Top 5 superstars who surprisingly went unsold in the IPL auction

Loud, ceremonious, crazy and bizarre. That was how the IPL 8 auctions went. Perhaps most franchises got the players they wanted though it has to be admitted that some walked away happier than the others. In the end, some teams do look very strong on paper. But there were also some strange decisions made and crazy bids launched that have set tongues wagging. The decision to buy Pawan Negi for 8.5 crores - the highest price for an Indian player this year - has baffled many. So has the decision to pay 4.2 crores for Brathwaite. Even more baffling it is when you consider the fact that the likes of Cheteshwar Pujara, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels and Soumya Sarkar all went unsold. But there are some even more stellar names that failed to make the cut this year. Have the franchises lost out on these bargain buys? Here are top 5 superstars who surprisingly went unsold in the auction.

#1 Martin Guptill

Perhaps the strangest piece of business by the IPL franchises in the auction this year was not to go for Martin Guptill. Guptill has been in the form of his life and ended the last year on a high after his match-winning innings of 93 off 30 balls against Sri Lanka at Christchurch.

And no one can forget his superhuman knock of 237 off 163 balls at Wellington during the World Cup last year. His strike-rate of 145.39 in that innings had helped the Kiwis post an imposing total of 393 against the Windies in that match.

Guptill has scored 1666 runs at a strike-rate of 129.64 in T20Is. At a base price of 50 lakhs, Guptill would have been a great bargain that all the franchises have missed out on.

#2 Hashim Amla

Hashim Amla was the first batsman to go under the hammer in this auction but to everyone's surprise, no franchise decided to bid for him. Amla is widely considered to be one of the finest batsmen of this generation to have ever played the game.

One of the biggest reasons for such a decision might have been the fact that Amla is seen as batsman more in the classical mould who struggles to up the ante at times. But perceptions are often untrue -- even while playing beautiful cricketing shots, Amla has so far managed a strike-rate of 122.59 in T20Is for South Africa.

And add to that his staggering consistency -- he averages 55.93 in ODIs with 19 centuries and 27 fifties. With all his wealth of experience, the South African ODI skipper would have been a great asset to have at the top of the batting order.

At a base price of 1 crore, Amla should have been a player any team would love to have. The franchises might have missed a trick here.

#3 George Bailey

Quiet, unassuming and someone who always plays hard with a smile on his lips, George Bailey might have suffered a lot in the national team for being a proverbial good guy. In and out of the team even when he is making runs has been the story of his life so far.

Not so long ago, he formed a formidable attacking threat along with Maxwell and Miller in the Kings XI Punjab batting order. He was always prepared to do the dirty work as the 'Mad Max' and 'Killer-Miller' walked away with all the plaudits.

He plonked and plodded at times, but he put his head down and scored the runs. And at times, he even delivered the breezy finishes. Even when he was the skipper, he dropped himself when all the international players could not be accommodated in the team. Such selflessness coupled with a superb batting power is rare to find.

Bailey exudes class and confidence, the ability to anchor as well as attack. For just 1 crore, he could have brought all of that into his franchise. The decision to not buy him is simply inexplicable.

#4 Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja, given his current form for Australia, was expected to take the IPL by storm this year. He was considered to be one of the best prospects among the Australians and franchises were thought to be in hot pursuit of him for his services.

All this hype has sadly led to nothing. Despite his red hot form for his national team, Khawaja has not been picked by any franchise at all. The snub seems to be particularly cruel as Khawaja has been in tremendous form in Tests and in the Big Bash this year.

Most believed that he has done certainly enough - especially after his scintillating century against the Melbourne Stars in December last year - to put to rest the doubts that he is only good in the longer format of the game. At 1 crore, he could have really been a bargain buy for any franchise.

#5 Tillakaratne Dilshan

With his wealth of experience, the choice to not go for Dilshan was quite a strange one. Dilshan has been re-emphasizing the cliché - old is gold - with his superb form in the last year. Most people questioned his decision not to bow out after the World Cup but he has vindicated his choice by his superb run of form.

He compiled 1100 ODI runs in 2015 and had 11 wickets in his kitty to go with that. In T20Is, his consistency last year was even more splendid as he came away with 124 runs from the 4 matches he played in.

At a base price of 1.5 crores, Dilshan would have been a valued addition to any franchise. If age is just a number and form is what you go by - as what has happened with Ashish Nehra - Dilshan should have been picked in the auction.