IPL 2018: 5 Star players who went missing in the auction

The mega-auction of the Indian Premier League (IPL) took place over the last couple of days in which all eight franchises managed to build a decent squad. As usual, there were few surprising picks by them and also few players who had attracted huge bids previously went unsold. Even the likes of Chris Gayle who was part of the league over last 10 years, was sold when he went under the hammer for the third time. However, it was Ben Stokes who once again ruled the charts and was the most expensive player amongst all.

Jaydev Unadkat racked a whopping amount of INR 11.5 Crores as Rajasthan Royals picked him after his sensational performance in the last season. KL Rahul and Manish Pandey were the other Indian players who triggered an intense bidding war among the franchises.

Though there were a few well-known players who were shortlisted and were set to go under the hammer. But due to time constraints, their names were skipped as none of the teams showed any interest in them. Few of them could’ve really been a steal deal in case their names would have popped up in the auction.

Here we bring you the list of 5 star players who went missing in the auction:

1. Irfan Pathan

Irfan Pathan’s name didn’t come up in the auction itself as the franchises didn’t show any interest in him. Unfortunately, he was dropped from Baroda team mid-way through the Ranji season and was also not picked in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His base price was listed at Rs. 50 Lakhs and could have played a crucial role as an all-rounder for any team. Irfan wasn’t picked in the auction last year as well and has featured in only 5 matches in last two years.

The left-hander was part of the inaugural World T20 triumph of India in 2007 and had played a crucial role in it. Ever since he played in the IPL  and was in the limelight until 2014. He had to miss the next edition and then he was like a forgotten hero. So far, Irfan Pathan has played 103 matches in which he has scalped 80 wickets at a decent strike rate of 25.53 to go with 1139 runs with the bat at 120.40. The record speaks for itself as he proven his worth before as an all-rounder. But sadly, he wouldn’t be playing in the upcoming season.

2. Darren Sammy

Darren Sammy is one of the most loved cricketers in the world and it was surprising that his name never popped up during the event. In the previous editions, he has lit up the tournament with his batting and bowling. Moreover, his celebrations have been top notch has always kept the fans engaged. Sammy has a special fan connect wherever he plays around the world and IPL is no different.

Sammy has featured for the teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab in the previous editions. He was with Punjab franchise last year but didn’t get a game. His impact was telling when Hyderabad qualified for playoffs in 2013. He won the games single-handedly for them during the season and also won the hearts of fans with his own brand of swagger and showmanship. IPL is missing the player like him and unfortunately, he won’t be around in 2018 as well.

3. Ross Taylor

Sometimes it is baffling to see the strategies of the teams during the auction. How come the player like Ross Taylor hasn’t played in the IPL from last three years? He continues to serve New Zealand in all the formats and is doing extremely well. Even his base price was only Rs. 75 Lakhs which was a decent one and would’ve played a huge role in the middle order for any of the eight teams. But again, much like many other players, even he was not even shortlisted by the franchises.

Ross Taylor last played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian T20 league before which he donned the jerseys of Rajasthan Royals and Pune Warriors. He has amassed 1017 runs in 55 matches in his IPL career with three half-centuries. The 33-year-old had the best season in 2013 when he scored 280 runs at an amazing strike rate of 134.61 and was a capable finisher for his team. But it has been a long time now that Taylor has featured in the cash-rich tournament and much to the disappointment of his fans, it is unlikely he will again be seen playing in the league.

4. Kevon Cooper

Kevon Cooper seems to be the forgotten name in the Indian Premier League. He last featured in the league in 2014 and has played for only Rajasthan Royals ever since making his debut in 2012. Though he was one of the best death overs bowlers and was tipped to rule the tournament for the upcoming years. But the untimely injuries and loss in form proved to be his undoing and lost all his sheen.

However, he played 25 matches during his stint with Rajasthan Royals (RR) and scalped 33 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 17.45. Though he scored only 116 runs in this period with the bat, his strike rate of over 170 is the testimony to his finishing capabilities. Cooper has been featuring in the T20 leagues around the world and was expecting to make his comeback this year. But as it turned out, his name was lost in the huge list of T20 specialists during the two-days of the auction in Bengaluru.

5. Tamim Iqbal

The swashbuckling opener of Bangladesh Tamim Iqbal was another name which the auctioneer didn’t announce on the insistence of the franchises. None of them had him in their list and it was a huge surprise. The left-hander hit the straps soon while batting and his exploits at the top would’ve been a handful for few teams. Tamim has only once played in the IPL way back in 2012 for Pune Warriors India. But the league has missed out on his heroics since then.

Tha player of his calibre who is regarded as the legend in Bangladesh cricketing arena not playing in the IPL should’ve miffed his fans. He also endured a great run in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and was the fourth highest run-getter in the competition. Tamim scored as many as 332 runs in 10 outings at a strike rate of 132.80 and an average of over 36 which was really amazing. He could’ve been a smart buy for any of the eight teams at a base price of only 50 Lakhs.

All the aforementioned players are excellent T20 players in their own rights and could still be picked by the teams given any of their key player gets injured. But it was sad to see their name not popping up in the auction this time around.

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