Kane Richardson guesses reason: The pacer and spinner are among the 35 Australian cricketers who remained unsold in IPL 2022 auction.
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A total of 67 overseas cricketers were successful in earning a bid during the recently concluded Indian Premier League 2022 mega auction in Bengaluru. Adding the overseas players who were retained and acquired by 10 franchises before the auction, a total of 77 overseas cricketers will take part in IPL 2022.
Barring a spot each at Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, all other franchises have completed their maximum limit of eight overseas players.
West Indies, a powerhouse in T20 cricket, will send a maximum of 17 overseas cricketers for the 15th season of the IPL. Australia, who had the maximum number of players (47) in the auction, are at the second spot with 14 cricketers set to take part in IPL 2022.
35 unsold Australian cricketers include white-ball captain Aaron Finch, former captain Steven Smith and other ace cricketers namely Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Marnus Labuschagne, Chris Lynn, Ben McDermott etc.
Kane Richardson guesses reason behind Adam Zampa remaining unsold in IPL auction 2022
Teammates at Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021, Richardson and Zampa won’t be seen participating in the 15th season of the IPL until they are roped in by any franchise as an injury replacement.
Richardson, who was bought by RCB for INR 4 crore during IPL 2020 auction, was replaced by Zampa midway through the season. The franchise had retained both the players for IPL 2021 only to find them return back to Australia in the middle of a deadly second COVID-19 wave in India.
Not as astonished for himself, Richardson was shocked with Zampa (among top T20I wicket-takers in each of the last five years) not getting a buyer last weekend. Richardson, who had to return back to Australia twice in as many IPL seasons, considers the same to be a reason behind their non-selection this season.
“I was definitely more shocked for him [Adam Zampa],” Richardson was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “To be brutally honest, when we left last year, in the circumstances early, I remember having a conversation with him. I said to him, look, this may come back and bite us, and at that time it wasn’t a priority for us to be there. We wanted to get back to Australia.
“So I think there’d be some kind of buyers that’d be pretty wary of picking us up thinking that we wouldn’t come again. I definitely think that’s a factor.”
Richardson, who has played 15 matches for three franchises across four IPL seasons, admitted to not being 100% sure with his assumption but considers it as potential reason because of him leaving the cash-rich league for unavoidable reasons twice in a row.
“I’m just speaking on what I think would be a factor in it. I don’t know. I’ve never had a dialogue with a franchise or a person that says that’s what would be the case. But I think I didn’t go the year before [2020] as well with the birth of my boy,” Richardson added.
