Dasun Shanaka went unsold in the IPL auction in December last year and the Sri Lanka star has finally broken silence on the same.
The auction for the 2023 Indian Premier League took place in December last year, with star all-rounders like Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Ben Stokes triggering intense bidding wars between the franchises. However, there was one all-rounder from Sri Lanka who didn’t find a bid despite consistent performances against India on Indian tracks – their limited-overs captain, Dasun Shanaka.
Shanaka smashed the Indian bowlers left, right, and centre in an incredible display of power-hitting
In the T20I series against India last month, Shanaka smashed the Indian bowlers left, right, and centre in an incredible display of power-hitting. Coming at no.6, Shanaka had smashed an explosive 45 off just 27 balls as Sri Lanka fell short by merely two runs in the 163-run chase. He, then, lead the visitors to victory with a fiery unbeaten 56 off merely 22 deliveries — smashing two fours and six sixes — while also taking two wickets in an over.
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Following his exemplary outings for Sri Lanka, former India opener Gautam Gambhir – who is also the mentor to Lucknow Super Giants – had said many franchises wouldn’t have been able to afford the Sri Lanka star if the auction had taken place after the T20I series.
“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.”
In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times on the sidelines of the DP World International League T20 (ILT20), Shanaka has finally broken silence on not being picked at the auction, and also reacted to Gambhir’s statement. The Sri Lankan captain believes that he can play his natural game on Indian soil due to batting-friendly conditions, while further adding that he has hopes that he will have an IPL stint in the 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.
Shanaka plied trade for the Dubai Capitals – a sister franchise of IPL side Delhi Capitals – at the ILT20. The Capitals had qualified for the playoffs but faced an eight-wicket defeat to MI Emirates in the eliminator match on February 9, thus bowing out of the tournament.
