McCullum on remaining unsold in IPL: Former New Zealand captain was vocal about not find a buyer in the IPL auction.
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For the first time since 2008, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum failed to buy a buyer during the recently concluded IPL auction in Jaipur. Watching the 37-year old right-hand batsman, who inaugurated the cash-rich tournament by smashing 158* against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008, go unsold was a saddening sight for his fans.
One of the notable players to remain unsold in the auction, McCullum seemed to have realized that the snub was about to happen. “That’s the way things go sometimes. I’ve been very lucky, I’ve had 11 seasons in the IPL and at some stage you need to transition away from the playing stuff,” McCullum was quoted as saying to Radio Sport.
In his 11-year IPL career, McCullum represented five IPL teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore being the last one. RCB had played McCullum in six matches last season, where he scored 127 runs at an average of 21.16 and a strike rate of 144.31.
Having played for Kandahar Knights in the Afghanistan Premier League, McCullum scored 158 runs in eight matches at an average of 19.75 and a strike rate of 105.33. His numbers clearly suggest that he is no longer the dominant force which he was once considered, especially in the T20 format.
It is worth mentioning that McCullum’s abysmal form has played a significant role in him not alluring a bid.
Despite him remaining unsold, McCullum wished all the other New Zealand cricketers luck for their stint in the tournament. “All good things must come to an end, and I was very delighted to see some of the Kiwi boys got picked up. I’m certainly not too worried about it; it’s the way the game goes sometimes. I certainly wish the other boys all the best and you never know, you just never know what might unfold in the future,” he added.
Read some of the latest Twitter reactions on McCullum below:
