"Don't know what more to do" - Jalaj Saxena after going unsold in the IPL auction

All-rounder from Madhya Pradesh Jalaj Saxena had a wonderful First-class season after deciding to move from MP to Kerala earlier. He finished as the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded Ranji Trophy with 44 scalps after his name. After all these heroics, the 31-year-old failed to earn an IPL contract, which really shattered his heart.

“I don’t know what more I have to do,” said the all-rounder, who is currently playing in the Dhaka Premier League. It really is disappointing to see wonderful talents like him, Hanuma Vihari, Kedar Devdhar oand Rajneesh Gurbani going unsold. Hanuma Vihari and Kedar Devdhar had an oustanding season with the bat whilst Rajneesh Gurbani’s heroics in the knockouts were the main reason why Vidarbha clinced the Ranji Trophy.

The franchises, who were very choosy as far as the players were concerned, bought a total of 113 Indian players in the 2-day auction. Some players like Jaydev Unadkat, Krunal Pandya, and foreign player Jofra Archer induced a massive bidding war and accumulated a huge amount. But for the likes of Jalaj Saxena, he was left with nothing but disappointment.

Will keep myself fit and prepared for the next season

Despite all the disappointment looming over him, Jalaj Saxena is keen to move forward and play in the Chennai League. He also will be participating in a few local tournaments across the country and mentioned that it would be difficult to play these tournaments whilst the IPL is going on.

The 31-year-old lastly represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2015 and also the Mumbai Indians in 2013 and 2014. He also holds the second best match figures in the history of Ranji Trophy. Saxena recorded match figures of 16 for 154 in against Railways back in 2015.

“I play in the Chennai league and all kinds of local tournaments. It’s not easy to play such tournaments in the summer, when you see that everybody is busy with IPL. You still play these matches. It’s tough, but I am doing my best to keep fit and prepare for the next season,” said Saxena.