The IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions came to end on Sunday in Bengaluru. Like every season, at the recent event, too, there were plenty of surprises. A few popular cricketers did not find takers at the event. In this article, we take a look at a strong playing XI of cricketers who went unsold in the IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions.
In the initial years of IPL, the reputation of a player had a great role in deciding the fate of a player. However, right now, franchises look at form, skills and attribute to construct an XI. Hence, even though a player is popular, he may not get a bid at the event. This happened in the recent IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions, as well.
Openers: Martin Guptill and Ben McDermott (WK)
Martin Guptill and Ben McDermott will open the batting for this playing XI of cricketers who went unsold in the IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions. The Kiwi has still not been able to make a mark in IPL. Actually, in recent years, he has not got an opportunity. When he did get it, he could not do well. Although he has been decent for New Zealand recently, Guptill could still not find any takers. Ben McDermott was the highest run-getter at the recent BBL. Usually, players who do well in BBL get a chance in IPL. This did not happen in McDermott’s case.
Middle-Order: Suresh Raina, Steve Smith and Eoin Morgan (C)
It will be an experienced middle-order for this XI. Suresh Raina, one of the highest run-getters in the league, did not find a bidder at IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions. Hence, it is possible that IPL may not see any more of the cricketer. Had he kept his base price low, a few teams could have considered him, though. Steve Smith and Eoin Morgan are two popular foreign batters who did not get a chance for IPL 2022. While Morgan led KKR to finals last year, until recently, Smith was the captain of RR. Moreover, both are experienced and hence, it was surprising that both went unsold.
All-Rounders: Shakib Al Hasan and David Wiese
Shakib Al Hasan and David Wiese will be the all-rounders in this playing XI of cricketers who went unsold in the IPL 2022 Mega-Auctions. Shakib has usually done well in IPL and although the returns have dropped recently, he is an experienced campaigner who could be backed. That said, for IPL 2022, he has availability issues and hence, no team took the Bangladeshi all-rounder. Despite his age, David Wiese was expected to find a franchise in IPL 2022 Auctions. However, no team showed interest in him. Therefore, the Namibia player will miss the event.
Bowlers: Dhawal Kulkarni, Reece Topley, Andrew Tye, and Tabraiz Shamsi
Dhawal Kulkarni has featured in every season so far but will miss IPL 2022. It is down to his underwhelming show in domestic cricket that he did not get a chance. Reece Topley has done well recently but still misses out on a contract. The same is the case with Tye, who was one of the best bowlers at recent BBL. Tabraiz Shamsi, who is the No.2 bowler in T20I cricket at the moment, also did not extract a bid.
