IPL 2020: 5 Indian players who could go unsold this season

The auctions for the 13th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will be held on 19 December 2019 in the city of joy, Kolkata. The trading window for all eight franchises will end on 14 November, which is the point up to which the teams can exchange their players with those from other sides.

Delhi Capitals have the biggest purse heading into the auction with Rs. 8.2 crore, followed by Rajasthan Royals with Rs. 7.15 crore. Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab have Rs. 6.05 crore, Rs. 5.3 crore and Rs. 3.7 crore respectively. Chennai Super Kings (Rs. 3.2 crore), Mumbai Indians (Rs. 3.02 crore) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rs. 1.8 crore) have the smallest purses available.

International players will likely be available for the entire tournament this time, which will make it easier for the teams to strategise at the auctions. That could also mean a few Indian players would be in lesser demand than earlier.

On that note, let's take a look at five Indian players who could go unsold in the 2020 IPL auction.

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#5 Barinder Sran

Barinder Sran (Mumbai Indians in 2019)

A left-arm fast bowler from Punjab, Barinder Sran has been a part of the IPL since 2015, when he debuted with Rajasthan Royals. Known for his tall height along with the ability to clock 140 kph speeds, he made an impression for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016, scalping 14 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 8.36.

Sran made a vital contribution in the title-winning journey for SRH, which also earned him the opportunity to play for the national team. However, he make a strong impression, and got dropped early.

Sran went on to represent Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians (last year), but his economy rate has sky-rocketed. Mumbai Indians signed him at Rs. 3.4 crore in 2019, but he didn't get any wickets in the two matches he played.

Despite being a quality pacer in white-ball cricket, Sran could remain unsold in the upcoming 2020 IPL auction.

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#4 Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda (Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019)

Deepak Hooda debuted with the Rajasthan Royals as a lethal striker of the ball lower down the order, back in 2015. He had an astounding season, scoring 151 runs in 14 matches played at a strike rate of 158.94. He was also a part of the 2016 title-winning squad of Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Hooda also delivered impressively with his decent off-spin which could slow down the pace of the game in the middle overs. He has been a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad for years, but his reputation of clearing the fence has seen a decline.

Hooda has only managed 229 runs in the 30 matches he has played in the last three seasons, with a deteriorating strike rate.

With such mediocre numbers of late, this young lad from Haryana could remain unsold at the 2020 IPL Auction.

#3 Pawan Negi

Pawan Negi (Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2019)

Pawan Negi is an experienced campaigner in the IPL, having played 50 matches since 2012. A left-arm spinner who can also hit the ball out of the park, Negi debuted with Delhi Daredevils (Delhi Capitals now) but couldn't leave a significant impression until 2014.

The Uttarakhand-born all-rounder moved to Chennai Super Kings in 2015. He took six wickets for them that season and smashed 116 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 158.90.

After a decline in his performance in 2016, he moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2017 and became their highest wicket-taker of the season with 16 wickets.

Negi has been a part of RCB since then, but his stats have dipped immensely; he has a strike rate of under 80 and just four wickets in the last two seasons. He could get released from the Virat Kohli-led franchise, and if he does, will likely remain unsold in the 2020 IPL auction.

#2 Yusuf Pathan

Yusuf Pathan (Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019)

Yusuf Pathan is known for his hard-hitting striking in the lower middle order, and has the ability to finish matches on his own. He was a vital player in Rajasthan Royals' winning campaign back in 2008. In the final of that season he put in a match-winning performance, scoring 58 runs with the bat and returning 3/22 with the ball.

During the 2010 season Pathan scored a brilliant century - 100* in just 37 balls - which was the fastest of the tournament at that time.

He later joined Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011 and spent seven seasons with the team. Pathan played a prominent role as a finisher for them and helped KKR pull off many close wins. But his strike rate soon took a dip, and since his best season with KKR - back in 2016 when he scored 361 runs in 15 innings - he hasn't been the force that he once was.

After joining Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018, Pathan couldn't deliver much due to the age factor and the fact that he got fewer opportunities to play. His strike rate fell to 88.88 from its dizzying height of 179.01 in the inaugural season.

Keeping all this in mind, it is probable that Pathan could remain unsold in the 2020 IPL Auction.

#1 Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals in 2019)

Known as the Porbandar Express, Jaydev Unadkat has represented six franchises in 12 years of IPL. This lanky left-arm pacer is known for swinging the ball in the initial overs and getting some cheap wickets at the death.

Unadkat was first noticed by Wasim Akram with Kolkata Knight Riders. Later on he moved to Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils as well.

Unadkat's most memorable season came in 2017 with the Rising Pune Supergiant, where he took 24 wickets in 12 matches at a decent economy of 7.06. His efforts were vital in RPS finishing as runners-up that season.

Unadkat became the most expensive player next season, sold to Rajasthan Royals at Rs. 11.5 crore. But the price tag put immense pressure on him as he could only manage 11 wickets in 15 matches at a poor average of 44.18.

RR showed confidence in Unadkat yet again in 2019, but he couldn't do any justice to his price tag with just 10 wickets in 11 matches. He hasn't been able to bring his domestic form into IPL, because of which he could be in line to remain unsold at the 2020 auction.