5 players who were shockingly unsold at WPL 2024 Auction ft. Chamari Athapaththu 

The WPL 2024 Auction saw Annabel Sutherland and Kashvee Gautam becoming the most expensive picks, with both of them being acquired for a whooping sum of ₹2 crores each.

As it usually happens in such events, the WPL 2024 auction had its share of surprises. There were some prominent names that went unsold while some lesser-known ones got the big bucks.

In this article, we will look at five players who were shockingly left unsold at the WPL 2024 auction. The list starts with a major star of women's cricket from Sri Lanka.

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#1 Chamari Athapaththu

Chamari Athapaththu surprisingly went unsold for the second straight season in the WPL. The Sri Lankan all-rounder is one of the most consistent players in Women's T20 cricket currently.

She was the Player of the Tournament in the recently concluded Women’s Big Bash League. In the said tournament, the all-rounder scored 511 runs at an average of 42.58 and also picked up nine wickets.

Athapaththu also possesses an incredible record for Sri Lanka in WT20Is. She has scored 2,651 runs from 120 innings, including one century and eight half-centuries. The 33-year-old has also picked up 40 wickets in WT20Is.

With all these accomplishments, it is a major surprise that Athapaththu wasn't picked up by any team.

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#2 Deandra Dottin

The West Indian all-rounder was another big player who remained unsold during the WPL 2024 auction. Dottin is a fast-bowling all-rounder and has been an incredible player for the West Indies over the last decade-and-a-half.

In 127 WT20Is, Dottin has scored 2,697 runs with the bat from 125 innings and has scored two centuries.

She has been equally effective with the ball and has picked up 62 wickets at an average of 19.19 and has an exceptional economy rate of 6.42.

An experienced player like Dottin would have added value to any team and her remaining unsold in the WPL 2024 auction left many stunned.

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#3 Tara Norris

Tara Norris has the distinction of being the first player to pick up a five-wicket haul in the WPL. She played for Delhi Capitals in the inaugural edition of the tournament and achieved the feat against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Norris played five matches in WPL 2023 and picked up seven wickets in them. She is a left-handed pacer and adds a unique dimension to the bowling attack.

The 25-year-old plays international cricket for the USA and has tasted success in the shortest format. A pacer picking up five wickets in a T20 game in India is a rarity and for Norris to have done that is very admirable.

She could have been a handy pick for one of the franchises going into WPL 2024, but alas, the teams thought otherwise.

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#4 Devika Vaidya

Devika Vaidya has played a handful of matches for India

Devika Vaidya was acquired by UP Warriorz for a whopping sum of ₹1.40 crore during the WPL 2023 auction. Though she did not set the stage on fire during the WPL 2023, it was expected that one of the franchises would bid for her during the WPL 2024 auction.

Vaidya, primarily a leg-spinner and a handy lower-order batter was part of the Indian Women's team that won the gold medal during the recently concluded Asian Games.

She averages 22.50 with the bat and has picked up 10 wickets at an average of 27 in a stop-start international career.

A wrist spinner is a handy option and her batting skills lower down the order would have been handy for any team. Still, it was not to be for Vaidya.

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#5 Lea Tahuhu

Tahuhu is an experienced player

Tahuhu is an experienced pacer at the international level. In 80 T20Is, she has picked up 78 wickets at a healthy average of 19.05 and an exceptional economy rate of 6.02.

She can hit the ball hard lower down the order and has a strike rate of 107.45 in T20Is.

Tahuhu has been a part of the New Zealand Women's team since 2011 and has guided them to a few wins. Tahuhu could have been a handy pick for one of the franchises for WPL 2024, considering her experience at the international level. She could have been a perfect mentor for young Indian pacers too. But, the think tanks of teams thought otherwise.