In an IPL auction that saw franchises splurge the cash, with South African all-rounder Chris Morris becoming the costliest player in the history of the tournament, there were some big names who went unsold.

Here are a few players who would have expected to rake in big bucks but surprisingly found no takers in the auction:

Australian limited overs captain Aaron Finch, who was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before the auction, surprisingly went unsold. Finch could not live up to the expectations last season, scoring only 268 runs in 12 matches and hitting only one half-century.

Yet, in a year in which England play 17 Tests, including the start of the Ashes, and are aiming to win the T20 World Cup in India, the IPL could have been a good time for their players to rest.

Though Finch has been a very stable batsman at the top of the order for Australia and his T20 numbers are flattering, he has not been able to replicate that form in the IPL in the last few years. Finch has scored 9,251 runs in 314 matches in the shortest format of the game.

• IPL 2021 Auction: Big names who surprisingly went unsold In an IPL auction that saw franchises splurge the cash, with South African all-rounder Chris Morris becoming the costliest player in the history of the tournament, there were some big names who did not find any takers.
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Alex Hales

Top order England batsman Alex Hales would have expected to be on be on the watchlist of many franchises after his swashbuckling form in the Big Bash League but went unsold. Hales, who has been sidelines by the England Cricket Board for his off-field conduct, had scored 543 runs for Sydney Thunders at an average of 38.79 and strike rate of 161.61.

Like Hales, his English compatriot, the hard-hitting opener Jason Roy, also went unsold.

Martin Guptill

For the second consecutive year, New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill has gone unsold. Guptill, who had been released by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of the IPL 2020 auction, had found no takers last year as well.

Though his limited overs numbers are good and he also has an ODI double hundred to his credit, Guptill has never had a consistent run of form in the IPL, with 270 runs from 13 matches at an average of 22.5. Despite his big hitting prowess, franchises played safe and did not want to bet big on the aging Kiwi superstar.

Mitchell McClenaghan

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Even when the likes of Riley Meredith went for Rs 8 crore at the auction, fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan went unsold. The Kiwi quick has become a good performer in the IPL and had at one time led the Mumbai Indians bowling lineup.

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McClenaghen’s IPL stats are great, with 71 wickets from 56 matches. He also has a good ability to bowl Yorkers at the death. But of late, with age catching up with him, he has been out of favour.