The IPL 2022 Mega Auction took place on 12th and 13th February in Bangalore and all ten teams managed to build strong squads going into the main tournament which will start later this month. This time some players got a lot of money as the purses had increased and so had the number of teams. Despite there being ten teams, there were a lot of players who went unsold. In fact, so many players went unsold that you could create an XI out of out. So, let us have a look at the unsold XI for IPL 2022.
1. Aaron Finch
Aaron Finch who is a T20 World Cup-winning captain went unsold in this year’s IPL Auction. Finch has been a part of 8 teams but still didn’t find a buyer in the auction. He has an excellent T20I record with over 2000 runs at an average of 34.44 and a strike rate of 145.43. He should surely be part of the Unsold XI for IPL 2022.
2. Shreevats Goswami (WK)
Shreevats Goswami has been part of the IPL since 2008 and in fact, he was the Emerging Player in the inaugural season of the IPL. Goswami is a left-handed opener and is a good wicket-keeper. He is an aggressive player and has a lot of experience at the domestic level. A few teams could have bought him as a backup keeper but he went unsold in this year’s auction.
3. Suresh Raina
If there is one player who shouldn’t have been unsold then it is Suresh Raina. The left-handed Indian batsman who is also known as Mr. IPL didn’t get picked by a single team in this year’s IPL Auction. Raina hasn’t played a lot of cricket recently but he has a phenomenal record in the IPL and has a lot of experience at this level. Raina has played 205 IPL Matches and scored 5528 runs at an average of 32.52 and a strike rate of 136.73. It was surprising to see that even CSK didn’t buy him for his base price.
4. Saurabh Tiwary
Saurabh Tiwary has been in and around the IPL for a long time. He was a household name in the 2010s when he first did well for the Mumbai Indians. Tiwary has played 93 IPL matches and scored 1494 runs at an average of 28.73 and a strike rate of 120.71. He is still just 32 years old and teams could have picked him but now he would be part of the Unsold XI of IPL 2022.
5. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar was part of the RCB squad last year but this year he hasn’t found a franchise and should be part of the unsold XI for IPL 2022. Patidar was given limited opportunities but he looked good in those opportunities. RCB picked up some other young players this time around and so didn’t buy back Patidar in the IPL 2022 auction.
6. Shakib Al Hasan
Shakib Al Hasan has been part of the IPL but many times we haven’t seen the best of Shakib Al Hasan in the biggest T20 league. The all-rounder from Bangladesh wasn’t picked in the IPL Auction. Shakib Al Hasan has played 71 IPL games and scored 793 runs and picked up 63 wickets at an economy rate of 7.44. He is a good enough player to start in the XI but unfortunately makes the unsold XI of IPL 2022.
7. Ben Cutting
Ben Cutting is famously known for the 2016 IPL Final where he scored 39* off just 15 balls and picked up two key wickets for SRH. Cutting has played 21 IPL games and has a strike rate of 168.79 and has picked up 10 wickets. He was performing well in the PSL but still remained unsold in this year’s auction.
8. Piyush Chawla
Piyush Chawla has been one of the few bowlers to take more than 150 wickets in the IPL. Chawla has been a consistent wicket-taker in the IPL and he has picked up 157 wickets in 165 IPL matches. He can also bat a bit and still is a handy cricketer at the age of 33. He could have been a good backup spinner for many teams but remained unsold in this year’s auction.
9. Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra has taken the most wickets by an Indian in the history of the IPL. Mishra is one of those underrated spinners who has managed to pick up 166 wickets in 154 IPL games at an economy rate of 7.35. Even at the age of 39, he was Man of the Match in one of the games in the last IPL. Mishra could have been a great backup or even a first-choice spinner but teams choose to not buy him.
10. Andrew Tye
Andrew Tye had taken the IPL by storm in 2017 when he took a hat-trick for Gujarat Lions. In 2018, he was the leading wicket-taker and won the Purple Cap for Punjab Kings. Tye has played 27 IPL matches and picked up 40 IPL wickets. He has been doing well in the BBL and he wouldn’t have been a bad backup option for IPL teams.
11. Ishant Sharma
Ishant Sharma who was part of the Delhi Capitals franchise from IPL 2019 to 2021 went unsold in this year’s auction. Ishant Sharma has played 93 IPL matches and picked up 72 wickets but he was particularly good for DC in the powerplay in IPL 2019. The tall fast bowler won’t be part of any franchise, and so he should be part of the unsold XI of IPL 2022.
