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The Lanka Premier League (LPL) will commence on July 30 and will run till August 22. The competition will be contested by five teams - Colombo Strikers, Dambulla Aura, Galle Titans, B-Love Kandy, and Jaffna Kings.
The player auction for the tournament was held in Colombo on Wednesday, June 14. 360 players had registered for the auction but only 94 of them were fortunate enough to land a deal.
There were quite a few players who had a big day at the office, with Dilshan Madhushanka being the most expensive one. Teams invested in some foreign stars like Chris Lynn, Naseem Shah, and Matthew Wade as well.
However, as is the case in most auctions, this one too threw a few surprises. On that note, here's a look at five overseas stars who were overlooked by the teams.
#1 Imad Wasim
Imad Wasim, the 34-year-old Pakistani all-rounder went unsold in the LPL auction in what was a huge surprise for fans and pundits. Wasim boasts an experience of 302 T20s which makes the ignorance even tougher to comprehend.
He has scored 3150 runs and picked up 270 wickets in the shortest format. He also has a reputation of bowling in the powerplay which is a huge plus in T20s. Thus, Wasim going unsold was an absolute shocker.
#2 Sandeep Lamichhane
In another major blow for the young leg spinner from Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane went unsold in the LPL player auction. Lamichhane has played 136 T20s, picking up 193 wickets. He has played in quite a few leagues around the world, including the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Lamichhane was recently accused of ra*e and since then, his career has been deeply affected. This might have been the case in the auction as well.
#3 Litton Das
Das, despite having played 180 T20s, wasn't picked up by any of the five LPL franchises. The Bangladeshi wicket-keeper batsman has been in good form in recent times and his stocks have seen a rise.
He has shown that he can bat in different positions and has done well in tough conditions as well. He could also have been a long-term investment and thus, it was tough to understand why he wasn't picked up.
#4 Sikandar Raza
Sikandar Raza, one of the most underrated players going around also went unsold at the LPL auction. This was a huge shocker, especially considering that he performed quite well in the recently concluded IPL.
Raza has enormous experience, having played 179 T20s, with 66 of them being internationals. He is a utility player as he can bat in different positions and also offers quality with the ball, hence, not many could comprehend his omission.
#5 Martin Guptill
Martin Guptill, despite his truckloads of experience, went unsold in the LPL Auction. Guptill has represented New Zealand in 267 games across the three formats since making his debut in 2009.
He has featured in 323 T20s and scored 9044 runs, including five centuries which makes his omission even more surprising. However, his stock has gone down over the last couple of years and that has reflected in the LPL auction.
