Top 5 players who were surprisingly unsold in the IPL 2024 auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction has already been done with more than 300 players going under the hammer, some were bought by the franchise and will be featured in the upcoming season and some were unfortunate not to get any franchise to bid for them. There have been records broken in this auction as well with big money spent on Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc who went for over 20 cr and became the most expensive players in IPL history. There have also been some players who have impressed franchises with their domestic performances and have been bought for a big price as well.

The auction still had its fair share of surprises apart from the 20 cr price tags where there have been some players who did not attract any buyers. It is still a shock since some of these players have still given great and consistent performances in T20 cricket, but still could not attract any buyers. There is still curiosity in the air with these players failing to make any of these top squads in the league. These players were in demand in the earlier seasons so it is still shocking for everyone that they will not be part of the upcoming tournament.

There might be a lot of reasons why these players have not made any team, which could be that they were not the type of player that was in demand or they didn’t fit into the plans of the franchise owners, who were looking for different players. The fact that these players could not be picked by anyone despite their ability and skill set is still something to scratch our heads about. 

Here are the top 5 players who were surprisingly unsold in the auction:

5. Adil Rashid

He might have had only 3 IPL games to his name, but the quality and skill of this English spinner is commendable. The fact that he is the no. 1 ranked T20 bowler right now and was still not able to get any bids is still surprising. Rashid also has enough experience in T20 cricket with 100 T20Is to his name. He has more than 300 wickets in his T20 career as well which should make him a pick for any IPL team as a great leg-spin option, However, he remained unsold in the auction.

4. Tabraiz Shamsi

Another spinner who everyone thought would break some records as well was Tabraiz Shamsi. The wily chinaman from South Africa has also impressed everyone with his deceptive deliveries. He is another player with over 250 wickets in his T20 career, with a decent performance in the 2023 World Cup as well should have attracted some teams. Unfortunately, he was not anybody’s target and was unsold at the auction. It could have also been that due to the high demand for fast bowlers, Shamsi was overlooked.

3. Josh Inglis

Josh Inglis was another upcoming prospect from Australia who has shown some great performances in T20 cricket. With his consistent performances in the Big Bash and his overall T20 record which includes 3 centuries. The last T20I series against India where he scored one of those brilliant hundreds, should have given the franchises something to look at, but unfortunately, he found no buyers and will not be making his debut in the number 1 T20 league in the world. His ability to play spin could have also been an asset to any team with some spin conditions in India.

2. Colin Munro

Another powerful T20 batter who was also shockingly unsold is Colin Munro. Known for his big hits and T20 masterclasses. He also has more than 10000 runs in T20 cricket making him one of the top 10 best batters in T20’s along with the greats. He might have not had the best of games in the IPL, but for a batter of his calibre to not get any attraction from any franchises is still really shocking. Munro could have been the solution to any team who were struggling with a proper T20 batter as well.

1. Philip Salt

Another talented opening batter all the franchise ignored is wicketkeeper batter Philip Salt who has given some breathtaking performances recently. He has also got great T20 stats as well early in his career. The fact is he gave some great performances for Delhi Capitals as well which still didn’t lead to anything as he was released and unsold in the auction. The fact that he was not chosen after scoring two great hundreds in the T20I series against West Indies and being adjudged man of the series is still a very surprising turn of events. The 27 yr old flamboyant opener even showed his displeasure to the Telegraph saying “It was a confusing morning. I was expecting to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well, and the year that I’ve had.” this was surely a shocking turn of events for Salt and cricket fans as well.