Rejected superstars: Players who were surprisingly unsold at IPL auction

Mark Wood was an integral part of England’s ODI World Cup-winning side; Colin de Grandhomme is one of the most highly rated all-rounders of present times.

The IPL auction as teams finalized their squads for the IPL 2020 season threw up some surprises on Thursday. While KKR splashed INR 4 CR on Varun Chakravarthy, there were no takers for a few established names in world cricket and established T20 mercenaries from around the world.

High-profile players who went unsold:

Colin de Grandhomme

Colin de Grandhomme (Reuters Photo)

The latest superstar from the all-rounders’ stable in New Zealand, De Grandhomme could have been a priceless addition to any IPL team. His hard-hitting prowess with the bat and useful ability with the ball has made him a fixture in New Zealand’s international team across formats.

Even last season, De Grandhomme showed sparks for a struggling RCB side, even though he was just played in 4 matches.

Shai Hope

Shai Hope (AP Photo)

Shai Hope’s West Indies colleagues Sheldon Cottrell and Shimron Hetmyer were among the blockbuster picks at the IPL auction, but their more technically correct batting teammate found no takers.

IPL teams have been known to turn their backs on ‘Test specialists’ like Cheteshwar Pujara and Hanuma Vihari. Hope, despite his present run of form, seems to have fallen victim to the same thinking.

Tim Southee

Tim Southee (AP Photo)

Tim Southee might be one of the biggest names in world cricket at the moment, but not in the IPL. Last season, he got only three matches for RCB.

New Zealand cricketers, for various reasons, have not managed to hit the ground running in the IPL.

Martin Guptill

Martin Guptill (Worcestershire CC)

Martin Guptill broke Indian hearts earlier this year when a direct hit from him caught MS Dhoni inches short of his crease in the ODI World Cup semifinal.

Last season, Guptill turned out for SunRisers Hyderabad. He did not get much opportunity to shine, with David Warner and Jonny Bairstow having established themselves at the top of the order. Guptill did score 81 runs in 3 matches.

Mark Wood

Mark Wood (Reuters Photo)

Mark Wood was part of the England ODI side which won the World Cup earlier this year. However, overseas pacers are considered a risky investment in the IPL. Adam Milne and Matt Henry are some others who have possibly not found takers for the same reason.

Wood has played a total of 1 match in the IPL, for CSK in the 2018 season, a match in which he had figures of 0/49. He will not get a chance to improve on that this year.

Kesrick Williams

Kesrick Williams (AP Photo)

Kesrick Williams became a household name in India with his mini-rivalry with Virat Kohli in the recent bilateral series between India and West Indies. That might have been good enough for Williams to be a late entrant into the IPL auction shortlist, but it was not good enough for teams to bid for him.

Jason Holder

Jason Holder (Reuters Photo)

Jason Holder was another West Indies pace bowling option who found no takers at the IPL auction. What would have made him a more logical buy than Williams is Holder’s more-than-useful ability with the bat in the lower order.

Holder has not played in the IPL since 2016.

Colin Munro

Colin Munro (AP Photo)

Another hard-hitting New Zealand batsman who teams did not bid for, Colin Munro has been a regular fixture in the IPL for the last few years.

Munro even had a decent season for Delhi Capitals last year, but had been released ahead of this year. In 4 matches for DC, Munro had scored 82 runs, with a highest score of 40.

Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman (IPL)

Once considered a priceless entity in the shortest format, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh seems to have lost some of his fizz in recent years, with batsmen around the world having ‘figured him out’.

Mustafizur has been part of successful Mumbai Indians and SunRisers Hyderabad units, but this year will not be part of the showpiece tournament.