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The two-day auction event of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 was completed on Sunday in Bengaluru. As many as 204 players were sold during the process, which included 67 overseas cricketers.
Ishan Kishan (INR 15.5 crores by Mumbai Indians), Deepak Chahar (INR 14 crores by Chennai Super Kings), and Shreyas Iyer (INR 12.25 crores by Kolkata Knight Riders) were the top buys on the opening day. Similarly, Liam Livingstone (INR 11.50 crores by Punjab Kings), Tim David and Jofra Archer – INR 8.25 and 8 crores, respectively by Mumbai Indians – were the top picks on Day 2.
However, there were few players who failed to get any buyer in the mega-auction. One of such was England’s white-ball format captain, Eoin Morgan. The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player came under the category of overseas capped players on Day 2 of the bidding event.
Notably, ahead of the auction, many experts had opined that Morgan would be on the radar of those teams who were looking out for a new captain. But when his name came for the grabs, no franchise showed interest in him.
One of the major probable reasons behind teams ignoring Morgan could have been his numbers with the bat in the cash-rich league. The 35-year-old struggled to score runs in the previous season. He only made 133 runs in 17 innings at a dreadful average of 11.08.
Even the overall numbers of Morgan in the lucrative tournament aren’t eye-catching. He has played 83 games in the IPL, scoring only 1405 runs at a poor average of 22.66 and a strike rate of under 123. The left-handed batter has only been able to hit five half-centuries, with 68 being his best score.
Although, Morgan was indeed impressive with his captaincy last year. The Irish cricketer led KKR to the IPL final in 2021, where they lost to MS Dhoni-led CSK. No wonder there were few eyebrow-raising reactions by fans and followers on social media.
Here is how Netizens reacted:
Today isn’t kind to captains who took teams to finals…Morgan and Finch. #IPLAuction
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 13, 2022
So the fact that he hasn't scored enough runs means #KKR have moved on past the captain who took them to the final last year. #EoinMorgan
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) February 13, 2022
Ruthless and practical decision by @KKRiders as far #EoinMorgan is concerned. Boss, captain ko bhi yahan runs banaane hi padenge. #IPLAuction #IPLMegaAuction2022
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) February 13, 2022
Eoin Morgan unsold is a bit surprising. Poor form last season but at that base price his experience is invaluable. Especially when rebuilding your squad and beginning a new cycle.
Franchises, as always, know better. Will be interesting if brought back later. #IPLAuction
— Chetan Narula (@chetannarula) February 13, 2022
From Eoin Morgan to Alex Hales, KKR have moved on pretty quickly #IPLAuction
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) February 13, 2022
Lol. Eoin Morgan goes unsold. Alex Hales, publicly known as the apple of Morgan's eye, goes to his old club, Kolkata Knight Riders.
Loving these storylines. #IPLAuction #IPLAuction2022
— Lavanya 🎙️🎥👩🏻💻 (@lav_narayanan) February 13, 2022
#EoinMorgan unsold!#IPLAuction
— Sreedhar Pillai (@sri50) February 13, 2022
Eoin Morgan and Malan go unsold. Michael Vaughan is crying.
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) February 13, 2022
Eoin Morgan going unsold means the teams have shortlisted their captaincy candidates. #IPLAuction
— Sreshth Shah (@sreshthx) February 13, 2022
KKR showing ultimate disrespect to Eoin Morgan..First by not picking him and now by picking Alex Hales…
— Harisankar (@harish_staycalm) February 13, 2022
Eoin Morgan OUT
Alex Hales IN
No one would have imagined this 🤣🤣🤣#IPLAuction #IPLMegaAuction2022
— Vinesh Prabhu (@vlp1994) February 13, 2022
Can’t believe #EoinMorgan is unsold at the #IPLAuction2022. He led #KKR to the finals last season after a disappointing first phase and #MSDhoni himself praised KKR at the post-match conference. pic.twitter.com/iaeOU83bGx
— Shiva (@shivadfilms) February 13, 2022
