3 senior Indian cricketers who will not be a part of the IPL 2023 Auction
The Tata IPL 2022 is set to be held on 23rd December 2022 in Kochi, with a total of 405 players to go under the hammer. With only 87 slots available for the teams to fill, a minimum of 318 players will go unsold.
All teams have retained their core group from last year and will be looking to fix areas of vulnerability in their quest to create the most balanced side for the 2-month long competition. With top stars like Cameron Green, Ben Stokes, Mayank Agarwal and Sam Curran going under the hammer, it promises to be a busy afternoon for all teams.
Initially, 991 players had registered for the IPL Auction. This list was narrowed down to 405 players by the franchises based on their interest. Franchises showed no interest in big overseas names such as Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Martin Guptill, Colin de Grandhomme and Ben Cutting among others, as they were not included in the final auction list.
Neither were the names of these three top Indian players who will, unfortunately, not be a part of Tata IPL 2023 Auction.
#1 Kedar Jadhav
Kedar Jadhav last played for India in an ODI match against New Zealand in February 2020. The batting all-rounder has since fallen out of favour due to his inconsistent performances with the bat, slow running between the wickets and poor efforts on the field. Known for his improvisation with the bat and ability to chip in with the ball with his slingy action, the cricketer from Maharashtra has an average IPL record, scoring 1196 runs in 80 innings at an average of 22.15 and a strike-rate of 123.17. At 37, age doesn't seem to be on the side of the veteran Indian cricketer, who has featured for multiple franchises such as Delhi Capitals, Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the past. While he went unsold in the 2022 IPL auction at his base price of INR. 1 crore, he was not even considered by any team this year, resulting in him not being included in the auction altogether.
#2 Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Pujara is a vital cog in India's Test match team. He proved his worth in the longest format of the game yet again, scoring 90 and 102* in the ongoing India-Bangladesh Test match. The Indian veteran last played an IPL match in 2014 for the Punjab Kings. He was bought most recently by Chennai Super Kings at his base price of INR 50 lakhs in 2021 but did not feature in a single game in the tournament. After going unsold in the 2022 IPL auction, Pujara chose not to enroll himself for this year's event. The Indian veteran has previously been a part of Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata Knight Rides and Chennai Super Kings.
#3 Hanuma Vihari
Another vital pillar of India's Test team, Hanuma Vihari hasn't enrolled himself for the 2023 Tata IPL Auction. The Indian batter last played an IPL match in 2019 for the Delhi Capitals. The batter has also previously played Sunrisers Hyderabad. Vihari has scored 284 runs in 23 innings at a below-par average of 14.2 and a paltry strike-rate of 88.47.
With this, we conclude our list of 3 senior Indian cricketers who will not feature in the Tata IPL 2023 Auction. Do you think any of these players deserve an IPL contract? Let us know in the comments below.