ICC recently announced the nominees for the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year Award. The announcement was made for both Men’s and Women’s Cricket. IPL and WPL are the biggest T20 leagues when it comes to the men’s and the women’s game respectively. However, a few top cricketers in 2023 actually missed out on the auctions. On that note, here, we look at two players nominated for the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year Award but went unsold in IPL or WPL Auctions.
1) Chamari Athapaththu – WPL Auctions
Chamari Athapaththu is one of the players nominated for the ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year Award but went unsold in IPL or WPL Auctions. One of the greatest openers that the game has seen, it was a shock to see Athapaththu go unsold at the recent WPL Auctions.
An opener of the highest ceiling, her missing out was one of the talking points of the event. As an opener, she has been flawless in recent times. At most franchises, her arrival would upgrade the position. Yet, she went unsold. That is how IPL Auction dynamics work. Nevertheless, she still has a chance to make a comeback as a replacement option.
2) Mark Chapman – IPL Auctions
Mark Chapman from New Zealand had a good year in the T20I format. Hence, he will compete with the likes of Suryakumar Yadav for the T20I Cricketer of the Year Award. However, he does not have an IPL contract, which is actually surprising.
Chapman is an all-rounder and plays in the lower middle order. He has good power-hitting abilities and is a good fielder, as well. These factors could make for a useful overseas signing. However, no team was interested in the cricketer. That said, there are likely to be injuries & Chapman could still get a chance as a replacement player.
