Phil Salt admitted his surprise at being overlooked at the 2024 IPL auction as the in-form England opener was unable to find a new franchise following his release from Delhi Capitals. Here’s why the fast-scoring Englishman went unsold at the auction:
Was Phil Salt’s release from Delhi Capitals a surprise?
Firstly, was it a surprise to see Salt being put up for auction? The 27-year-old is a top-order overseas player following Rishabh Pant’s injury and Prithvi Shaw’s decline in form. He had a fruitful IPL season for Delhi in 2023, playing an important role in the first team in the four slots. Salt had a good season, scoring over 50 points twice and posting a batting average of .163. He was one of only six players in the 2023 tournament to score more runs at a higher strike rate than Salt.
It is unusual for a player to leave a franchise for such a tournament, especially for a foreign player to play for the relatively cheap sum of 2 billion rupees like Salt. However, his release showed that despite his encouraging early experience in the IPL, he did not understand their first-choice plans. All-round options Mitch Marsh and David Warner remained, as did Shaw and Pant, with Salt left as just a back-up option. Salt and Riley Rossouw, who had similar campaigns to England’s 2023 opener, were both released ahead of a mini-auction. Harry Brook and Tristan Stubbs were added to Derry’s bat, two players younger than Rossu and Salt, and Shai Hope was brought in as an additional wicketkeeper option. Considering Salt’s performance as a replacement in 2023, it would have been a surprise to see him step away from a similar role in 2024.
Why was Phil Salt not bought at the auction?
Salt scored his first T20I hundred in England’s chase against the West Indies in Grenada, reminding auctioneers of his talent in the days leading up to the auction. Three days later, just hours after it went unsold at auction, he scored his second in England’s victory as the tourists recorded their highest-ever T20I score. Memories of Salt scoring big runs at Auction are still fresh in our minds, but his performance in Grenada was not up to Salt’s standard in T20 cricket this year. Although his performances in the IPL have been encouraging and his recent results for England have been disastrous, it has been a relatively quiet year for Salt.
He averaged 23 under par in 22 matches in the T20 Blast and The Hundred this summer in England, but these aren’t numbers that would attract interest from IPL franchises. Overseas, competition to be the starting pitcher is fierce, even if you are a member of the reserve team. Salt offers no uncontroversial reason for its inclusion.
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Auction dynamics also need to be considered. IPL auctions are strange, especially mini-auctions. Players are recruited and evaluated based on the needs of their individual franchises rather than their relative value on the field, and mini-auctions are held. Simply put, there was no demand to hold the opening game overseas. Only Rachin Ravindra and Travis Head, who had great performances at the 2023 World Cup in India, are included in this category, but still, their respective performances with the Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad franchises. Considering the roster distribution, neither will necessarily play on the first team. IPL 2024 will be the star of the show from the beginning.
Salt may also miss the IPL final due to England’s involvement, with the team set to play a T20I series against Pakistan in the play-offs.
In summary, Salt recorded some notable highs in 2023, but there were also some periods without significant values. It was unfortunate that he had to be let go in the run-up to the Delhi auction, but given that there was no demand for opening works from overseas at the auction itself, it was no wonder that he failed to sell after participating.
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