Indian Premier League has been extremely intimate to all the cricketers who were a part of it even for a solitary season, given its wondrous stature, the overwhelming crowd, an electrifying ambience, overdrive of emotions and the drama that India’s T-20 domestic extravaganza promises.
With blazing performances, a few cricketers go on to cement their places in the fray for a prolonged span of time while a few fade away to oblivion with mediocre showdowns after a single season in the tournament. We will look at six unlucky players who couldn’t notch themselves up a suitor in IPL 2020, despite being cardinal monikers of the glittering tournament.
1. Heinrich Klaasen
A man, who was introduced in the Rajasthan Royals squad to fill in the massive boots of Steven Smith got crushed under pressure.
Playing in seven IPL matches for Royals and Bangalore combined, all he could manage was 66 runs, averaging at 13.2 with a strike rate of 115.79. His wicket-keeping figures weren’t monumental either as he was struggling to hit the right chord with the gloves, miffing countless chances.
After two abysmal seasons in IPL, Klaasen got axed from the 2020 auction as he couldn’t find himself a probable suitor who would need his services.
2. Tim Southee
The New Zealand fast bowler has savoured time away from IPL previously when he failed to find himself being roped in for two years on a trot as he missed out the seasons of 2012 and 2013.
However, this man turned the tide around on its head with flashes of brutal pace and ingenious swing that made him a highly-sought after name in franchise cricket.
From the 40 games that he went on to play in IPL, he has managed to rack up 28 wickets while scoring 115 runs that saw a match-defining unbeaten 36, also underlining his batting ability.
However, in 2020, the ageing fast bowler found himself out of favour of the IPL franchises as they were no longer willing to board the Kiwi express bowler.
3. Yusuf Pathan
One of the most substantial monikers of IPL, Yusuf Pathan was always a hot pick for the Indian Premier League as he managed to hammer a staggering 158 sixes over his glittering span of 12 years. He also recorded the fastest IPL century until Chris Gayle smashed the record in his effort to mount a monumental 175.
With 3204 runs from 174 games, that saw him smashing one century and thirteen half-centuries, he was also an impressive all-rounder as he managed to chronicle 42 wickets, chipping in with a few crucial overs in between.
Unfortunately with age slowly catching up with the big man, Pathan failed to register any buyer for the upcoming edition of IPL which will be played in Dubai due to the pandemic.
4. Carlos Braithwaite
Towering at 6 feet 4 inches, the robust Caribbean who took West Indies to the Promised Land by smashing Ben Stokes regally for four consecutive sixes at Eden Gardens faded away to oblivion in a matter of just a couple of years.
From 16 appearances, Braithwaite could only manage 181 runs and 13 wickets at a staggering strike rate of 163.06. As his performances entered a receding tailspin off late, the IPL teams also rolled their face away from the star.
5. Evin Lewis
This is nothing but a stroke of sheer misfortune for one of the best power-hitters from the current crop of Caribbean players. Lewis is a phenomenal batsman who already proved himself to be an extremely useful name in Indian Premier League, notching up 430 runs from 16 games.
A muscle-man in the middle order, Lewis could play an imperative catalyst in the side that saw him being picked over other substantial names. Haplessly, the 2020 auction wasn’t kind to this cricketer as the franchises deemed him to be second fiddle to other big names.
6. Martin Guptill
Another Black Cap in the list, who boasts of a stellar cricketing career, failed to make it big in IPL. Not exactly a failure, but Guptill wasn’t someone whom the team could bank upon and his pedestal figures were 270 runs from 13 games that featured a solitary half-century.
Much to his dismay, the IPL franchises never really made peace with this New Zealand hard-hitter and the latest auction failed to find any buyer to get him on board.
