(Cricket news) The WPL was always going to be revolutionary but the kind of response it has got has been more than anyone expected. Smriti Mandhana became the highest paid player as RCB bagged her for a whopping 3.4 Cr. However there were a lot of players who went unsold and some of them were more surprising than the others. The list of unsold players has some very big international names along with a few talented Indians as well.
5 most surprising unsold players in the WPL –
Meghna Singh:
Out of all the Indian players who are currently in South Africa for the T20 World Cup Meghna Singh is the only one that went unsold in the WPL. Meghna Singh is in reserves but her place in the T20I side has always been questioned as she is considered a better ODI and Test bowler. However her getting unsold is a very surprising and the 50L base price may be the reason. 50L was the highest base price the players could set for themselves and for Meghna Singh it may be a little too high. Her teammates who are ahead in the pecking order for India like Shikha Pandey also didn’t put their base price that high.
Laura Wolvaardt:
South Africa’s star opening batter with a base price of 30L also failed to attract any bids at the WPL auction. Wolvaardt has been playing international cricket since 2016 and has established herself in the Proteas team. She averages 27.50 with a strike rate of 108.24 in T20 internationals. Her WBBL record is also pretty good as she has scored 1230 runs in 61 innings at a strike rate of over 111. She would’ve been a perfect opener but none of the franchises showed interest.
Katherine Sciver-Brunt:
England’s premium seam bowler with a base price of 50L went unsold in the WPL auction. The 37 year old may be at the back end of her career but she still has a lot of ability. Her experience would’ve been a valuable asset but at the same time she wouldn’t be a long term option. Each WPL team was only allowed 6 international players and getting someone younger who can be a long term asset makes sense.
Simran Bahadur:
Simran Bahadur who for the longest time was considered the next big thing. The allrounder was in the Indian squad for some time but didn’t get enough opportunities and now she hasn’t got a WPL contract. At a base price of 30L Simran would’ve been a premium all-rounder who despite being just 23 years of age has a fair bit of experience. She has shown her quality in the Women’s T20 challenge as well but she is someone who will play the tournament eventually as she has a lot of potential.
Sune Luus:
South Africa’s skipper with a base price of 30L also didn’t get any bids in the WPL auction. Sune Luus has played 98 T20Is taking 49 wickets and scoring 1052 runs. With her all-round ability along with her leadership, it is a massive surprise that none of the teams wanted her. The biggest reason for her going unsold could be the fact that she is not explosive enough as a middle order batter. There were plenty of other all-rounder options who are big hitters which is why it makes sense that Luus remained unsold.
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