IPL 2019: Top 5 unsold players

Yet another IPL auction ended successfully on the 18th of December 2018 in Jaipur. Almost all the teams had their cores ready and were hunting for the players who would make the core stronger.

It was a one-day affair unlike most other editions of the auction, as there was not much left for the taking. With 70 slots available in total to pick, there were as much as 350 players who were scheduled to go under the hammer.

At the end of the auction, there were some great and some not so great surprises for the fans around the world. Some small and lesser-known players cashed in big, while some high-profile players could only get their base price.

Varun Chakravarthy, who came into the limelight for the first time in the auction room itself, got rewarded for his performance in local T20 leagues and the domestic circuit. Kings XI Punjab bought the young prodigy for 8.4 crore, the highest bid of the evening for an uncapped player.

Although the buzz was around the new players, there are also some players who have done well in the IPL for years but will be missing the next season. Quite a few big guns went unsold in this year's auction; for some, it was their performance that led to no bids against their names, while for the others it was just their bad luck which is to be blamed.

Here is a list of the top five players who went unsold at the auction.

#5. Alex Hales

Alex Hales will be missing the IPL in 2019.

Alex Hales is an explosive English opener. He was predicted to go for a big amount at the auction, but he will now have to sit in front of his television to watch the 2019 Indian Premier League.

Hales has a great T20 record of over 1600 runs in 57 matches, scoring at a strike rate of 136.25. He was signed by the Sunrisers Hyderabad last year, where he scored 148 runs in the 6 outings he had.

He could have been a great option as a opener for any team, as he can play with utmost freedom and smack the bowlers all around the park. But unfortunately for Hales, the teams did not feel so and hence, he went unsold.

#4. Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum will be missing his first IPL since the first season

This name needs no introduction. The former New Zealand wicketkeeper batsman hanged up his books in 2016, but still plays in T20 leagues around the world.

The first century in the IPL came courtesy of his willow, back in 2008. From hitting the first century to being unsold 12 years later, McCullum's IPL career has surely come a long way.

McCullum has played for many teams in the league, starting from the KKR, moving to Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions, before ending up at the RCB last year.

McCullum is a fierce hitter of the ball, who can smash any bowler in any over anywhere on the ground, at will. However, his stock has seen a downward graph over the years. As a result of that, even after hitting 1000 runs around the globe in this calendar year, he went unsold at the auction.

This might have taken many of his fans by surprise as they would have expected McCullum to play for yet another team in the coming Indian summer.

#3. Dale Steyn

The Steyn gun will be missed in the 2019 IPL

Dale Steyn from South Africa is another big name who failed to get the attention of the franchises at the auction.

Steyn made a comeback to cricket recently after an injury lay-off. He has been in good touch since, giving away only around 5 runs per over.

Steyn is a really fast bowler who comes with great accuracy and an impeccable sense of the game. He is a veteran of the game and could have led any team's bowling attack quite efficiently. However, his age coupled with the recurring injuries that have hit his career recently are the reasons why he could not attract any bids.

In an auction where fast bowlers did exceedingly well, a name like Steyn could not attract even a single bid. For a player of his caliber, its really unfortunate that he will be missing the Indian Premier League for the third time in a row.

#2. Jason Holder

The Windies skipper could not attract any bids this time at the auction

Jason Holder, the ODI and Test team skipper for the West Indies, went unsold this time around at the auction. Now this will be his third consecutive miss from the Indian Premier League.

Holder has not had the best of IPL careers, but his recent performances in international matches and the way he has been leading the team from the front are definitely qualities that speak in his favor. Moreover, since this auction was all about the fast bowlers, he could have made the cut as he can bowl fast and he can also bat at No. 6 if need be.

Holder is an all-round package that the teams missed out on this auction.

#1. Angelo Mathews

Mathews is another big name who won't feature in the next IPL

This Sri Lankan all-rounder is a player that everyone knows. He is a player on whom the Sri Lankan cricket board has invested a lot after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene bid adieu to international cricket.

Mathews is a batting all-rounder and has some good stats to make his case strong. But he couldn't make it strong enough to draw the attention of the bidders at the auction as there was no interest shown for his name in Jaipur.

There is also a threat of him being unavailable for selection, if the Sri Lanka cricket board decides to rest its players before the World Cup. That must have made the teams even more skeptical towards Mathews.