‘It was a confusing morning’ – Phil Salt expresses disbelief as he goes unsold in IPL 2024 auction

The former Delhi Capitals batsman Phil Salt recently expressed his disappointment as he was not picked up by any team franchise for the IPL 2024 auction, which was conducted at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on 19 December. Salt previously represented Delhi Capitals in IPL 2023, where the team picked him up for a base price of 2 crore. 

After the auction, Phil Salt discussed that he did not expect to go unsold, especially after his performance in the previous season. Salt scored 212 runs in the nine games he played along with a century against RCB for DC. The English batter talked about how he deliberately slept late while waiting for his chance in the auction. 

“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,” said Phil Salt. 

Phil Salt on improving his game and working on himself after IPL 2024 

“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 discussed, as his teammates Harry Brook, Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson found teams at the auction. “I was a bit confused but it can happen. There’s no bad cricketers on the list at the IPL. It’s one of those things,” he added.

“It was probably a little bit of it, subconsciously. I’m very aware of how lucky I am to be here playing cricket. I’m playing good cricket, I’m doing what I came out here to do. More importantly than that, the boys have really pulled together and shown what a good team we are. The West Indies are a very good side that we’re playing against so to win back-to-back games and force the decider in a couple of days’ time, I’m chuffed,” Salt said.

“I’ve worked specifically on hitting sixes over the off-side. I’ve always been good at hitting the sight screen and going over the leg-side. When Jason Holder took the pace off wide and I hit it over the offside, something Jos said to me was ‘teams can’t bowl to you’. That’s an area I’ve been working on for a good while so it’s good to see it’s working,” Phil concluded.