The IPL 2024 Auction is only a couple of weeks away. The IPL 2024 Auction is slated for December 19 in Dubai – this is the first-time ever that an IPL auction will be held outside India.
Over 1000 players have registered themselves. The IPL committee, after getting the list back from the 10 IPL franchises, will trim it to a pool of about 300-400 players who will go under the hammer at the IPL 2024 auction.
There are only 77 slots – out of which a maximum of 30 overseas – available to be filled across 10 teams. This means that the majority of the players will go unsold. The list of unsold players at the IPL 2024 auction is likely to include some big names who have been bought for expensive prices in the past auctions but would go unsold this time for various reasons.
IPL 2024 Auction: 3 expensive buys of previous auctions who might go unsold
Steve Smith – INR 12.5 crore in 2020, 2021 IPL
One of the biggest names in world cricket, and one of the greatest batsmen ever, Steve Smith is likely to go unsold in the IPL 2024 auction.
The former Rajasthan Royals captain, who once had a high salary of INR 12.5 crore with RR in IPL 2020 and 2021, could not find any buyer at the auction this time. Smith is past his prime in T20 cricket – his attempts at opening the innings for Australia to revive his T20I career have met with critical scrutiny. Smith went unsold in the IPL 2022 auction and pulled out of the IPL 2023 season.
Kyle Jamieson – INR 15 crore in IPL 2021
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson is the third-most expensive player in the history of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). RCB had shelled out INR 15 crore for Jamieson in IPL 2021 auction. He couldn’t live up to the price tag, picking only 9 wickets and was later released.
Jamieson missed 2022 season due to injury. He was picked by CSK in 2023 but got injured and missed the season again. Jamieson has barely played T20 matches in the past couple of years, plus his reputation is more of a Test match bowler. Jamieson is likely to go unsold in the auction.
IPL 2024 Auction: Manish Pandey – INR 11 crore in 2018 IPL
Senior India batsman Manish Pandey has failed to deliver on the high expectations that his talent, abilities, and his price tag demands. Pandey has spent the last three seasons at three different franchises, and is now back in the auction pool.
He was once bought by SRH for a whopping INR 11 crore, despite being out of the Indian team in 2018, and was paid the same salary for four seasons at SRH. Last season, he was with Delhi and had a terrible tournament, managing an average of only 17 and a poor strike rate of 109.
With the rise of a spate of young Indian batsmen who have better attacking intent than Pandey, it is likely that we may have seen the last of Manish Pandey in the IPL last season.
