Once bitten, twice shy, former India opener and Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer has not made himself available for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, to be held in Bangalore on Saturday.
He went unsold at last year’s auction and couldn’t be a part of IPL4. As a capped India player, Jaffer had the option being part of the auction.
The IPL organisers on Monday released a list of 144 players eligible for the auction, including those who were part of the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala.
VVS Laxman, explosive New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum, S Sreesanth as well as Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene — who all were with Kochi last year - are in the mix.
Laxman is among those who have the highest base price of $400,000 (R 1.98 cr approx), although it remains to be seen whether he is picked after his poor run in Australia.
Jaffer said: “If you go unsold in the auction, then it becomes too complicated to be a part of the IPL. It’s better if you deal directly with a franchisee that’s interested in signing you up.”
There is uncertainty for five uncapped players — Sushant Marathe, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Choughule, Raiphi Gomez and Tanmay Srivastava - who were with Kochi after they were not included in the auction. They have been allowed to sign for any team after the auction.
There is uncertainty for five uncapped players — Sushant Marathe, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Choughule, Raiphi Gomez and Tanmay Srivastava - who were with Kochi after they were not included in the auction. They have been allowed to sign for any team after the auction.