In a surprising turn of events during the IPL auction, notable players including Steve Smith and Manish Pandey failed to attract any bids from the teams. Despite their established cricketing prowess, these players remained unsold, leaving cricket enthusiasts puzzled.
The base price for Steve Smith and Rilee Rossow was set at Rs 2 crore, while Manish Pandey and Karun Nair carried a base price of Rs 50 lakh. Astonishingly, even with reasonable starting values, no teams stepped forward to acquire these players in the initial bidding.
The list of unsold players also includes the likes of Josh Inglis, who recently showcased his batting prowess with a stunning century in the T20 series against India. However, this stellar performance did not translate into a successful auction bid for Inglis.
Controversially, some critics argue that the auction dynamics may not always reflect a player’s true value or potential contribution to a team. The absence of bids for players with proven track records, such as Manish Pandey, raises questions about the criteria teams use in the auction process.
Notable mentions like Phil Salt from England and Kusal Mendis from Sri Lanka also found themselves without buyers, despite their international cricket experience.
On the flip side, Australian pacer Pat Cummins emerged as the big winner of the auction, fetching a staggering Rs 20.50 crore from Sunrisers Hyderabad. Cummins, with a base price of Rs 2 crore, attracted bidding wars from multiple teams, including Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
As the unsold players gear up for a second chance in the upcoming rounds of bidding, speculation abounds about whether teams will reconsider their strategies and vie for these undervalued talents.
