IPL 2019: 3 players whose high base price might come back to haunt them at the auction

The big auctions are all set to take place this month. At the end of 18th December, all the franchises would be done recruiting fresh faces into their sides in order to bolster their rosters.

After an initial list was announced, wherein a whopping 1003 players registered for the IPL, the franchises have submitted a trimmed down list of 346 players, including 226 Indians.

Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Colin Ingram, Brendon McCullum, Shaun Marsh, D'Arcy Short, Chris Woakes, Sam Curran and Corey Anderson have all placed themselves in the highest bracket.

Naturally, the players might have deliberated quite a lot before setting their base prices. But for a few of them, the franchises might not be willing to shell out too much money, due to a number of different factors.

It is to be kept in mind that this will be a mini-auction, meaning the franchises will have truncated purses - thus lessening the room for aggressive bidding.

On that note, let's look at three players who might not get picked up by any team this IPL owing to their high price tags:

1. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga

The Sri Lankan has undoubtedly been a legendary fast bowler, at least in the limited overs format. With his quirky arm action and searingly quick toe-crushers, Malinga was the gold standard for T20 bowling for a long time.

However, all good things come to an end, and the same applies to Malinga too. Now aged 35, Malinga has not been turning up regularly for Sri Lanka of late. The Sri Lankan cricket board has been skeptical about selecting Malinga, pointing to his dwindling returns and fitness concerns.

The highest wicket taker in the IPL with 154 wickets from 110 matches, Malinga had been an excellent servant for Mumbai Indians. These numbers came at an astounding average of 19.01 and an economy of 6.87 runs per over. However, last year too he was neglected at the auctions, having not being retained by the Mumbai Indians before the mega auctions.

He was later roped in by the Mumbai franchise in a coaching-cum-mentorship capacity. Despite last year's snub, it is surprising to see Malinga place himself in the top bracket yet again.

2. Angelo Mathews

Angelo Mathews

The Sri Lankan all-rounder has been going through a tumultuous patch recently. Sacked as the limited overs captain, a job he was persuaded to accept by coach Chandika Hathurusingha, Mathews later found himself out of the squad altogether.

Having unsuccessfully plied his trade for Kolkata Knight Riders and the now defunct Pune Warriors, Mathews was picked for a whopping 7.5 crore by Delhi Daredevils last year. He didn't quite light up the tournament, putting up an average show.

Overall too, Mathews does not have numbers which would make heads turn. Batting wise, he averages 23.35 in the IPL at a not so impressive strike rate of 125.91 over 49 matches. While that strike rate is acceptable for an opener, Mathews majorly plays in the middle order, making it unsatisfactory.

Add to that his fitness woes, and Mathews' value takes a plunge. Owing to his fitness issues, his bowling has taken a back seat. Even if he is able to provide an extra bowling option, his dibbly-dobbly medium pace isn't very threatening for most batsmen.

As such, Mathews might well have missed a trick by enlisting himself in the top bracket.

3. D'Arcy Short

BBL - Thunder v Hurricanes

The explosive Aussie opener shot to the limelight with a breakthrough season in the Big Bash for Hobart Hurricanes last year. He was the highest run-getter in that edition, catching people's eye with his remarkable consistency over the tournament.

Subsequently, he was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for a sum of 4 crore, having set a base price of 20 lakh. But he had a dismal outing in his maiden IPL season.

Short failed to cash in on the powerplay overs, which is reflected in his poor numbers of 115 runs from 7 innings, at a low strike rate of 116.16. He wasn't able to buckle down and stay till the end either, and failed to leave a mark for the Rajasthan Royals.

Earlier this year, Short smacked a record 257 for Western Australia including a jaw-dropping 23 sixes. But he needs to show more consistency and put in better performances at higher levels in order to be considered seriously.

While his bowling skills keep him in good stead, other Indian options such as Mayank Agarwal, Sachin Baby, Wridhhiman Saha et al might put his chances in disarray.