Two new teams, Lucknow and Ahmedabad were to select 3 players each from the players’ draft. They had the option of picking a maximum of 2 Indian and 1 overseas player. Lucknow, the costliest team in IPL currently bought KL Rahul (INR 17 crores), Marcus Stoinis (INR 9.2 crores), and Ravi Bishnoi (INR 4 crores). Here We have discussed which Players Lucknow And Ahmedabad Missed Out To pick.
While Ahmedabad picked Hardik Pandya (INR 15 crores), Rashid Khan (INR 15 crores), and Shubman Gill (INR 7 crores). Both the teams have made a few surprising purchases in the drafts. They were expected to make some big-name acquisitions but that wasn’t to be.
Players Lucknow And Ahmedabad Missed Out To pick.
We look at 5 players whom these teams missed out picking in the draft:
#5 Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal was Bangalore’s major weapon for close to a decade. He bowled with a lot of heart in a small ground like Chinnaswamy. Chahal along with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers were considered the 3 pillars of RCB. Year after year he kept toiling regardless of the returns. He has 139 wickets to his name at an average of 22.28. For a wrist spinner, his economy rate of 7.59 is commendable. Lucknow especially could have bought him knowing he could use a bigger ground to his advantage.
#4 Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan had a breakthrough IPL season in 2020. He smashed 520 runs at an average of 57.33 with a strike rate of 145. Kishan plundered the most sixes that season. He went on to make his India debut thanks to his IPL exploits. Kishan smashed fifties on debut both in the T2OIs and in the ODIs. He even played a World Cup game.
But a poor IPL 2021 cost him his place in the Mumbai side. They didn’t just bench him in a few games but released him. Kishan is a worthy talent that needs to be backed. One won’t be wrong in thinking that both these new teams have missed a trick here in not buying him.
#3 Jonny Bairstow
Jonny Bairstow was SRH’s standout batsman in the last 3 seasons. His strike rate above 150 and average nearing 40 is a testimony to that fact. Bairstow is one of those rare openers who strikes big from ball one and keeps going at it. Teams will love to have an opener like him. Ahmedabad and Lucknow would have been better served had they picked an explosive opener like him.
#2 David Warner
David Warner is arguably one of the big names who has been released ahead of the auctions. Warner is an IPL legend. He has been a proven performer for SRH in all seasons barring the last one. Warner led to IPL glory almost singlehandedly in 2016. He finished with 848 runs that season, 2nd highest that season. 5 Players Who Failed To Pick In Draft
Apart from this, he thrice won the orange cap. There is little that Warner didn’t do with SRH and for them. But his sacking came as a big shock for the fans. It was thought that Ahmedabad will have a hungry Warner in their mind for captaincy. But it wasn’t meant to be at least not until now.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer is one of the more underrated IPL captains. He metamorphosed a stagnant Delhi team. Iyer was handed Delhi’s captaincy midway in 2018. The team was in shambles in just the first season of a 4-year cycle. Iyer credibly led the side and along with Ricky Ponting took Delhi to the playoffs in 2019. They went one better in 2020 when they made the finals for the first time.
But an untimely injury ahead of the 2021 season, ruled him out of the first leg of the season. DC handed Rishabh Pant the captaincy job and strangely didn’t hand it back to Iyer once he was fit for the 2nd leg. Iyer had every right to feel short-changed. He left the Delhi terrain for greener pastures. It was thought that Iyer will move to Ahmedabad but the draft picks suggest otherwise.
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