Indian Premier League 2018 Player Auction: Top 5 stars who went unsold on Day 1
Bengaluru: The opening day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 player auction saw some of the big names going unsold on the first day of the auction.
Check out: IPL 2018 Player Auction: How Day 1 unfolded
Some players, who were the mainstays or the marquee signings for teams in previous season, saw no bidders.
Here’s a look at the biggest losers to come out of the IPL auctions:
Chris Gayle
A self-proclaimed Universe Boss and one of the most sought-after T20 player, Chris Gayle went unsold on Day 1 of the IPL 2018 player auction. Even Royal Challengers Bangalore, for whom he played till the last season after making a move from Kolkata Knight Riders, decided not to bid for him.
The left-handed powerhouse is the highest scorer in T20s with 11,000 runs in the shortest format of the game. However, a dip in form could have prompted RCB to not retain the services of one of the biggest names in the history of T20 cricket.
Joe Root
The England skipper, who was one of the biggest IPL auction entrant this time, went unsold with no franchises willing to buy him. Last year Root decided to give the tournament a miss in order to spend some time with his newborn son Alfred.
Earlier this month, Root, who is one of the best modern-day batsmen, withdrew from England’s T20 squad for the the tri-series against Australia and New Zealand.
Mitchell McClenaghan
The New Zealand left-arm seamer was the leading wicket taker for Mumbai Indians last season with 19 wickets from 14 matches. He has so far taken 54 wickets in three seasons (2015, 2016, 2017) for the three-time IPL champions. The Kiwi pacer played a big role in Mumbai Indians winning the IPL crown in 2015 where he picked up 18 wickets in the campaign. However, in today's auction, he was not picked by any team.
Hashim Amla
The South African opener, who played for Kings XI Punjab last season, surprisingly did not find any buyers during the auction. The top-order batsman, who had a base price of Rs 1.5 crores, was brought in the side last season for injured Shaun Marsh and in the 10 matches he played, he scored 420 runs, which included two centuries and two half-centuries. However, the teams decided not to have him on board during the IPL 2018 auction.
Lasith Malinga
The Sri Lanka legend has picked up 154 wickets from 110 matches he played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL. He was a key component of MI when they won IPL trophy in 2013 and 2015 season. However, injuries, dip in form and age meant that Malinga has lost some of his sheen. And while he can still be bought in IPL 2018 auction on Day 2, for someone, who is loved by MI and IPL fans, it was a little disappointing to see he not getting picked at the auction.
Notable mentions
Josh Hazelwood
While Hazlewood is one of the most promising young bowlers going around, the Australian seam bowler had no takers on Day 1 of the IPL 2018 player auction. Hazlewood, in the past, had been a part of Mumbai Indians set-up in the 2015 edition of IPL, However, following his decision to pull out of the cash-rich tournament, he was replaced by New Zealand’s Colin Munro.
