‘It was a confusing morning, I expected to be picked up’ – Phil Salt opens up after going unsold in IPL 2024 Auction

England made a roaring comeback in the Caribbean as they defeated the West Indies in the fourth T20I on Tuesday, December 19, to restore parity in the five-match T20I series.

Phil Salt once again starred with the bat as he scored a jaw-dropping 119 off just 57 balls, hitting seven fours and 10 sixes. This was his second century in a row, becoming only the second men’s player to achieve the feat in T20Is. England posted a mammoth 267/3 on the back of Salt’s ton and fifties from skipper Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone before bowling out the West Indies for 192.

Earlier in the day, Salt remained unsold at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction. He had kept a base price of Rs 1.5 crore but unfortunately, didn’t find any takers. The England Cricket Board (ECB) took a not-so-subtle dig at the IPL franchises after Salt’s ton through their social media handle.

It was a confusing morning, expected to be picked up: Phil Salt

Salt made his IPL debut in 2023 as he represented the Delhi Capitals. He had a decent outing, scoring 218 runs in nine games at an average of 27.25 and a strike rate of 163.91. However, the Delhi-based franchise, which finished ninth on the table, went on to release a plethora of their players last month, including the Bodelwyddan-born. A lot of overseas wicketkeepers found teams at the auction but Salt, who has scored 601 runs in 19 T20I innings, at an average of 35.35 and a strike rate of 165.56, couldn’t bag a contract.

The 27-year-old said that he was quite surprised after being ignored in the IPL auction 2024 as he felt he had done well in the cash-rich league last season. However, he was happy for some of his teammates who got picked.

“It was a confusing morning. I expected to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well and after the year that I’ve had, but these things happen. It’s part of the lottery of an auction, it happens in draft processes as well. There’s a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I’m over the moon for them,” Salt said after his heroics in the second T20I.