The Indian Premier League is just around the corner, and the teams, after retaining their core team, will be looking to iron out some of the vulnerabilities in the squad. For this purpose, most of the teams will target a few specified players and will be hoping to get them at the lowest possible price. A total of 73 spots are up for grabs, but 332 eminent players will be battling for the same.
However, many of the players have kept their base price too high. Thus, they might not fall within the team’s interests and budget. Moreover, some of them have been hampered by injuries, while others have been deserted by a poor run of form. This might not help their cause in attracting franchises, and it is very likely that they will go unsold in the auctions.
Here are the five players who might go unsold in the upcoming IPL 2020 Auction due to their hefty base price:
Angelo Mathews (Rs 2cr)
Angelo Mathews has been a part of the tournament in the past, but his performance hasn’t been a match of his standards. Also, he last played in IPL 2017 but got to feature only in 3 games in the tournament. He went unsold in the mega-auctions of IPL 2018, and the following year as well.
Interestingly, his base price in both those auctions was Rs 2 crore. Talking about the recent form, Mathews recently featured in the T10 League for Delhi Bulls but did not return with much success. For a player who has not even remained a regular feature in the national team, such a huge price is a bit more to ask.
Lastly, most of the teams have already fulfilled their allrounders slot. In that case, he is likely to warm the bench for any team he plays for. Therefore, the teams won’t like to spend much on a player who is out-of-form and likely to spend most of his time on the bench.
Mitchell Marsh (Rs 2cr)
Mitchell Marsh had opted out of the IPL 2018 auctions, in order to work upon his test skills and play county cricket. However, he was a part of IPL 2019 auctions but went unsold due to a base price of Rs 2 crores, which was a bit too high. The story seems to be no different this year as well, as he is likely to go unsold.
His current form has been very good. However, those performances have been limited to test cricket and one-dayers. The batting all-rounder hasn’t played any T20I game for Australia this year. He featured in the Big Bash League in last season but returned with only 122 runs and a solitary wicket in 7 games.
Therefore, the 28-year-old is unlikely to find a franchise at such a high price. With auctions just around the corner, it might have been too late for him to showcase his T20 abilities and prove his mettle.
Shaun Marsh (Rs 1.5 cr)
The elder brother of Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh has been faring exceedingly well in the ongoing Sheffield Cup. Having scored two centuries in the last three games, he has shown that the ball is coming beautifully on the bat. However, a string of injuries and not being able to cement a spot in the national T20I side might not help his cause in the auctions.
The Australian batsman was ruled out of the World Cup in the mid-season following an injury. Recently, he had to undergo a concussion test following a hit on the helmet during the Sheffield Cup, in a game at Melbourne which was eventually cancelled due to dangerous pitch.
Sadly, the southpaw has lost his place from the national side in all three formats. He last played a T20 game in August 2019, in the Vitality Blast. Even there, he didn’t return with very encouraging results. With the batting slots of most of the teams already filled, he is likely to go unsold in the auctions.
Josh Hazlewood (Rs 2 cr)
It is rather unbelievable that Hazlewood has set for himself a base price of Rs 2 crores, despite the fact that he last played a T20 game in any form way back in 2016. Since then, he has worked hard to become one of the best test bowlers for Australia, but nobody is aware if he can suit the demands of T20 cricket, which include variations in bowling apart from accurate line and length.
Moreover, he has just suffered a hamstring strain, which has ruled him out of at least two tests against New Zealand. With auctions just around the corner, this injury and unclarity about his T20 abilities, Hazlewood might not help his cause with such a high base price.
Test performances can’t be a parameter for selection in the tournament as big as IPL, and one must not be surprised he goes unsold in the auctions. Hazlewood might want to work upon his T20 figures if he has any chance of making it to any IPL franchise
Mustafizur Rahman (Rs 1 cr)
If Bangladesh selector Habibul Bashar’s words are to be believed, Mustafizur Rahman has become a bit too predictable in the past year, which has led to a drop in his form. And these words are quite evident in the stats. Ever since the World Cup, his form has dropped drastically.
In the recently concluded T20I series against India, the left-handed bowler could not scalp a single wicket in three games. Preceding this, he could scalp only 4 wickets in four games in the Bangladesh Tri-series. This form could have been the primary reason behind him being released by Mumbai Indians ahead of the auctions.
Though his base price is only Rs 1 crore, the teams might not be very interested in picking up Rahman. This might make it the second consecutive season for the pacer when he won’t play the season.
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