IPL 2022 Auction: Here are the top 5 unsold players
Much like the previous editions, the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction was also full of surprises. In the last two days, several budding youngsters became millionaires. However, some of the most prolific cricketers went unsold. The list of unsold players is headed by former Indian all-rounder Suresh Raina. Here are five experienced players who did not find any bidders at the auction.
Suresh Raina was the biggest snub during the just concluded player auction. Raina is a veteran of 205 IPL games. With 5,528 runs under his belt, he is the fourth overall leading run-getter in the history of the tournament. He has also struck 39 fifties and one hundred in the cash-rich league. Raina scored 160 runs in 12 games for CSK in 2021.
Steve Smith also failed to find any bidder during the 2022 auction. Smith, who is counted among modern-day greats, has scored 2,485 runs in IPL in 103 games. He averages 34.51 in the tournament. He owns one hundred and 11 fifties in the cash-rich league. Smith was released by Delhi after a below-par performance. He amassed 152 runs in 8 games in 2021.
Australia's limited-overs captain Aaron Finch went unsold during the auction after he failed to find any buyers. Finch has played 87 games in India's domestic T20 tournament and scored 2,005 runs at an average of 25.70. He has struck 14 fifties, with his highest score being 88*. Finch last featured in IPL during the 2020 edition, scoring 268 runs in 12 games.
Surprisingly, there were no takers for Shakib Al Hasan during the auction. He was released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after a mediocre showing in the 2021 season. Shakib managed just 47 runs during the last season in eight games, besides taking four wickets. Overall, he has bagged 63 wickets in the tournament from 71 games at 29.19. He has also scored 793 runs.
Amit Mishra also went unsold at the auction. With 166 wickets under his belt, he is the third leading wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League, behind Lasith Malinga (170 wickets) and Dwayne Bravo (167 wickets). He is a veteran of 154 games and has recorded four four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul in the tournament. He picked six wickets in four games in 2021.
