The IPL unsold XI

The IPL auctions have always been as enjoyable as the IPL itself. It has always given the Indian cricket fan enough to discuss about. But almost always, the onus has been on the players who get selected and those who missed out are forgotten soon. This time’s auction has been much fair, with all teams looking pretty much equal. As pundits look into the best starting eleven for each team, I take a look at those who I feel deserved a spot in a team yet missed out completely. This is the IPL unsold XI. It’s definitely not as strong as the other IPL Teams, but I believe this is the most balanced side you can pick up from the list of unsold players and still can surprise you if put against any of the IPL teams. [NB: Sri Lankan and England players haven’t been selected due to their international commitments. Else, the likes of Ajantha Mendis and Luke Wright are too hard to ignore] So here goes!

#1 Faiz Fazal

[BASE PRICE: 30 LAKHS]

The former Rajasthan Royals player is not the typical T20 opener. A strike rate of 106 in T20s is not at all flattering. But he still opens the innings for this side, simply because he is going through one of the finest phase of his career. He kept scoring runs at will in the just concluded Ranji Trophy and now has started the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a fine 102* against Rajasthan at a decent strike rate of 86. Pretty high on confidence, it is almost certain that if given a chance Faiz would convert all of it into runs, even on a large platform like the IPL.