dasun Shanaka would have been purchased for an astronomical sum if the IPL auction had taken place today.

Shanaka scored an undefeated 56 off 22 balls in the second Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka on Thursday, January 5. The Sri Lankan captain was not sold at the IPL 2023 auction late last year.

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When Gautam Gambhir was questioned how much he would spend Shanaka if the auction took place today during an appearance on the Star Sports program “Match Point,” the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) coach responded:

“He would price me a lot of money given the way he has batted, therefore I won’t have any. The auction is held to do that. Think about how some of the franchises might not have had the funds to purchase him if this series had occurred right before the auction” Gautam Gambhir said.

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Shanaka (base price 50 lahks) was shockingly not purchased during the IPL 2023 auction in December, despite all-rounders being in high demand and players like Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Ben Stokes spending a fortune. He is now leading the T20I series against India in runs scored, despite the fact that there were no takers for him in the T20 spectacular.

“Shanaka played an unbelievable knock”: Gautam Gambhir

The question of whether India’s seven no-balls in the second T20I actually changed the outcome was also put to Gautam Gambhir. He gave a negative response and explained:

“One of the game-changers, but not the true game-changer because Shanaka and Kusal Mendis both played incredible knocks. Their seamstresses were very excellent. So I wouldn’t say it’s just the seven free hits.”

In the second T20I, Sri Lanka made the most of India’s generosity. In addition to Shanaka’s brilliant innings, Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis both hit 52 runs off 31 balls.

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