5 big overseas absentees from IPL 2024 auction list ft. Jofra Archer
The final Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 player auction list was released on Monday, December 11. As per the same, 333 players have been shortlisted to go under the gavel in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19. All 10 franchises will be keen to pick up strong players to elevate their chances of winning the prestigious competition.
Out of 333 players, 214 are Indian players and 119 are overseas cricketers, of which two are from associate nations. A total of 116 capped players and 215 uncapped players, including the two associate nation cricketers, will be part of the upcoming auction.
While 333 players have made it to the final list, a maximum of 77 slots can be filled up during the auction, 30 of them being overseas slots. Speaking of price brackets, 23 players have registered themselves in the highest base price category of ₹2 crore. Further, 13 cricketers have set their base price at ₹1.5 crore.
While several big overseas names will be part of the IPL 2024 auction, some prominent foreign players are missing as well. We look at five big overseas absentees from the auction list.
#1 Jofra Archer
England pacer Jofra Archer is unarguably the biggest name missing from the auction list among overseas cricketers. He was purchased by Mumbai Indians (MI) for ₹8 crore at the IPL 2022 auction even though he would be unavailable for the entire season due to injury.
The right-arm fast bowler played only five matches for MI in 2023 before returning home for another rehabilitation session. He did not look at his best during the season and managed only two wickets, going at an economy rate of 9.50. Archer was released by the franchise when the retention list for IPL 2024 was announced
Earlier this month, there were reports that the 28-year-old injury-prone pacer would not feature in IPL 2024 as the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is keen to take control of his workload in the build-up to the 2024 T20 World Cup.
#2 Bhanuka Rajapaksa
Punjab Kings (PBKS) released hard-hitting Sri Lankan batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa while announcing their retention list for IPL 2024. He was not part of the player auction list released on Monday even as eight other Sri Lankans were shortlisted.
The 32-year-old hammered 206 runs in nine matches for PBKS in IPL 2022 at a strike rate of 159.69. In the previous edition, he scored 71 runs in four matches at a strike rate of 114.52. Fifty of those runs came in one innings.
#3 Marnus Labuschagne
One of Australia’s 2023 ODI World Cup heroes, Marnus Labuschagne, once again won’t feature in the IPL as he is not part of the final auction list. The right-handed batter had put his name in the IPL 2022 auction at a base price of ₹1 crore, but went unsold.
Despite being one of Australia’s most gifted batters, the 29-year-old has only played one T20I for the team. He, however, does represent Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League (BBL).
In 41 T20 games, Labuschagne has scored 1008 runs at a strike rate of 126. He has also claimed 24 scalps with his leg-spin.
#4 Usman Khawaja
Seasoned Aussie cricketer, Usman Khawaja, captains Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. He has even represented Islamabad United with decent success in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). However, he is not much in demand in the Indian T20 league.
Khawaja represented Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2016 IPL season. He played six matches and scored 127 runs with a best of 30. Khawaja has not been part of any other IPL season since. The left-handed has played 116 T20 games, scoring 3255 runs at a strike rate of 130.25 with three hundreds and 16 fifties.
#5 Chris Gayle
Not a surprise as such, but it wouldn’t have been a bad thing if West Indies legend Chris Gayle was part of the IPL 2024 auction list. He is not officially retired after all although he is 44. And players like Pravin Tambe and Brad Hogg have proved in the IPL in the past that 40-plus is just a number.
The “Universe Boss” last featured in the IPL during the 2021 season for PBKS. In 10 matches, he scored 193 runs at a strike rate of 125.32.
Overall, the Caribbean white ball great has featured in 142 IPL games, scoring 4965 at a strike rate of 148.96 with six hundreds and 31 fifties.