The Indian Premier League’s (IPL) new season is just a few months away. With the mini auction done and dusted, the teams will be looking assemble their warriors as soon as possible. However, there will be some cricketers who had been a part of the IPL for some years but will not be seen in the dugouts this time around. InsideSport takes a look at the top 3 cricketers who will not be a part of IPL 2024.
Steve Smith
Steve Smith burst onto the IPL team with the now-extinct Pune Warriors in IPL 2012-13 season. The Australian cricketer hogged the limelight on his debut season itself through his athleticism and stylish batting stance. Since then, he has played for various IPL franchises ranging from Rajasthan Royals to Delhi Captitals. However, Smith went unsold in the IPL 2024 auction. The Australian’s poor form in T20 cricket off late coupled with his base price of Rs 2 crore proved to be a deterring factor as no team raised their paddle to bid for the veteran player. As a result, he will not be seen in IPL 2024 in spite of scoring 2485 runs in 103 matches in his IPL career.
Shakib Al Hasan
Unlike Steve Smith, Shakib Al Hasan chose not to register his name for the IPL 2024 auction. Shakib is one of the best all-rounders to have played for Bangladesh and would have surely found suitors if he decided to play in this year’s IPL. Shakib has had a stellar IPL career so far, scoring 793 runs in 71 matches. Additionally, the left-arm orthodox bowler has taken 63 wickets in his IPL career, and still had a lot to offer to teams that are short on all-rounder options. But Shakib had made it clear that he wanted to focus on his national career and hence did not draft his name. However, his intention behind dropping from IPL 2024 can be questioned as he started his career as a politician and took part in the national election in Bangladesh.
James Neesham
After playing for a few different IPL teams, New Zealand cricketer James Neesham found himself without a team after the IPL 2024 Auction. Neesham is a utility cricketer who can roll over his arms and use the long handle to complete an innings well. However, Neesham hasn’t had the chance to show off these skills consistently in the IPL, which is maybe why the teams shied away from signing him in Dubai. In his short IPL career in which he has played in only 12 matches, Neesham scored 61 runs and took 8 wickets. His performance wasn’t good enough for IPL teams to take a gamble on, and that is probably why the IPL franchises stayed away from raising the paddle when his name came up.
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