‘I wasn't really expecting myself to be picked’ – Adil Rashid on IPL 2021 auction snub

Adil Rashid, the England leg-spinner, wasn’t surprised after he couldn’t find a buyer in the auction for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 33-year-old tweaker registered himself at a base price of INR 1.50 crores, but not a single franchise showed interest in him and his wait to feature in an IPL game continued.

Bearing in mind the variety of spinners India has, Rashid didn’t have many hopes of cracking a deal for the upcoming IPL season. The auction took place on February 18 at the ITC Grand Chola Hotel in Chennai.

Adil Rashid opens up

“I wouldn’t say disappointing, obviously there are a lot of spinners out there, India also got their own local spinners, so I wasn’t really expecting myself to be picked,” Rashid was quoted as saying in India Today.

“It would be nice to get these deals but like I said, with these tournaments, you put your name forward and hope teams pick you… that’s how it works with the IPL or any other competitions,” he stated.

Rashid has been in England’s domestic circuit since 2006 and in 15 years, he has played 180 T20s in which he has picked up 202 wickets. For his national team, the leggie has 52 wickets from 53 games at an economy rate of 7.47.

Rashid is currently busy plying his trade in the five-match T20I series against India. In the opening game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, he bowled three overs and conceded 14 runs. He was handed the new ball by skipper Eoin Morgan and he didn’t disappoint.

He got rid of Virat Kohli, who failed to open his account, in the third over of the game. Rashid stated that he generally doesn’t get the new ball, but he has been working hard to refurbish his skills.

“Bowling with the new ball is new for me now (he did so a decade back for Yorkshire and in Australia), something I have been working on for the past couple of days. Hope I can carry on with that regardless of the situation, whether it’s the first six overs middle, or back, I am always looking to develop and work hard,” Rashid added.