IPL Auction 2021 will take place this Thursday in Chennai. The fans will finally get to know which players will play for their respective favorite franchises in the 14th IPL season. Many big names like Steve Smith, Harbhajan Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Dawid Malan, and other stars will go under the hammer at this year’s auction.
BCCI recently publicized the list of players who made it to the Player Auction. Earlier, close to 1,100 players had enrolled themselves for the auction. However, the franchises have shortlisted less than 300 names for the event on 18th February. While some impact players like Sreesanth and Colin Ingram missed out on a spot, some surprising names have made the cut.
Here’s a look at the five surprising players who earned the ticket to IPL Auction 2021.
5. James Faulkner
Former Rajasthan Royals all-rounder James Faulkner has been away from the tournament for quite a few seasons now. His last appearance in the IPL came for the Gujarat Lions.
Many fans were surprised to see Faulkner playing in the recently-concluded Big Bash League. He played for the Hobart Hurricanes in BBL 10, but he picked up a hamstring injury which did not allow him to play the full season. Hence, due to his fitness issues, it was surprising to see him on the auction list.
4. Nayan Doshi
After the IPL Auction players’ registration ended, Nayan Doshi emerged as the oldest player on the list. The 42-year-old spinner has played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL before.
He has registered himself as an English player. Since he will qualify as an overseas player, it will be interesting to see which franchise bids for him at the auction.
3. Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara has made a name for himself with his top-quality performances in Test match cricket. Pujara is one of the most reliable batsmen for Team India in the game’s most extended format.
However, Pujara’s numbers in white-ball cricket are not so great. He has a T20 century to his name, but Pujara has been away from IPL for a long time now. With a base price of 50 lakhs, Pujara has entered the IPL Auction.
2. Arjun Tendulkar
Arjun Tendulkar is an emerging left-arm fast bowler who has the talent to become a big name in the future. Arjun is the son of former Indian cricket team batsman Sachin Tendulkar.
Arjun has not played much cricket at the highest stage. In fact, he recently made his domestic cricket debut for Mumbai in the 2021 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He could be a wildcard pick in the auction considering he has the talent but is a bit inexperienced.
1. Morne Morkel
Morne Morkel will soon become a citizen of Australia. In the recently-concluded BBL 10, Morkel played for the Brisbane Heat team as a ‘local’ player.
Morkel is a former IPL Purple Cap winner. However, he has passed his prime now. Morne has retired from all forms of international cricket as well. Since he does not have enough match practice and his fitness is a bit questionable, seeing Morne Morkel’s name on the IPL Auction list raised many eyebrows.
