Chris Gayle is one of the major names whose name is missing in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction list, while other players like Joe Root, Mitchell Starc, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer have decided to skip the tournament.
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In a piece of massive but rather not surprising news, Chris Gayle‘s name is missing in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. Gayle, who is one of the greatest Twenty20 players in history, has seen his returns diminish in the IPL in the last couple of players. In IPL 2021, he averaged just 21 with a strike rate of 125. During the 2020 edition of the tournament, Gayle missed some games due to injury. In the last seven years, Gayle has been slightly inconsistent in the IPL. With injuries piling up, a Cricbuzz report stated that Gayle might have known he would not be picked up in the auction.
Gayle holds several records in the IPL which might never be broken. His score of 175 in IPL 2013 against Sahara Pune Warriors is the highest in the history of T20s. In that knock, he smashed 17 sixes which is also a record. He has hit six centuries in the IPL. This is the most by any player in the history of the tournament.
Not just the IPL, Gayle has been the marquee player in the Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, and the Caribbean Premier League. Overall, Gayle has blasted 14,321 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 145. He has also blasted 22 centuries, which is the most in the history of the format.
A total of 1214 players have registered for the auction. The breakup of the players has also been unveiled. A total of 896 players are from India while the overseas contingent is 318. Out of the 1214 players, 903 are uncapped. Punjab Kings have the highest purse available for the auction with Rs 72 crores as they retained only two players. IPL 2022 will see two new teams in Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Both have a purse of Rs 59.8 crore and 53 crores respectively.
Read – Chris Gayle not treated well by Punjab Kings: Kevin Pietersen
Mitchell Starc and Joe Root were contemplating a return to the IPL. But, Root was in two minds as he would have had to sacrifice some Tests. Starc, who has not played in the IPL for over six years, was thinking about putting his name in the IPL Mega Auction. However, both players have decided to skip the IPL this time as well.
On the other hand, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer have also decided to skip the IPL 2022. Archer will not recover from the elbow surgery at least until the end of the summer. Stokes, who has been away from home for the last couple of months, cited bio-bubble fatigue as the major reason for pulling out.
There are many players in the Rs 2 crore club who might be up for purchase in the auction. The likes of Pat Cummins, David Warner, Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Mark Wood and Dwayne Bravo are all in the elite Rs 2 crore club. Cummins, who was bought for Rs 15.5 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders, has been released.
Warner, who was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s consistent performer and helped them to the 2016 IPL title, was shockingly not retained after he was left out of the team for IPL 2021. The IPL mega-auction will be held on February 12-13 in Bangalore. The venue has not yet been finalized.
