IPL Auction 2020: 3 unsold players that should've been picked
The build-up to the IPL, the richest T20 league in the world, starts with the annual player auction, which takes place months before it actually begins. Every year, hundreds of cricketers from around the globe go under the hammer in the hope to get picked by a franchise.
But since the spots on offer are limited, many players who are deemed to be deserving enough to be picked are left out. Here are three players that should've been picked to play in the upcoming edition of the IPL but found no takers in the auction held yesterday:
#3 Kesrick Williams
Having seen the competitiveness that the West Indian seamer brings to the game, it was astonishing to see not even a single bid against his name in yesterday's auction. In the shortest format of the game, Williams thrives on his variations and is a well-known death bowler.
As far as his T20 numbers are concerned, the 29-year-old has scalped 113 wickets from 83 games so far and is considered to be a genuine wicket-taker by the cricket pundits.
Williams picked 12 wickets from 10 matches in the Caribbean Premier League this year and bowled the most difficult overs for his team.
Royal Challengers Bangalore maybe could've picked him at the tail end of the event (instead of Isuru Udana) to have options for bowling in the crucial overs.
#2 Ish Sodhi
Ish Sodhi not being picked at the IPL 2020 player auction might come as a surprise for many, given his decent record in T20s. The spinner from New Zealand is best-suited for bowling in the shortest format of the game as he gets to use his height to deceive the batsmen. In addition to that, he has a quick-arm action that makes it difficult for the opposition batters to read his googlies.
Earlier this year, Sodhi ended up as the highest wicket-taker in Global T20 Canada tournament, scalping 12 wickets from just 6 games at an economy rate of under 8.
Seeing the kind of success leg-spinners have had in the IPL over the past few years, he should've been picked by a team -- maybe as a backup if not as a regular member.
Mumbai Indians may be could've thrown their hat in the ring in order to have more options on hand, especially when they play their away games.
#1 Colin de Grandhomme
Colin de Grandhomme is famous for his aggressive batting in the middle-order and his seam-bowling, making him a handy contributor to any team in T20 cricket. In recent times, the 33-year-old has been batting up the order for the Black Caps and often contributes two to three overs with the ball.
Coming to the auctions, the Kiwi all-rounder found no bidder, though Delhi Capitals could've bagged him for strengthening their middle-order or as a back-up for Marcus Stoinis, instead of acquiring Jason Roy after already having classy openers in Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, and Ajinkya Rahane.