6 players who might go unsold at the IPL 2023 auctions

405 players will be up for auctions at the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auctions on December 23 at Kochi, Kerala. Some big names like Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, Cameron Green are expected to be in high demand by the franchises. 

Apart from the big names, there might also be players who might not generate that buzz and might be ignored by the teams. It sounds rude, but it happens all the time at the auctions as big names go unsold. For example, Brian Lara, the great West Indies cricketer, once went unsold at the IPL auctions in 2011. Similarly, in 2022, Suresh Raina, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star player who was also known as Mr IPL, went unsold. 

This time too, there are some big players who might end up going nowhere.

Here are 6 cricketers who might go unsold at the auctions: 

1. Ajinkya Rahane: Rahane, in IPL 2022, played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and scored 144 runs in 7 matches at an average of 19.00. KKR released him ahead of the auctions. He failed to strike in the first six power play overs which is why the team had to bench him in other matches.

Rahane also might go unsold as he hasn't been that consistent in the last few years. He has been playing IPL since 2008 and in the last three editions, his average has been 19, 8 and 14.12. In fact, Rahane's style of playing is a-run-a-ball and he takes times on the crease. Therefore, he is also not part of India's T20I squad anymore and plays Tests only.

Rahane's base price is Rs 50 lakh. Rahane previously has been a part of Rajasthan Royals (RR), Deccan Chargers (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI). 

2. Sheldon Jackson: The right-handed wicketkeeper batter was bought by KKR in 2022 at a price of Rs 60 lakh. But Jackson failed to strike in the matches he got.

A good wicket-keeper though, Jackson didn't impress with the bat at all, scoring 23 runs in 5 matches at an average 5.75. He also appeared for KKR in 2017 but then also he couldn't make an impression as he made only 16 runs in the 4 matches he got. 

Jackson, in his overall IPL career, has played only 9 matches scoring 61 runs at an average of 10.17. His base price is Rs 20 lakh, but he might go unsold at the auctions.

3. Amit Mishra: Though the leg-break bowler has 166 wickets to his name in 154 IPL matches, Amit Mishra could be another big name who might be ignored by the franchises.

It can also be because Mishra's IPL journey has not been quite smooth in the last 2 years. In 2022 IPL auctions, he went unsold. 

In 2020, his stint with Delhi Capitals was cut short and he had to step back for the rest of the tournament due to an injury. He could play only 3 matches and had 3 wickets to his name. He returned in 2021, but got only 4 matches, where he got only 6 wickets. For the rest of the matches, he was benched. This was also a big reason why no team showed interest in him.

The biggest reason for Amit Mishra not being able to make across the teams is his age. The UP born cricketer is 40 years old; which also makes him among the oldest players in the IPL auctions. 

In spite of the fact that he is a quick and skilled bowler, Amit Mishra might find no team, as there are several options in the spin bowlers department.

Mishra's base price is Rs 50 lakh.

4. Mohammad Nabi: The Afghanistan all-rounder was part of the KKR franchise in 2022 but he did not get a single game. Since there was Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine in the side as allrounders, Nabi did not get any match.

He was released by the management ahead of the auctions. Nabi previously has been part of Hyderabad franchise. His noticeable appearance came in 2019 when he played 8 games for Hyderabad scalping 8 wickets, including a four-wicket haul. 

Nabi could be one of the names who might go unsold as he has not played IPL much in the last three years. In 2020, he got 1 game; in 2021, 3 games and in 2022, he was benched the whole tournament.

His base price is Rs 1 crore in the 2023 auctions.

5. Ishant Sharma: Ishant Sharma was another big name who went unsold in the 2022 auctions. The right-arm medium fast pacer has been out of action in the past few seasons of IPL. In the 2021 season, he was part of the Delhi Capitals franchise, and got only 3 matches.  He ended up conceding 97 runs at an economy of 8.08 and took just one wicket.

He didn't get further matches and was subsequently released by the Delhi management. In 2022, he went unsold. Though his name is in the list of 405 players up for the auctions, the 34-year-old cricketer can go unsold.

His base price is Rs 50 lakh.

6. Jason Roy: In 2022, the new franchise Gujarat Titans roped in Roy at his base price of Rs 2 crore. However, Roy pulled out of the tournament due to "bubble fatigue" issues, giving a big blow to the team even before the tournament could start.

Moreover, Roy, whose strike rate in T20 cricket is 140, is going through a rough patch. As a result of this, he was also dropped by the England team for the T20I World Cup.

Therefore, it is possible that the 31-year-old batter might go unsold at the auctions. The England batter has been part of franchises like Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.