3 Unlucky Associate Nation Stars Who Missed Out On IPL 2024 Auction
Netherlands team punched above its weight at the 2023 World Cup (AP)
As many as 333 cricketers are set to go under the hammer at the forthcoming IPL 2024 auction on December 19. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) unveiled the entire list of players a couple of weeks after 1,166 cricketers from all across the world had registered their names.
Unfortunately for the competition, several talented stars from associate nations failed to make a cut into the final auction list.
These individuals, despite their T20 versatility and cricketing excellence for their respective countries, are set to find themselves on the sidelines, thus leaving fans and experts pondering the reasons behind their exclusion from a potential IPL contract.
Ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, here at OneCricket, we take a look at three such unlucky players from associate nations:
Bas de Leede
Bas de Leede at the 2023 World Cup in India (AP)
Netherlands all-round maverick Bas de Leede shot himself to unprecedented stardom with his stellar show at the World Cup 2023 Qualifiers in Zimbabwe and in the subsequent main event in India. Back in July, the 24-year-old picked 5-52 and bludgeoned a 92-ball 123 to help his country hunt down Scotland’s 277 inside 43 overs, allowing the Dutchmen to qualify for the 2023 World Cup.
The star all-rounder was tipped to attract much attention at the IPL 2024 auction, considering he has already taken the field for MI Emirates (sister franchise of IPL’s Mumbai Indians) in the 2022 ILT20 season. Unfortunately, the cricketer failed to make it to the final auction list.
Mark Watt
Mark Watt at the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers (x.com)
Scotland legend and Derbyshire star Mark Watt has impressed one and all through his left-arm spin in the past couple of seasons. Holding an average of 20.39 while maintaining an economy rate of under seven even after 58 T20I appearances, the cricketer has snared 69 wickets to emerge as one of the leading spin exponents from his country.
Watt also has an additional claim on 89 scalps from just 61 ODI matches, with an average of 24.62.
Scott Edwards
Scott Edwards at the 2023 World Cup (x.com)
Charismatic Netherlands leader Scott Edwards led his country to emphatic wins over Test giants South Africa and Bangladesh at the recently-concluded 2023 World Cup in India. The 27-year-old tonked match-defining half-centuries in both games, and bludgeoned fighting knocks against England and New Zealand.
A veteran of over 100 white-ball matches, including 52 T20 fixtures, Edwards was considered one of the pre-auction favorites among the associate nations owing to his versatile leadership attributes and impreesive T20 strike-rate.
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