The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction 2024 has got off on a sad note for the Indian domestic stalwarts. Manish Pandey who was the first-ever Indian to score an IPL century got no bids in the first round of the auction in Dubai and his Karnataka teammate Karun Nair also met with the same fate.
Both Manish and Karun entered the auction with a base price of INR 50 Lakh but despite such a low amount they failed to attract the bidders. Manish's underwhelming season in 2023 might have played a role in him not attracting any bids.
He represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2023 season and could only accumulate 109 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 109.59.
On the other hand, Steve Smith, Australia's premier batter in Test and ODI cricket, also couldn't find a buyer. The Aussie has recently changed his batting slot in T20Is and is now seen opening the innings but a change in position hasn't seemed to entice any franchises in the auction room. The 34-year-old batter had kept his base price INR 2 crore for the auction.
Rilee Rossouw of South Africa also went empty-handed as no one raised their paddles for him. The southpaw has not been playing T20I cricket lately, which might have influenced the decision of the teams. He had also kept his base price INR 2 crore.
The Protea represented Delhi Capitals in the 2023 season but wasn't able to perform as per the expectations of the franchise owners and the team management. Rossouw played nine games for Capitals in the previous season and could only aggregate 209 runs.
However, there is still an opportunity for these players to get picked. Their names might come back in the accelerated round later on and if a franchise changes its mind then it can turn their fortunes around dramatically.
