IPL Auction 2018: Unsold XI

Seamers

Alas, nothing seems to be going right for Dale Steyn at the moment. Rocked by injuries the past few years, one of the greatest bowlers of all time somehow finds himself without an IPL team for the 2018 edition, despite having taken 92 wickets from 90 matches at an economy rate of 6.7 in the competition.

Steyn has featured for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Deccan Chargers and the Gujarat Lions in the IPL in past editions, with varying amounts of success.

Devastating with the new ball in all formats of the game on any pitch anywhere in the world, Steyn seems to have made more visits to the hospital than the cricket stadium of late, with his latest injury - the one he picked up against India on his return to the Test arena - ruling him out of action for six weeks. It looks like teams just did not want that uncertainty over his fitness hovering around the air they breathed.

---

You would think that the leading wicket-taker in IPL history and three-time champion would be one of the most sought-after players in the auction, but the beauty of sport lies in its sheer unpredictable ruthlessness. Lasith Malinga, Mumbai Indians' spearhead for all these years, sits pretty atop the list of highest wicket-takers having scalped 154 of them in just 110 matches, 20 wickets more than Amit Mishra, but he will not get a chance to add to that tally this time around after going unsold in the auction.

Malinga has had a sensational time of it in the IPL, even winning the Purple Cap in the 2011 season, but his form lately has dipped coinciding with the advent of injuries, resulting in his stock dropping like the market crash of 1929. Moreover, with batsmen becoming more and more inventive in order to thrive as the game shortens, Malinga's yorkers have reduced in their effectiveness, rendering him a lot less useful than in the past.