We bet that you are enjoying IPL 2022 right now and why wouldn't you be? While Jos Buttler's bat is acting like a pro, Kane Williamson's Sunrisers Hyderabad is playing quality cricket with their limited resources! No matter how difficult your life is, this year's IPL is enough to put a smile on your face. But players like Dawid Malan, Suresh Raina, Steve Smith, and more are no longer part of the cricket's biggest festival, alongside several blackcaps. Some big names among the blackcaps are missing this year, and some of them have experience in playing in the tournament. But some have never played IPL. Let's take a look at the bottom to know who they are.
1. Martin Guptill
The first name is the current blackcaps white-ball opener, Martin Guptill. This destructive batter has been a part of the IPL previously with MI, KXIP, and SRH with very little chance of holding the willow. He was in red hot form in the last T20 world cup and there is no doubt about his batting and outstanding fielding ability. But his capability on the Indian pitches is yet to be explored. But we're sure that Martin Guptill could be a valuable asset for any team in this year's IPL as his base price was just 75 lakh.
2. Colin Munro
Next up is Martin Guptill's former white ball opening partner Colin Munro. Unlike Guptill, Munro does play T20 leagues all over the world, and he is like a nightmare to those poor bowlers. He, too, has played for teams like Kolkata knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, and Delhi Capitals in the past. This left-hander is one of the biggest hitters in world cricket. But, like Guptill, his IPL career is not up to the mark as his batting ability. Naturally, no IPL teams showed any interest in picking him as an opener.
3. Ish Sodhi
Ish Sodhi is a renowned blackcaps spinner who was a former royal in 2018 and 2019 IPL. He also starred as a spin bowling consultant to the Rajasthan Royals bowling unit in IPL 2021. The 29-year-old Ludhiana- born leg-break bowler has an outstanding record against India in international cricket. But it seems that wasn't enough for any franchise to show interest in him.
4. Colin de Grandhomme
This Zimbabwe-born blackcaps all-rounder has recently fallen off the radar because of his inconsistent performance in both his national team and franchise cricket. Previously played for Kolkata knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore, CDG showed a lack of form in both the franchises. He was not a part of New Zealand's T20 world cup 2021 squad. It was not a surprise that he won't get a chance to play in this year's IPL after keeping his base price at 1 crore!
5. Scott Kuggeleijn
Scott Kuggeleijn is a New Zealand pacer who was previously seen bowling for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2019. He was included in the yellow squad by the coach Stephen Fleming, as a replacement for Lungi Ngidi. Then RCB bought him also as a replacement for Australian pacer Kane Richardson though he didn’t get a chance to play for them. He made his international debut in 2019 against the Srilankan cricket team. This cricketer has a controversial past, and he put his base price of 75 lakh. Still, nobody showed interest in picking him.
6. Blair Tickner
Blair Tickner made his national T20 debut in a series against India in 2019 on his home soil, and he is an impressive right-hand medium-fast bowler. Although his base price was just 50 lakh, he is not yet experienced in playing on the big stages. But it won't be a surprise if we see him play in the IPL sooner.
7. Neil Wagner
It would be a big surprise if any franchise decided to buy him from the mega auction. When we are talking about test cricket, there is no replacement for him. But how could you expect to see him play in the IPL when he has never even played a single white ball match for New Zealand?
8. Todd Astle
Todd Astle, whose base price in the auction was 75 lakh, might be a good spinner. But the problem is his connection to the national team is not smooth. He has never played in the IPL previously and his lack of experience on Indian soil is also a problem for getting picked up even as a replacement.
9. Hamish Bennett
Hamish Bennett is an understated tall pacer who made his test debut alongside our very own Kane Williamson. But luck was not on his side and he got injured later. He played for his team in the 2011 cricket world cup. In 2020 his performance against India was impressive in the absence of Trent Boult. He went unsold in the auction after keeping a base price of 50 lakh.
10. Adithya Ashok
We might have fallen off our sitting positions if some franchise bought Adithya Ashok at the base price of 20 lakh. He represented his national side at the under 19 cricket World Cup 2020. He is just 19 years old, and still has a lot to learn. But no doubt he has potential, and we might see him play for New Zealand in the future.
