Best XI from the players who went unsold in IPL 2017 auction

The IPL 2017 auctions was a mega event in itself. The much-awaited auctions went underway with as many as 351 players going under the hammer on February 20. The popularity of the Indian Premier League needs no introduction. The immense following that the tournament has managed to garner over the years was on display yet again. The auction saw a lot of drama unfold. The English players made merry with most of them bagging rich deals. Ben Stokes struck a whopping INR 14.5 crore deal with Rising Pune Supergiants in the auctions. This was a record buy for any overseas player in the history of the tournament. His countryman Tymal Mills also made merry as he was bagged for INR 12 crore by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Another startling feature of the auctions was the purchase of Afghanistan players. For the first time in the history, two players from Afghanistan managed to secure the IPL contracts. Indian uncapped players like T Natarajan and domestic performers like Mohammad Siraj got themselves crores in the auction. While most of the talk encircled around the ones sold in the auction, very few noticed that some top players went unsold. Some of the omissions were surprising while some had to pay for their high base price. Here we pick the best XI from the unsold players at the IPL Auctions 2017: 1. Alex Hales England batsman Alex Hales. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images) While most of the English players bagged rich deals, there was one who missed out. Opener Alex Hales was tipped to be a hot favorite in the auctions. He was based at INR 1 Crore and found no bidders in the auctions. Hales is an absolute power hitter who had struck 171 in an ODI innings last year. He is a T20 veteran. In the 147 T20s that Hales has played, he has scored 3911 runs at an average close to 30. He has a T20 century to his name as well. Also read- 5 Players who were steal deals for their teams in IPL 2017 Auction 2. Mohammad Shahzad Mohammad Shahzad. (Photo by Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images) Much like Hales, even Afghanistan wicket keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad saw his team mates strike big deals. Surprisingly, Shahzad found no bidders. He is one among the top run-getters in T20Is and has been a part of the Bangladesh Premier League too. Shehzad was based at INR 50 lakhs and that should have seen him fetch a contract. Time and again, the attacking batsman has often expressed his desire to play in the IPL. He has a T20I highest score of an unbeaten 118, and that speaks volumes about his talent. He is a fearless striker of the ball and struggling franchises like the KXIP could have fetched him for a handy deal. 3. Marlon Samuels England’s Ben Stokes looks on as West Indies’s Marlon Samuels. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images) It all comes down as an irony to see Ben Stokes fetch the highest deal and Marlon Samuels getting no bids. There is nothing against Stokes but the Brit was taken away for four consecutive sixes in the finals of ICC World T20 2016. In the very same match, it was Marlon Samuels who had guided West Indies to their second title win. Samuels is a handy middle-order batsman who has previously played for the Pune Warriors in the IPL. With 140 matches to his name, he has 3585 runs at an average of 33.5. He has two t20 centuries under his belt and is a handy part-time off-break bowler too. 4. Ross Taylor Ross Taylor of New Zealand. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) The experienced campaigner must have surely been taken aback by the fact that there were no takers for him at the IPL auctions. Having played for the Delhi Daredevils, Pune Warriors, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore across the different seasons of IPL, Taylor was surely not short on experience. Adding him in the middle order can aid stability to any batting lineup. His ability to switch gears towards the end overs is a key aspect of his game. Taylor has over 5000 runs in T20 cricket to his name in 224 matches thus far. 5. Michael Klinger Michael Klinger of the Scorchers celebrates his half century. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images) Michael Klinger is a domestic veteran when it comes to Australian cricket. He is vastly experienced with 179 first-class matches to his name. He has amassed 11195 runs in FC cricket and has 30 tons to boast about. In the shorter formats, he has been consistent too. He was recently drafted in the Australian side for the T20I series against Sri Lanka where he scored 38 and 43 in the first two matches. Prior to that, he had an exceptional run in the BBL this year where he finished as one of the run-getters. He had scored a match-winning unbeaten 71 in the finals of BBL for Perth Scorchers. 6. Colin Munro Colin Munro of the Black Caps celebrates his century during the second T20 international between New Zealand and Bangladesh. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images) The hard-hitting southpaw from New Zealand, Colin Munro, was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous edition of the IPL. The 29-year-old holds the record for fastest fifty by a Kiwi player in T20 cricket. Munro had a base price of INR 50 Lakh and was expected to attract a few franchises given his nature of play. He can be innovative with his strokeplay and is one of the 360 degree prospects of the game. Munro has a strike rate of 144.09 in the 133 T20s that he has played thus far and has a ton in the shortest format of the game too. 7. Irfan Pathan Irfan Pathan. Some cricket pundits had predicted Irfan Pathan to be one of the best picks for the season. However, the swing bowler from Baroda was left disappointed with no takers in the auctions. With a base price of INR 50 Lakhs, Pathan could have proved to be a good new bowler and a floater in the batting line up for any franchise. Last year he was a part of the Rising Pune Supergiants, where he got only one match to play. His recent form has been good too. Playing for the West Zone in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Inter-Zonal tournament, he returned with figures of 3/10 in 4 overs in one of the matches. He is not short of experience and could have been an ideal death overs bowler for any IPL team. 8. Brad Hogg Brad Hogg of the Renegades appeals successfully to dismiss Sam Harper. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) At the age of 46, Brad Hogg is defying all age limits. The chinaman lit up last year’s IPL when he turned up for the Kolkata Knight Riders. He was a key member of the side and it only comes as a surprise why he went unsold at the auctions this year. He was most recently seen plying his trade for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League this year where he bowled decently well enough. He has the best figure of 4/9 in T20 cricket and bowls with a miserly economy of just 6.83. 9. Imran Tahir Imran Tahir of South Africa. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images) Among all the exclusions, the one that was seen to be most startling was that of Imran Tahir. Tahir has been a key performer for the South African national side in the past. He has been a juggernaut on the field and was ranked number one in the ODIs and T20Is when the auctions took place. With a base price of just INR 50 lakhs, any team should have shelled out the amount to rope in his services. With the IPL seeing leggies dominate the proceedings, Tahir would certainly have been one hell of an addition for any franchise. 10. Thisara Perera Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera (L) celebrates after he dismissed Australia’s David Warner. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) The attacking Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera is a renowned T20 specialist in the cricket world. His hard-hitting exploits are well known and he has the ability to bowl with the new ball too. He was associated with the Rising Pune Supergiants in the previous edition of the tournament. Prior to the RPS side, he has been involved with Chennai Superkings, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Kochi Tuskers Kerala. He has 198 T20 matches to his name with 2198 runs and 176 scalps. He has a strike rate of 140.26 with the bat. With the ball, he has a five-wicket haul to his name – 5/26. 11. Sean Abbott Sean Abbott of the Sydney Sixers. (Photo by Morne de Klerk/Getty Images) One of the top pacers in the recent times in the shortest format of the game has been Sean Abbott. The 24-year old pacer was the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Big Bash League. Playing for the Sydney Sixers, he was instrumental in taking the side to the playoffs. He had bagged figures of 5/16 against the Adelaide Strikers in one of the league matches. Later in the tournament, he had returned with another four-wicket haul against the Brisbane Heat. Last year, he was in the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad and played a handful of matches too. Also read- 5 Players who were steal deals for their teams in IPL 2017 Auction

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Best XI from the players who went unsold in IPL 2017 auction

9. Imran Tahir

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