5 biggest losers from the IPL auction

The IPL auctions can be a strange world sometimes. Players escalating to stardom in one season may find themselves unsold in the next. Mainstays and marquees of certain teams might find themselves to be fringe players of arch-rivals, come the change of seasons.This recent auction in Bangalore was no different. With limited expenditure rules and desperation for making smart moves, teams tried to make the best calls under the given circumstances, and it’s only natural that some might’ve ended up getting the rough end of the stick in the process.Here’s a look at the 5 biggest losers to come out of the IPL auctions:

#5 Marlon Samuels

It’s hard to imagine why such a fine player is consistently ignored by IPL franchises season after season. Marlon Samuels only ever played for the (now extinct) Pune Warriors India for 2 seasons with not very flattering returns.

However, having seen his exploits alongside Chris Gayle with the West Indies team, one has to wonder whether with proper handling the mercurial talent may have started contributing much more pivotally and started turning games for franchises. One can’t just help feeling that with ignoring Samuels for one more season, someone somewhere is surely missing a trick.

#4 Kevon Cooper

The tall Carribean all-rounder, who played for the Rajasthan Royals from 2012-14, took 19 wickets from 14 games in the '13 edition. It would be hard for fans to forget the nail-biting finish against Delhi Daredevils in a particular match of that tournament. With 9 runs required off the last over, Cooper bowled six magnificent yorkers to give away only 6, and won his side the game!

One would've only thought he would take it up from there, with his ability to change games with not only the ball but also the bat. However, in the 2014 season, he was reported for a suspect bowling action and that may have swayed the owners' decision as they must have been worried about his availability over the whole season.

#3 Kane Williamson

The player in red-hot form right now, the mainstay of the New Zealand team, the man responsible in a big way for the country’s good form in all formats of cricket at the moment, and the man his captain Brendon McCullum proclaims as one of the best in the world.

Kane Williamson, in terms of consistency, probably ranks alongside the Hashim Amlas, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohlis of this world right now. Although his style may not exactly be an explosive one, Williamson very much can be regarded to be the man of the moment. Therefore, it was a surprise to see him getting sold to SunRisers Hyderabad for a meagre amount of Rs. 60 lakhs.

Moreover he’ll have to play alongside the likes of Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan in the franchise team, players who’ve incidentally been sold for amounts much higher than he (Rs. 2 crore and Rs. 1.5 crore respectively). One can argue that judging by current form it should’ve been the reverse.

However, the decision makers involved might’ve given experience a greater value and felt Williamson would require more time to get settled into the T20 format in the subcontinent.

#2 Sri Lankan cricket

The vast number of Sri Lankans left unsold in the auction must be sure to raise a few eyebrows. None apart from Angelo Mathews got sold.

One has no option but to feel puzzled at the omission of players like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene – especially after the latter’s retirement from international cricket, which meant greater availability and commitment. Also, good spinners like Ajantha, Jeevan Mendis and Suraj Randiv (who was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders last year) went unsold.

The fact that the islanders may not have been in great International form recently – especially their resounding thrashing the last time they came visiting to India, might’ve played its part in influencing the wallet-wielders.

#1 Hashim Amla

Third in the ICC Test rankings and second in ODIs, the fastest to 19 ODI centuries, one of the most consistent players in the world right now – Protean Test captain Hashim Amla remaining unsold would undoubtedly remain one of the greatest enigmas from this auction. Although not an extravagant stroke-maker like his compatriot AB de Villiers, the elegant batsman certainly carries the ability to win matches for his team with his consistent run-accumulation (which is also not done at too slow a pace).

A perfect example of the benefits of Amla-like players is the role Jacques Kallis played for the Kolkata Knight Riders over the past 3 seasons. However, one factor against Amla would obviously be his inability to contribute with the ball. All things considered, Amla remaining unsold would definitely remain one of the unsolvable mysteries of this auction.