Gautam Gambhir Explains Why Ishant Went Unsold in IPL Auction

Ishant Sharma was the only Indian in the Rs 2 crore base price club.

Gautam Gambhir said he was surprised to see that India teammate Ishant Sharma had placed himself in the Rs 2 crore base price club for the 2017 Indian Premier League auction. Highest in this year’s auction, the top base price bracket only had seven players, and Ishant the only Indian.

During the mid-auction break, Gautam Gambhir on Sony Six said:

I was surprised to see Ishant Sharma’s base price. I think it was too high.

Also Read: Tahir, Ishant and Pujara: IPL Auction’s ‘Unsold’ Mysteries

Gambhir further added the amount wasn’t suitable for Ishant Sharma, who would typically be expected to bowl only four overs in a twenty over match. However, all-rounders like Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes would perform well in the game

Ishant Sharma remained unsold after coming up twice in the auction on Monday.

An IPL team top boss allegedly told PTI on Monday that Ishant should have “shed his ego” and lowered his base price. “Ishant Sharma shouldn't have kept his base price at Rs 2 crore. Firstly, he doesn't play for India in T20s and is not considered a white ball bowler. He is only playing Test cricket. Ideally, he should have shed his ego and kept his base price in the range of Rs 30 lakh. Varun Aaron gained just because of that even though Ishant probably has more quality”, he said.

Also Read: IPL Auction Wrap: English Players Star But Ishant, Tahir Miss Out