Picking an XI of unsold players from IPL 2024 auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction took place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday. While over 330 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer, 72 cricketers ended up being purchased by the 10 franchises, with 30 of them being overseas players.

Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc was the biggest buy at the IPL 2024 auction, purchased for a record sum of ₹24.75 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Before Starc, Aussie Test and ODI skipper Pat Cummins also breached the ₹20 crore mark. He was sold to SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) for ₹20.50 crore.

Among Indian players, pacer Harshal Patel was the biggest buy. He was picked up by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹11.75 crore. Uncapped Uttar Pradesh batter Sameer Rizvi also grabbed the limelight after being bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for ₹8.40 crore.

While 72 players were sold, several cricketers remained unsold even as the franchises spent a total of ₹230.45 crore at the auction.

On that note, we try and pick the best XI of unsold players, featuring four overseas and seven Indian players.

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Openers: Reeza Hendricks and Philip Salt (wk)

England’s aggressive keeper-batter Phil Salt. (Pic: AP)

South Africa’s Reeza Hendricks and England’s Philip Salt would make for a dynamic opening pair in the IPL.

Hendricks has an impressive record for the Proteas in the T20I format. In 56 matches, he has scored 1702 runs at an average of 31.51 and a strike rate of 130.92. In his overall T20 career, he has struck four tons.

Salt, on the other hand, played a couple of impressive knocks for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2023. He scored 218 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 163.91. Just hours after going unsold at the IPL 2024 auction, he smacked 119 off 57 in a T20I against West Indies in Trinidad. Salt has a strike rate of 152.90 in T20s.

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Middle order: Manan Vohra, Karun Nair, and Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan in action for Delhi Capitals. (Pic: BCCI)

Manan Vohra has played 56 IPL matches, scoring 1,083 runs at a strike rate of 130.64 with three half-centuries.

He had a decent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023/24 campaign for Chandigarh, scoring 254 runs in seven innings at an average of 50.80 and a strike rate of 137.29 with two half-centuries.

Karun Nair has featured in 76 IPL games, scoring 1496 runs at a strike rate of 127.75 with 10 fifties. He had an impressive run with Vidarbha in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023/24, scoring 218 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 152.44 with two half-centuries.

Sarfaraz Khan, meanwhile, has played 50 IPL games in which he has scored 585 runs at a strike rate of 130.58. He was released by Delhi Capitals (DC) after a poor 2023 season. The 26-year-old has scored 1188 runs in 74 T20 innings at a strike rate of 128.29.

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All-rounders: Raj Angad Bawa and Jalaj Saxena

Raj Angad Bawa had been ruled out of IPL 2023 due to injury.

One of India’s big stars during their 2022 U19 World Cup campaign, Raj Angad Bawa played two matches for Punjab Kings (PBKS) during the IPL 2022 season, but did not get a chance to make much of an impact. The 21-year-old can contribute with both the bat and ball and is among the most promising young all-rounders in India.

Domestic giant Jalaj Saxena yet again went unsold at the IPL auction. The 37-year-old spinner has a terrific T20 record, having claimed 72 scalps in 70 matches at an average of 18.43 and an economy rate of 6.74. The Kerala cricketer registered figures of 5/17 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy clash against Odisha. He is a handy batter as well.

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Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Tabraiz Shamsi, Atit Sheth, and Ravi Teja

Josh Hazlewood celebrates a wicket during the 2023 ODI World Cup. (Pic: Getty Images)

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood was not picked up by any of the franchises since he would not be fully available for the IPL 2024 season. The right-arm pacer has a good record in the T20 format, having claimed 127 wickets in 96 matches at an average of 21.53 and an economy rate of 7.59. Hazlewood is a genuine wicket-taker in the shortest format.

South African left-arm spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is one of the best in the business in the 20-over format of cricket. The 33-year-old has played 65 T20Is and has claimed 78 wickets at an average of 22.20 and an economy rate of 7.38.

Baroda's right-arm pacer Atit Sheth was one of the bowling stars of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023/24. He claimed 18 wickets in nine matches at an average of 14.27 and an economy rate of 7.55. Sheth has 75 wickets in T20s, averaging just over 18.

Hyderabad’s Ravi Teja was the leading wicket-taker in the 2023/24 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The pacer picked up 19 wickets in seven matches, averaging 10.10. He has 51 wickets in 35 T20 matches, averaging 17.58.