The IPL 2024 auction witnessed some of the players getting big bucks, especially the pacers, as the teams went on full-throttle bidding to get the best players in their squad. Mitchell Starc became the most expensive player in the history of the tournament, bagging INR 24.75 crore as a winning bid from the Kolkata Knight Riders. He surpassed Pat Cummins, who bagged an INR 20.50 crore deal from the Sunrisers Hyderabad just minutes before his name went under the hammer.
The two Australian pacers became the only two players to make their way into the INR 20+ crore club, breaking all records. While many other players like Daryl Mitchell, Harshal Patel, Spencer Johnson, and Alzarri Joseph, among others, were the ones to get deals over INR 10 crore, some top players of white-ball cricket went unsold at the auction.
On that note, let us look at three players who failed to find themselves a home for the IPL 2024.
1. Phil Salt
England’s Philip Salt was one of the big names to go unsold. The explosive batter, who represented the Delhi Capitals in the 2023 edition of the tournament, failed to make his way this time around. Just a couple of days before the auction, Salt notched up a magnificent century in the third T20I of the five-match series against the West Indies.
Notably, the batter hit his second consecutive century, in the fourth T20I, to take his side to a victory in the fourth T20I against the Men in Maroon. The only way for him to get a chance to play in the IPL would be as a replacement player if a team roped him in as an injury replacement.
2. Josh Hazelwood
Australian pace sensation Josh Hazelwood, who represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise at the IPL 2023, had a memorable year having won the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup with his national side. He was also a part of the Australian side that managed to retain the Ashes 2023.
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Even after putting up some remarkable performances, the tall pacer could not find a bidder at the IPL 2024 auction and eventually remained unsold. Before joining the RCB camp in 2022, he was a part of the Chennai Super Kings’ setup for two years, but will not be seen in the cash-rich event in the upcoming season.
3. Jimmy Neesham
Having represented Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals), Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and Rajasthan Royals at the Indian Premier League over the years, New Zealand’s all-rounder Jimmy Neesham went unsold at the auction even after some noteworthy performances for his national side.
The stylish cricketer barely got opportunities to play games at the tournament and has only played 14 IPL matches since making his debut in 2014. His last IPL game was the one with RR, against Lucknow Super Giants, in May 2022 as he warmed the bench throughout the 2023 edition.
