IPL 2022 auction: 5 top foreign players who were not retained | Cricket News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Cricket is a game of fluctuating fortunes, like life it’s full of uncertainties and when matches are played in the shortest formats, the margin of victory and defeat shortens even further.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is no exception to this. Fortunes and fates of players sometimes undergo a change so drastically it leaves the supporters and fans scratching their heads.
Here we look at five international players who were once the mainstays of their teams, but have not been retained ahead of the IPL auction 2022:
David Warner

Ever since David Warner was roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014, the swashbuckling opener has been synonymous with the SRH outfit. Warner was made captain in 2015 and he ended up as the tournament’s leading run-scorer. In 2016, Warner led SRH to the title. In 2017, Warner won the Orange Cap for the second time.
Warner missed the 2018 edition because of his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa. Back for the 2019 edition, Warner again won the Orange Cap even though he played only 12 matches and left early due to Australia’s World Cup preparations.
Back as captain in 2020, Warner became the first overseas player and the fastest batsman to complete 5000 runs in the IPL and led SRH to the playoffs where the team lost to Delhi Capitals in the second qualifier.
It was in the 2021 season that things went awry as Warner was replaced by Kane Williamson as captain after SRH lost five of their first six matches. It became worse when Warner was dropped from the team after two matches in the second leg of the tournament in the UAE.
Ahead of the 2022 player auction, Warner was not retained by SRH and has a base price of Rs 2 crore.
Overall Warner has 5449 IPL runs in 150 matches, with four centuries and 50 half centuries. Warner in fact has the most number of half centuries ever in IPL history (50), eight more than second placed Virat Kohli.
Going by his flamboyance and his ability put on swashbuckling stroke play, Warner will surely give his new team fiery starts at the top of the order and can also be a potential captain. He is sure to attract big bids in the auction this time.
Faf du Plessis

Ever since Faf du Plessis was signed by Chennai Super Kings in 2011, he has been one of the batting mainstays of the team. Apart from playing for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016-17 when CSK was banned, Du Plessis has not played for any other franchise in the IPL.
Du Plessis has played 100 matches in the IPL scoring 2935 runs at an average of 34.94 and a strike rate of 131.08.
Though Du Plessis has not scored any century in the IPL, he has played many priceless knocks for CSK. Du Plessis was the second highest run scorer for CSK in the 2021 season, with 633 runs and a highest score of an unbeaten 95 that was scored against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on April 21, 2021. It helped CSK to a 18-run victory.
In the IPL final in the last edition, on October 15 in Dubai, Du Plessis again came to the rescue of CSK with a 86-run knock off just 59 balls to power his team to 192/3 – a target KKR failed to overhaul.
In Qualifier 1 of the 2018 edition, Du Plessis held one end up with an unbeaten 67 against Sunrisers Hyderabad to chase down a 139-target and take CSK to the final. The value of Du Plessis’ knock can be gauged from the fact that apart from him, there were only three batsmen who reached double figures.
In the 2022 auction, Du Plessis has a base price of Rs 2 crore and it won’t be a surprise if the MS Dhoni-led franchise buys him again. Though the other nine teams will also be eyeing him.
Steve Smith

Steve Smith is one of the finest batsmen of this generation. Alongwith the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, Smith finds a mention among the best batsmen of this era.
But Smith has not been able to transform his international success to IPL glory even though he has been the captain of two IPL teams.
Smith though has played for multiple teams in the IPL. From being bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (2010) and Kochi Tuskers Kerala (2011) to going on to play for Pune Warriors India (2012), and leading Rajasthan Royals (2015 and 2019) and Rising Pune Supergiant (2017), Smith missed the 2018 edition due to his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal in South Africa.
Smith played 12 matches for Rajasthan Royals in the 2019 edition before leaving for Australia to prepare for the ODI World Cup. Smith failed to impress with the bat in the 2020 edition, scoring 311 runs in 14 matches for Rajasthan Royals.
Smith was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 2.2 crores during the last auction in 2021. The former Australian captain played 6 matches for Delhi Capitals in the first half of the tournament in which he scored 104 runs at an average of 26.00. Smith played just two matches for Delhi Capitals in the second phase of the tournament in 2021, in the UAE.
Overall, Smith’s 8 matches with 152 runs, a highest score of 39 at an average of 25.33 weren’t enough for him to be retained by Delhi Capitals.
With a base price of Rs 2 crore this time, Smith is back in the auction pool and would be looking to set his IPL record straight and let his bat do the talking for whichever team picks him up.
Dwayne Bravo

Dwayne Bravo has been one of the best all-rounders to play in the IPL and another player who became synonymous with CSK over the years. He is capable of winning matches with his medium-pace bowling as well as with his lusty hitting with the bat down the order. He is also a very good fielder in the outfield and also off his own bowling. Bravo is a complete package.
Bravo played for Mumbai Indians for the first three seasons, before being picked up by Chennai Super Kings for the 2011 edition. With 15 wickets, Bravo was the top wicket-taker in the 2012 edition and also scored 371 runs at a strike rate of 140.53 to finish as the third-highest run-getter for CSK.
Bravo finished the 2013 edition with 32 wickets to win the Purple Cap. The West Indies all-rounder again won the Purple Cap in the 2015 edition by taking 27 wickets in 17 matches.
Having played for Gujarat Lions in 2016 and 2017, when CSK was suspended, Bravo was picked up by CSK at the 2018 auction by using their Right To Match card. From 2018 to 2021, Bravo made decent contributions both with the bat and the ball for CSK.
With a base price of Rs 2 crore in the 2022 auction, it won’t be a surprise if Bravo is again bought by CSK.
Some might feel that at 38 he is not the same force he once used to be, but by virtue of being a true all-rounder, Bravo could rake in big bucks in the upcoming edition of the auction.
Eoin Morgan

Eoin Morgan is largely seen as one of the cricketers responsible for England’s white-ball resurgence in recent times. But much like Steve Smith, Morgan also has not been able to replicate his international success in the IPL.
Morgan’s IPL journey started in 2010 when he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore and in the next year by KKR for the next three editions. Morgan represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2015 and 2016 and Kings XI Punjab in 2017.
In the 2020 player auction, KKR bought Morgan for a whopping Rs 5.25 crore. Morgan went on to replace Dinesh Karthik mid-season.
In the 17 matches that he played for KKR in the 2021 edition, Morgan scored 133 runs at an average of 11.08 and a strike rate of 95.68. Regardless of poor form with the bat, Morgan led KKR to the IPL final where they lost to CSK by 27 runs in Dubai on October 15.
With a base price of Rs 1.5 crore this time, Morgan could be an asset for any team that picks him in the IPL auction 2022 and also a potential captain.