IPL 2020 Auction: 5 overseas stars who have been rejected on their base price

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction 2020 is set to get underway on December 19 in Kolkata. Over the years, IPL has been a platform for youngsters who are bought at hefty prices by the franchises to showcase their talent. However, there are certain marquee players who don’t need such attention. They bring a different dimension to the side. Yet there have been times when these star players have been completely overlooked and went unsold at the auctions.

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IPL Auction 2020: 5 overseas star players who went unsold in IPL history

1. Chris Gayle, IPL 2011

Gayle was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2008. He didn’t play that year but played 16 games across 2009 and 2010 and was pretty good. The swashbuckling batsman scored 463 runs at a strike-rate of 141.59. However, he went unsold in 2011 to everyone’s surprise as KKR weren't interested in retaining or buying him back at the auction. But after Dirk Nannes’ injury that followed the auction, he got a call up from the RCB management and the rest is history. Gayle went on to win the Orange Cap in 2011 and 2012, making it RCB's gain and KKR's loss.

2. Joe Root, IPL 2018

In 2018, Root had ambitions to come and play in the IPL as well. After the end of the 2016 World T20, Root played just five T20Is till the start of 2018. Hence, he wanted to play a lot more T20 cricket and was pretty open about it. However, he found no takers in the 2018 auction. Having kept his base price at INR 2 crores, the England Test captain attracted absolutely no attention, much to the surprise of many fans due to his versatility.

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3. Brendon McCullum, IPL 2019

McCullum had played 109 games for five different teams and had set his base price at Rs 2 crore in the 2019 auctions. He had played six games for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2018 where he didn’t look at his best. Maybe that’s the reason he found no bidders in the auctions for the 2019 season, which pretty much ended his IPL playing career. However, the former Kiwi captain will be coaching Kolkata Knight Riders, the team with which he started his IPL career in 2008, come 2020.

4. Lasith Malinga, IPL 2018

Lasith Malinga is an absolute IPL legend. He has picked up the most number of wickets (170) in the IPL with a strike-rate of 16.63 and an average of 19.85. However, in the mega auction in 2018, the Sri Lankan legend had no team picking him, not even Mumbai Indians. Despite his relatively lower base price of INR 1 crore, Malinga went unsold. However, he was picked in the 2019 auction at his base price by Mumbai and won them the IPL title in style.

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5. Michael Hussey, IPL 2016

Michael Hussey was one of the top players for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from 2011-13. However, in 2014, he parted ways as he was released back into the auction pool. The Australian left-hander played nine games for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2014 season where he scored just 209 runs at an average of 23.22. However, in 2015, CSK bought him back for INR 1.5 crores. But after they were suspended for two years, Hussey got no attention in the 2016 IPL auction and went unsold. It was then that he decided to not to play in the IPL anymore. However, he has been seen in the coaching staff of CSK since the last two seasons.

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