Last Update on: February 10th, 2023 at 12:48 pm
Sri Lanka National Cricket Team white-ball captain Dasun Shanaka has opened up on being unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 mini-auction and has also reacted to Gautam Gambhir’s “would probably not have had the money to buy him” statement.
Madagamagamage Dasun Shanaka had a base of INR 50 lakh for the mini-auction. He was among the 405 cricketers shortlisted for the auction on December 23 in Kochi.
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All-rounders were in heavy demand at the IPL mini-auction, with the likes of Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Ben Stokes getting lucrative deals. However, Shanaka went unsold as no franchise showed interest in him.
The Sri Lanka skipper performed exceptionally well in the January 2023 T20I series against India and showcased his power-hitting brilliance. Following his brilliant outings in the series, former India opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who is currently the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants in the Indian Premier League (IPL), had said that the all-rounder would have triggered an intense bidding war between the franchises if the auction had been held after the series.
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“I won’t have money, he would be that expensive, the way he has batted. That is what the auction is all about,” Gambhir had said on Star Sports.
“Imagine if this series had happened just before the auction, some of the franchises would probably not have had the money to buy him.”
When it comes to India, the pitches are batting-friendly, So, I enjoy those conditions very much – Dasun Shanaka
In an interaction with Hindustan Times, Shanaka opened up on being unsold at the mini-auction as well as reacted to Gautam Gambhir’s statement.
He said that he enjoys batting on the batting-friendly Indian pitches. Shanaka also said that he was not disappointed after going unsold at the IPL mini-auction and was hopeful of being part of the tournament in future.
“When it comes to India, the pitches are batting-friendly. So, I enjoy those conditions very much. It’s (aggressive batting) in my game, my instinctive reactions come to play there. I don’t mind that I didn’t get picked in the IPL. I’m sure there will be something for me in India in the future. So I’m looking forward for that opportunity to play in the IPL,” Shanaka said.
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