As expected the IPL auction this time too has thrown up shockers. From Gayle going unsold to Chennai Super Kings not opting for Ashwin.
Teams come up with a game plan which every time surprises the viewers.
Let’s take a look at such instances from today’s auction.
1. Chris Gayle Goes Unsold
The story of West Indies batsman's rise in the IPL is a staggering one. Unsold in 2011, he was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) after Dirk Nannes suffered an injury and went on to become an iconic player of the Virat Kohli-led franchise.
He holds the record for most sixes in the tournament (265) with the next best a long way away at 173 (Suresh Raina), and also smacked the highest individual score in T20s (a bludgeoning 175) in the IPL.
He wasn't at his very best last season with most teams finding ways to get past the marauding West Indian opener. Despite his heroics in the Bangladesh Premier League, Gayle failed to find any takers this time at the auction.
2. K L Rahul Attracts Rs 11 Cr Bid
Kings XI Punjab spent a whopping Rs 11 cr for the Indian opener.
Apart from Punjab, three other teams were also in fray to pick up Rahul. Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad were involved in a bidding war before Kings XI swept in.
Rahul, who till now had a very modest IPL career, has scored only 725 runs in 39 matches at an average of 30.21.
It will be interesting to see whether the batsman from Mangaluru will justify his price or not.
3. CSK Not Bidding For Ashwin
After Chennai Super Kings didn’t retain Ashwin during the retention event, Captain Dhoni had said that Ashwin would be their priority during the auction.
But that didn’t happen. There was a bidding war only between Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab. Eventually Punjab picked him up for Rs 7.6 crore.
Ashwin was always an integral part of CSK before the team got suspended for two years.
Moreover, Ashwin was a local boy and it would be interesting to see how the fans react to this exclusion.
4. Ishant Sharma again overlooked
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Indian pacer Ishant Sharma had no takers for second successive IPL auction.
At Rs 75 lakh, Ishant Sharma was thought to be a give away but the franchises thought differently.
Sharma, who represents the country mostly in Tests these days, also doesn’t have a great IPL record to show off.
With 58 wickets in 76 IPL matches, Sharma hardly made any impression with the ball in the tournament.
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