Gambhir opens up on SL batsman going unsold in IPL auction; 'He would be that expensive'

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has opened on Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka going unsold at the recently-concluded IPL auction in Kochi. Shanaka was phenomenal with the bat during the second T20I against India on Thursday. He first smashed a quickfire half-century to help his side post a mammoth total and then picked up two wickets with the ball to secure the win. Speaking on Star Sports, Gambhir opined that the way Shanaka played, he would have definitely gone for big bucks if the auction was to happen now.

Gambhir stated that he would have run out of money to buy Shanaka at the auction, adding "he would be that expensive". Gambhir is the mentor of the IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants and was present at the IPL 2023 auction last month. No team bid for Shanaka when his name came up at the auction in Kochi on December 23. After Shanaka scored 56 off 22 balls in the second T20I, several experts and cricketer fans turned to social media to point out how the Lankan captain went unsold despite boasting a great record on Asian pitches. 

"I won't have money, he would be that expensive, the way he has batted. That is what the auction is all about. Imagine if this series had happened just before the auction, some of the franchises would probably not have had the money to buy him," Gambhir said during a discussion on Star Sports. 

Shanaka in T20Is

Shanaka has played 84 T20I matches for his country since his debut in 2015. He has scored 1305 runs at an average of 21.39, including five fifties. Shanaka has also picked up 23 wickets in the format. Of those 1305 runs, Shanaka has scored 407 runs against India alone, his highest against an ICC full-member country. Shanaka has scored 1020 of his total T20I runs in Asia, including four of his five half-centuries.  

The 31-year-old has never played in the IPL but thanks to his recent performance against India, he might get a chance as a replacement player this year. Shanaka, however, plays in other T20 leagues across the world, including in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the UAE. 

Image: PTI/AP