IPL 2020: 6 top buys from 2019 released by franchises

#2 Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite with Chris Gayle

The image of Carlos Brathwaite hitting four sixes off Ben Stokes to win West Indies the World T20 final in 2016 seems like a distant memory.

Three years since, Stokes has become the premier all-rounder in world cricket, heroically lifting England to World Cup glory this year and following it up with an Ashes miracle at Headingley. Brathwaite, in contrast, is yet to find the consistency expected of him.

At the IPL 2019 auction, he was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 5 crore, on the basis of his past exploits. The Windies all-rounder had a rather average season, with 11 runs and no wickets in two games.

Not surprisingly, KKR decided to release him.

#1 Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat

This was pretty much on expected lines, as Saurashtra’s experienced left-arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat has become infamous for his under-performance.

Having impressed for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017 with 24 wickets in 12 matches, Unadkat was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for a massive amount of Rs 11.5 crore in the IPL 2018 auction. However, he struggled under the immense pressure of expectations, finishing with 11 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 9.65.

Royals put him back in the auction ring, only to purchase him again, this time for a slightly smaller but still highly significant amount of Rs 8.4 crore. Unadkat’s fortunes only tumbled for the worse though.

In IPL 2019, he picked up 10 wickets in 11 matches at an atrocious economy rate of 10.66, and an average touching 40. The Royals were left with no option but to release him.