Published 12:38 IST, November 29th 2019
IPL 2020 Auction: 3 Indian stars who have been rejected on their base price over the years
IPL 2020 Auction: The event is set to go underway on December 19 in Kolkata. Let us take a look at top 3 Indian players who went unsold at the auctions.
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Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction 2020 is set to get underway on December 19 in Kolkata. Every year, the IPL auction witnesses a lot of drama. New players are brought on the roster and get sold at hefty prices. This year, after a lot of trading between the franchises, they are set to go into the auction to bolster their squads by filling in the vacant slots. The auction has always surprised and shocked fans with its unpredictability and this year is going to be no different. Over the years, the cash-rich league has also seen some of the biggest names go without a bid.
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IPL 2020 Auction: Top 3 Indian players who got rejected at their base price and went unsold
1. Sourav Ganguly, IPL 2011
Ganguly, who was the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, had a base price of $400,000. He failed to attract any buyer in the 2011 Auction. Ganguly was earlier placed in the $200,000 price bracket, but he later increased his base price to $400,000, which was the highest bracket for marquee players in the league. During Ganguly's auction, the spotlight was on the Knight Riders' table, but the team's think tank looked down as his name was repeatedly called before he went to the unsold basket. There were also reports that Sahara-owned Pune Warriors India may buy him at a base price, but they had changed their mind after Ganguly hiked the price. It was only in 2012 that Ganguly was selected out of the auction by Pune, leading them in the absence of Yuvraj Singh.
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2. Irfan Pathan, IPL 2017
The southpaw had a base price of Rs 50 lakh in 2017. In IPL 2015 and 2016, Pathan, apart from being injury-prone, hadn’t quite been able to showcase his worth. In the 2016 season with Rising Pune Supergiants, he was more of a backup option and got only four matches under his belt. While in the 2015 season with CSK, he was marred by injuries. In 2014, he only took 4 wickets in 10 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. He went unsold because of his string of unsatisfactory track record in the past few seasons.
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3. Ishant Sharma, IPL 2017
A hefty base price of Rs 2 crore wasn't enough to get the right-arm fast-medium bowler some buyers as he went unsold. He was the last name in the pacers section. Sharma started his career with Deccan Chargers and played his last season with the new IPL franchise, Rising Pune Supergiant. He was later picked up by Kings XI Punjab as a replacement for the injured Murali Vijay. However, he has had a revival of sorts in the IPL as he is all set to play for the Delhi Capitals in 2020 for the second consecutive seasons.
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12:21 IST, November 29th 2019