3 Australian players who went unsold in the 2019 IPL auctions but were brilliant in BBL 2018-19
With every passing year, Big Bash League (BBL) is getting bigger and better. BBL 08 turned out to be yet another successful season for Cricket Australia. From Zing bails to bat-flip, CA has found success in everything they tried in BBL.
However, a little more than two months ago, some of the BBL stars went unsold in the 2019 IPL auctions. Much to the disappointment of the players, the auction for IPL 2019 was conducted before the commencement of BBL 08. Among the unsold players, let us look at three players who performed exceptionally well in this year’s BBL.
Note: Matthew Wade’s name was not shortlisted in the final list of IPL 2019 player auction.
#3 Kane Richardson
It has been six years since Kane Richardson made his international debut for Australia. Still, Richardson has not cemented his place in the Australian squad in any format. His last match in Australian colors came against England on June 27, 2018, in a one-off T20I.
With several injury concerns in the last few years, Richardson made a thumbing comeback in the recently concluded BBL. Playing for Melbourne Renegades, Richardson claimed 24 wickets in 14 games with a decent economy rate of 7.75. His impressive form with the ball is one of the factors behind Renegades winning their maiden trophy.
A successful BBL season has earned him a place in the Australia squad for their upcoming limited-overs tour to India. However, he went unsold in this year’s IPL auction, which happened before the start of BBL|08.
Earlier, Richardson had represented three different IPL franchises in his career - Pune Warriors India (2013), Rajasthan Royals (2014), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (2016). Overall, Richardson has played only 14 IPL games in three seasons. With the base price of INR 1 crore, Kane failed to attract any bidder in this year’s auction.