5 Surprise release that could happen before IPL auction

The stage is set for the mini-auction ahead of the Indian Premier League 2019. After the overhaul due to the mega-auction last year, all the franchises look eager to fill in the gaps and consolidate their squads.

Some of them have already made the initial moves in the second trade window of the IPL. Quinton de Kock (Rs 2.9 Cr) who had a below-par season with the bat for the Royal Challengers Bangalore was traded in an all-cash transaction to the Mumbai Indians.

As a side effect of which Mumbai Indians let go their strike-bowler Mustafizur Rehman (Rs 2.2 Cr) and Sri Lankan spinner Akila Dananjaya (Rs 50 lakh). Releasing Mustafizur was a no-brainer as the left-arm seamer has been barred from playing overseas T20 leagues for a period of two years by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Further reports have also emerged that star opener Shikhar Dhawan has decided to move on from Sunrisers Hyderabad looking for a new home.

With the Indian General Elections clashing with the IPL, the possibility of IPL being played either in South Africa or in the United Arab Emirates might be one of the parameters for the franchises to consider going into the auction.

The auction also provides an opportunity for players who have had fewer opportunities to showcase their talents to start afresh. For some others like Joe Root, Shimron Hetmyer, it might be the start of their stint in the IPL. While November 15th is the deadline for the franchises to decide the list of players to be released,

Let us take a look at the list of five surprise releases that might happen before the auction:

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#1 Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Manish Pandey, who had featured in the middle order consistently for the Kolkata Knight Riders, was roped in by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping Rs 11 Crores and was expected to play a similar role for them.

However, Pandey had a poor season with the bat scoring 284 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 115.44 involving three 50s of which the only one came in a winning cause. When Pandey failed to make a mark despite an extended run he was axed from the playing eleven in the second qualifier and wasn’t picked for the finals either. In fact, some of the best moments for Manish was in the field when he took some blinders.

Manish has been in and out of the international setup too and has failed to cement his spot in the eleven in the limited number of chances he has got. Sunrisers might decide to solve their middle-order woes by releasing Pandey into the pool and look for a replacement or might even try to buy him back at a lesser price.

#2 Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals)

Jaydev Unadkat had a sensational IPL 2017 with the Rising Pune Supergiants where he scalped 24 wickets at an impressive economy of 7.02. The aftermath of which resulted in a bidding war for Unadkat between the Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab. Ultimately, however, it was the Rajasthan Royals who swooped down and landed the bid at Rs 11.5 Crores, the second highest buy in the auction.

Unadkat’s performance in the IPL 2018 was a stark contrast to his achievements in the previous year. He was the third highest run-conceder, leaking 486 runs at an economy of 9.65 picking just 11 wickets in the 15 matches he played.

Although Unadkat has given good performances in the recently concluded Vijay Hazare and Deodhar trophies, he too might face a situation similar to that of Manish Pandey, finding himself back in the auction pool especially with the Indian bowling department of the Rajasthan Royals being an area of concern.

#3 Murali Vijay (Chennai Super Kings)

Post the 2018 IPL auction Murali Vijay was back to where it all started him as the Chennai Super Kings bought him back for his base price of Rs 2 Crore. It was a short-lived fairytale for Vijay as the team management chose to share the opening responsibility between Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu and Faf du Plessis despite Vijay being the specialist batsman. He played just the one match scoring 12 runs against Kings XI Punjab.

Murali Vijay’s career post-IPL 2018 has been quite eventful. Vijay was dropped midway after forgetful outings in the first two Tests against England. Consequently, Vijay joined Essex seeking the elusive form to play first-class cricket and has scored three half-centuries and one century in five innings. Acknowledging his intent, Vijay has been recalled into the squad for the four test series against Australia.

The Super Kings might be interested in investing their stocks in a much younger, explosive batsman or even in bolstering their death bowling department.

#4 Glenn Maxwell (Delhi Daredevils)

Like every pre-season, this time around too Delhi Daredevils looked the strongest on paper, credit to a successful auction. Their plans for a strong middle-order revolved around explosive Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell having bought him for Rs 9 Crores.

Usually known for his big-hitting abilities Maxwell never took off, failing miserably. Maxwell scored just 169 runs in the 12 matches he played for Delhi. With the ball, Maxwell added 5 wickets to his tally in the 16 overs he bowled for Delhi at an economy of 8.25. Despite his poor form Maxwell was given the long rope. Delhi even moved around their batting order with the hope of bringing Maxwell to form but had no success in doing so.

Most of Delhi’s middle-order responsibilities last season were taken care of by their young brigade consisting of wicket-keeper batsman Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer. Delhi might decide to look past Maxwell this time around, giving chances to players like Gurukeerat Singh Mann.

#5 Gautam Gambhir (Delhi Daredevils)

Before IPL 2018, Delhi had many reasons to believe that they could finally have a shot at the coveted IPL trophy. Apart from building a strong team, with the right blend of youth and experience, Delhi had pulled off a masterstroke in bringing back local lad Gautham Gambhir, an able leader who had led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the championship twice. With Gambhir as their captain, Delhi believed they would be sure of making it to the top four at least.

However, everything went south as the Daredevils were able to win just one out of the six matches. Gambhir took full responsibility for the failures and stepped down from the role of captaincy. Shreyas Iyer was made the new captain. Delhi won four of the remaining eight matches.

However, more than the wins, Delhi had found a new fighting spirit as the youngsters Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Prithvi Shaw exhibited daredevil-ness. Delhi would like take forward this spirit with Shreyas Iyer as the new captain and might consider Gambhir to don the role of the mentor.