The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction often sees cricketers becoming millionaires overnight. While the stories of emerging youngsters getting big-money deals often make headlines, the auction also sees some of the veteran stars failing to attract a single bid. Such was the case with Indian pacer Sandeep Sharma who didn’t attract any interest from even a single franchise at the auction in Kochi on Friday. Reacting to the snub, Sandeep has admitted that he is “shocked and disappointed” to see himself going unsold.
“I’m shocked and disappointed,” a disheartened Sandeep Sharma told Cricket.com. “I don’t know why I went unsold. I’ve done well whichever team I had played for and genuinely thought some team would bid for me. To be honest, I was not expecting this. Don’t even know where it has gone wrong. In domestic cricket, I have been performing well. In the Ranji Trophy, last round, I took seven wickets. I did so well in Syed Mushtaq Ali.”
Sandeep has been a wicket-taker on a consistent basis, especially in the powerplay, no matter which franchise he has played for. In fact, when it comes to wickets per innings ratio, Sandeep slots in at the No. 7 spot in the all-time list, with 1.09 wickets per innings to his name. But, in the IPL 2023 auction, he found no takers.
“I have always strived to be consistent in my bowling. And that’s the only thing in my hands. I can’t control selection or non-selection. If a chance comes then good, or else, I have to keep doing good work,” a hurt Sandeep said.
Sandeep, who had set a base price of INR 50 lakhs, might not have been able to fetch a bid from any of the 10 franchises in the auction, but he could still end up playing in the IPL as an injury-replacement player. Considering the dynamics of the T20 league, injuries to players are pretty common. Sandeep, considering the talent and experience he has, could be high on the franchises’ list as a replacement player if the need arises.
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