IPL Auction: Unsold overseas XI that can challenge current franchises – cricket

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 auction saw a host of tried and tested talents who were unable to find any takers among the eight franchises. With names like Martin Guptill and Tim Southee not featuring in any of their wishlists, it was not quite most experts expected. With the auction done and dusted, Hindustan Times takes a look at the overseas unsold XI who will give a tough competition to any of the eight existing franchises.

Martin Guptill

Guptill has always been considered as one of the most explosive openers in cricket but his inability to perform in the IPL has been his major downfall. With 270 runs from 13 matches, he has not set the stage on fire and that was the reasons why the former Sunrisers cricketer did not find any takers in the auction.

Evin Lewis

West Indies cricketers are always preferred when it comes to T20 leagues around the world and when the player is as explosive as Evin Lewis, the demand soars. However, despite playing a number of good knocks for Mumbai Indians in the past, he was overlooked in this year’s auction and he remains one of the most surprising absentees this time round.

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Alex Hales

Hales is a proven commodity when it comes to T20 cricket but lack of matches in the recent past proved to be the reason behind the lack of bids for the England international. He represented Sunrisers Hyderabad last season but was able to score just 148 runs in six encounters.

Colin Ingram

Delhi Capitals spent 6.40 crores to get South African middle-order batsman Colin Ingram on board in the previous auction. But the 33-year-old failed to live up to his big reputation. The left-hander scored 184 runs in 12 matches last time round and this year, he was not selected by any of the franchises

Shai Hope

The West Indies wicket-keeper has been a gem of a player for his side in almost all formats of the game but his record in T20Is pales in comparison to the other two. Hope, who had a base price of Rs 50 lakh, recently scored a century (102*) in the first ODI against India in Chennai on Sunday but that was not enough to make him a lucrative option for the franchises.

Ben Cutting

Cutting has established himself as a dependable all-rounder in the shortest format of the sport and his heroics with Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League is quite well known. He has represented a number of IPL teams over the years and he played a big role in guiding Sunrisers Hyderabad to the 2016 title. However, he has not been that consistent lately and as a result, he went unsold in the auction.

Colin De Grandhomme

Colin De Grandhomee, who has played for Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, was the first overseas player to go unsold in the IPL 2020 auction.The Kiwi all-rounder was not able to impress with his performance last year and that resulted in RCB releasing him at the end of last season.

Adam Zampa

Zampa has been playing on and off for the Australian cricket team and when it comes to the Big Bash, he is rated quite highly as a consistent wicket-taker. His stint with Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017 was also not quite bad but for the second time, he was not picked by any franchise in the auction.

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Tim Southee

It came as a surprise that franchises decided to not go for the experienced fast bowler Tim Southee who has proved his mettle on the global stage. Southee was part of Chennai Super Kings during their victorious campaign in 2011 and he had later stints with Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore but the pacer was unable to produce any magic.

Noor Ahmad

The young 15-year-old Afghanistan bowler Noor Ahmad Lakanwal was the talk of the town ahead of the auctions. He is a left-arm wrist bowler, a commodity which always finds takers in the shortest format and he was called up for trials for Rajasthan Royals. However, despite all the glowing reviews, he did not find a taker.

Alzarri Joseph

The IPL franchises are always in the hunt for cricketers who have proven themselves in the competition and that makes the lack of bids for Alzarri Joseph so bizarre. He took 6 wickets in three matches at an economy of 10.03 with 6/12 being his best figures, that he took on his IPL debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad.