IPL 2022: 3 players who went unsold at the mega auction and are working as commentators now
The IPL 2022 Auction was held in February earlier this year, where more than 200 cricketers earned contracts from 10 franchises. Several young talents received a place in the IPL squads. But at the same time, some seasoned pros missed out on a contract.
While international players like Mohit Sharma and Barinder Sran are with the franchises as net bowlers now, other experienced players have been roped in by the broadcasters as commentators for IPL 2022.
In this listicle, we look at the three Indian players who went unsold at the mega auction and are members of the Star Sports commentary panel for IPL at the moment.
#1 Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina registered himself for the IPL Mega Auction in the highest base price category of ₹2 crore. Nicknamed Mr. IPL, Raina was once the leading run-scorer of all time in the tournament's history. He won multiple matches for the Chennai Super Kings and led Gujarat Lions to the top of the points table in their debut season.
Since Raina has so much experience under his belt, many fans expected that at least one of the 10 franchises would bid for him. However, none of the teams showed interest in his services and the southpaw surprisingly went unsold.
So far, no team has signed him as a replacement as well. Some fans feel this is the end of Suresh Raina's IPL career. The former Gujarat Lions skipper is still associated with the league this year, but he now has a different role. He is a member of the Star Sports commentary panel along with his former teammates Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh.
#2 Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla was a member of the Indian squad that won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2011. Chawla has achieved a lot of success in the IPL and holds a place among the most successful bowlers in the tournament's history.
The veteran leg-spinner turned up for the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2020 and 2021, respectively. Chawla was not a regular fixture in the playing XI of both franchises, and since he could not impress much in the few chances he got, he was released.
None of the teams signed him at the IPL 2022 mega auction. Along with Suresh Raina, he is in the Hindi commentary panel for IPL 2022.
#3 Dhawal Kulkarni
Dhawal Kulkarni and Piyush Chawla played together for the Mumbai Indians team in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League. Both were released by MI ahead of IPL 2022 and subsequently went unsold at the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Like Chawla and Raina, Kulkarni has joined the Star Sports commentary panel this season. Along with Hindi commentary, Kulkarni also works as a Marathi commentator for the host broadcaster.
Another player who played in IPL 2021 and is working as a commentator this year is Harbhajan Singh, but the Turbanator did not enroll himself for the mega auction.