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IPL auction: Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan left in cold

The lanky Indian pace spearhead found no takers during the proceedings and looks poised to watch the IPL from his home.

As in every auction, the one here on Monday had all the thrills and spills, much like the game itself. If there were monstrous buys, there were glaring misses. None more than Ishant Sharma.

The lanky Indian pace spearhead found no takers during the proceedings and looks poised to watch the IPL from his home. The inflated Rs 2 crore valuation no doubt hurt the player who is as injury prone as he is talented. With the risk of the bowler coming in spent on energy following a lengthy stint with the national team and his T20 stats not backing the price tag, it was always a big ask from the franchisees.

The lack of suitors for big hitting Ross Taylor and the less flamboyant but value for money Irfan Pathan was surprising as well. The fact that Jonny Bairstow and Brad Haddin are genuine wicketkeepers may have worked against them as they found little interest from the owners.

Nathan Lyon and Kyle Abott too were non-picks as the teams, bolstered already with top talent from across the globe, chose to invest more on domestic picks rather than foreign ones. After all, there is a restriction of four overseas players in the eleven and nine in all.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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