Although IPL auctions open up a plethora of opportunities for deserving players from all across the globe, it is not equally rewarding for every registered player. Only a certain number of players can be bought every year by all the franchises and thus a huge majority of them have to return empty handed,i.e, they go unsold. So has been the case from the very first IPL auction.
However, the Unsold players list from the last auction,i.e, the 2021 IPL auction was downright shocking as many deserving players did not attract any suitors. None of the franchises bidded for these well known players who performed brilliantly at the International stage and it was kind of surprising for the fans. But this too has to be kept in mind that last year the teams had to keep their expenditure as less as possible.
Fortunately, things will not be the same in IPL 2022’s Mega Auction. In IPL 2022, two new franchises have been added – Lucknow and Ahmedabad and it has changed the entire dynamics of the Mega Auction. More teams included means more players needed and many of the elite level players who were left out last season will surely get many bids this year.
In this article, we shall be talking about 5 players who went unsold in IPL 2021 but are highly likely to earn big bucks in the Mega Auction.
1. Matthew Wade – First on the list is Australian Wicket-keeper Matthew Wade. Wade has never played in the IPL in his career. Throughout his career, he has not been much known for his big hitting abilities and thus he did not attract many suitors in the IPL as well despite registering for it every single year.
However, things are in Matthew Wade’s favor this year, thanks to his international performances. The Aussie keeper was terrific in the 2021 T20 World Cup and he single handedly won Australia the difficult semi-final matchup against a strong Pakistan side. His glorious 41 off 17 just changed the game and turned the tables in Australia’s favor. Australia went up to lift the T20 World cup trophy by defeating New Zealand in the final but none of it would have been possible without Matthew Wade.
IPL teams which are at the lookout for Wicket-keeper batters will definitely be interested in Matthew Wade as he can end up being a great finisher and is perfect for the format.
Matthew Wade plays for Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League. In BBL 11, he scored 325 runs in 13 innings with a high score of 93 and a strike rate of 134. He can thus do both – play big shots and play a responsible knock when it is required.
2. Alex Hales – When it comes to IPL, Alex Hales has been unlucky throughout his career. Despite performing brilliantly in other T20 leagues across the globe like BBL, PSL, etc, he has never been much regarded by the IPL franchises for some reason.
However, this might finally be his year to shine in the Indian Premier League as the teams will be in need of more elite players and Alex Hales definitely makes the cut. The English international has played only 1 season of IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad which was back in 2018. That year he scored 148 runs in 6 matches at a strike rate of 125.42 and average of 24.66.
Alex Hales was simply sensational in the Big Bash League this season. He scored 383 runs in 13 matches at an average of 31.92 and a staggering strike rate of 148.45. His highest score was an unbeaten 80. These stats will surely lure some top franchises of IPL into bidding for the Englishman.
3. Jason Roy – Jason Roy is the second English player on this list and just like Alex Hales, he is highly underrated too. He has played in 3 IPL seasons – 2017, 2018 and 2021. Although he was unsold in IPL 2021 he was later brought in by Sunrisers Hyderabad in phase 2 as a replacement for Jonny Bairstow after he pulled out of the tournament. And Jason Roy performed pretty well in the 5 matches that he played last season, scoring 150 runs in 5 matches.
The english opener has played 13 matches in all the IPL seasons combined and he scored 329 runs with a high score of 91*.
He plays for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League and his performance in the latest season was great. He played 12 matches in BBL 12 and scored 35 runs with an average of 32.27 and strike rate of 130.51. His highest score was 74*. Given his nice performances lately, Jason Roy can be bought by a franchise in the Mega Auction for a decent amount.
4. Evin Lewis – Evin Lewis was unsold in IPL 2021’s Auction but he too was brought in as a replacement in phase 2 by Rajasthan Royals. He was simply brilliant in the few matches he played in last season. He played 5 matches in IPL 2021 and scored 151 runs at a strike rate of 162.36 and average of 30.20. His highest score was 58 runs.
He thus impressed in the chances that he got and might thus attract some suitors in IPL 2022’s mega auction. Evin Lewis’ record in the Caribbean Premier League was astonishing. He scored 426 runs in just 11 matches at a strike rate of 163.2 and an average of 47.33. His highest score in CPL 2021 was 102 runs.
5. Ish Sodhi – Ish Sodhi has had a great run at the International stage in the last few years. In fact he is one of the most successful spinners lately across all the formats. However, he has always been neglected by the IPL franchises.
He has so far played in only 2 seasons of IPL – 2018 and 2019 for Rajasthan Royals but in both the seasons he was not given many opportunities. He played 6 matches in IPL 2018 (picked up 5 wickets) and 2 matches in IPL 2021 (picked up 4 wickets).
His recent success rate on the Indian soil, however, must compel the franchises to rethink. Ish Sodhi has been a great asset of New Zealand especially against Indian players and any team can use that to their advantage in the Indian Premier League. We can expect to see some big bids for him this season.
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