Friday's mini auction for the 2023 IPL season was sold as many as 80 players for a total of Rs. 1.67 crore across ten franchises. However, there are quite a few players who do not find buyers for various reasons; or team chemistry, places left for foreign / national players or just bad form in front of the market. We take a look at five players who should get a contract with one of the 10 IPL franchises.

Dawid Malan, England - Batsman

David Malan's exit from the upcoming IPL season is probably one of the biggest surprises to come out of the auction. The left-handed batsman is the former No. 1 ranked T20i player in the ICC rankings and is a key figure in England's top order.

He also top-scored in England's "Hundred" competition with 377 runs in 9 innings at a rapid Strike Rate of 166.81. He was also part of the winning England squad at the T20 World Cup, although he played only a small part in the tournament.

This may be one of the reasons why it was not sold, adding to the fact that franchises are looking for more players around than professional players.

Paul Stirling, Ireland - Fire

Experienced Irish musician Paul Stirling missed out again after failing to attract the auction price. Despite playing in major T20 matches around the world, no IPL franchise has scored in the opening bullpen. This could lead to him not being good in 2022 which was evident during Ireland's T20 World Cup campaign.

Despite being the second-leading scorer in the league with 7 outings, he was expected to score more than the 170 he managed in the tournament. Plus, as mentioned earlier, franchises were shopping locally for specialist batsmen. So, Stirling unfortunately has missed out on a dream opportunity in the IPL.

Baba Indrajith, India - Wicket Keeper

Indrajith brought bad luck at the worst time as 12 wicket keepers traded including 7 from India as he lost his IPL contract. The top TN batsman has a strong batting technique and has achieved a lot for TN over the past few years in Premier Class and List A cricket. However, he played only three times for KKR last season, scoring just 21 points and the title was released at the end of the season.

Sandeep Sharma, India - Bowler

Veteran batsman Sandeep Sharma was disappointed when he was not sold. With about 104 IPL matches under his belt, the former SRH batsman said he was surprised by the snub. He is reported to have said: “I am shocked and disappointed. I don't know why I'm not a sales person. I did well no matter what team I played in, I honestly thought that a team would give me an award. To be honest, I didn't expect that. And I don't know where it went wrong. In domestic cricket, I am doing well. In the Ranji Trophy, the last round, I took seven wickets. I did well with Syed Mushtaq Ali.

There may be light at the end of the tunnel for the 29-year-old as he can still feature in the next IPL season as a replacement for an injured player.

Chris Jordan, England - Allrounder

CSK's first-rounder could not find any offer despite being a sought-after player in the market. Jordan was part of England's successful T20 team in the World Cup and played well when his team died in the tournament.

His omission was surprising as he was the T20 MVP. He is an excellent bowler and is a skilled batsman in the lower order.

CSK, who released him after playing only four times in the 2022 season, picking up 2 wickets, can remove him since the franchise ends with the death bowling option.