IPL Auction 2019: 3 unsold overseas stars

The 2019 Indian Premier League Auction made for interesting viewing as teams battled strongly to buy their desired cricketers for the next season. A total of 351 cricketers were up for grabs in the auction to fill the 60 possible slots for the next season.

Bought for ₹8.4 crores each, Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Chakravarthy were the highest gainers in the auction. Among overseas cricketers, Colin Ingram and Sam Curran were picked for ₹6.4 crores and ₹7.2 crores respectively. However, there were also disappointments as plenty of top cricketers failed to attract bids.

In this segment, let us take a look at three high-profile overseas cricketers who were unsold in the 2019 IPL auction.

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#3 Brendon McCullum

Brendon McCullum is one of the greatest T20 batsmen to emerge from New Zealand and has been an iconic cricketer in the Indian Premier League. The dazzling opener has produced numerous memorable knocks.

In 2008, McCullum scored the first century in IPL history. In 2015, he scored another magnificent century in just 56 deliveries and led Chennai Super Kings to a tremendous triumph against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

McCullum has been played for five different teams in IPL till now and has entertained the audience with his aggressive batting skills.

In the 2018 IPL Auction, he was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore for whopping ₹3.6 crores. A lot was expected from the man whose fiery batting performance lit up the Chinnaswamy stadium in the first ever IPL match.

However, the former New Zealand skipper disappointed his fans by scoring only 127 runs in 6 matches in the 2018 IPL. In the 2019 auction, McCullum did not find any takers.

#2 Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes

Chris Woakes was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a huge amount of INR 7.4 crores in the 2018 Indian Premier League Auction. He played 5 matches for RCB and picked up only 8 wickets at a high economy-rate of 10.47. Opportunities to show his batting skills were less.

In the 2017 IPL, Woakes had been bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and gave an outstanding performance. He was the franchise's leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps in just 12 games at an economy-rate of 8.67.

Woakes has contributed for his various teams with both bat and ball. However, he could not get an opportunity to play in the 2019 IPL.

#1 Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn

Dale Steyn has established himself as one of the best ever fast bowlers in cricket history. His blazing swing and searing pace have broken through many batting line-ups. The South African pacer has held the top spot for bowlers in the ICC Test rankings for the vast majority of his memorable career.

The South African bowler has performed for four different teams in Indian Premier League. He has performed 90 IPL games and picked up 91 wickets at a brilliant economy-rate of 6.82.

However, Steyn's performance in Indian Premier League was never particularly great, especially in his last four years. He has been injury-prone in the last couple of years. Hence, the legendary cricketer found himself in the list of unsold cricketers at this auction.