The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 auction was not welcoming for many players as they went unsold despite performing well. Sam Curran (INR 18.50 crore), Cameron Green (17.50 crore), Ben Stokes (INR 16.25 crore), and Nicholas Pooran (16 crore) were the main gainers.
However, Punjab pacer Sandeep Sharma didn’t get a franchise. He has played for Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad but found no buyers despite having a base price of INR 50 lakh.
Sandeep couldn’t believe his luck and failed to understand how he went unsold during IPL 2023 auction. In his interview with cricket.com, he also spoke about his performances in recent domestic matches.
“I was shocked and disappointed. I don’t know why any franchise did not pick me. I thought some team would bid for me, but I was wrong. Don’t know what went wrong. I have been performing well in domestic cricket, and my track record in IPL is also impressive,” said the pacer.
In the 104 IPL appearances, he has taken 114 wickets at a decent economy of 7.77. Only Bhuvneshwar Kumar has more powerplay wickets than Sharma. He was the only bowler between 2014 and 2020 to dismiss more than 12 batters in each edition.
He also holds the record of dismissing Virat Kohli, most time in IPL. Sandeep has taken Virat’s wicket on seven occasions.