Phil Salt has had quite the day, going unsold in the IPL 2024 auction before hitting his second consecutive T20I hundred to drive England to a record total.

England’s 268-3 was their highest in the format, and their official account was one of many to highlight the irony of Salt’s stunning feat coming soon after he had been deemed surplus to requirements by all ten franchises.

👀🤷‍♂️

cc: @IPL #EnglandCricket | #WIvENG pic.twitter.com/peyVM3TY68

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) December 19, 2023

Just a reminder that Phil Salt went unsold at the IPL auction. Gun player.

Waited far too long for a good run in the England side and now showing exactly why he’s here to stay 💯

— Aadam Patel (@aadamp9) December 19, 2023

IPL teams are often criticised for recency bias – they shelled out big for many star performers at the World Cup, despite limited T20 pedigree – so it would be inconsistent to criticise them for overlooking Salt based purely on his hundred in the third T20I, even if it was spectacular, driving England to a chase of 223 to keep the series alive.

But that was not the only factor working in Salt’s favour. In the 2023 IPL, when several more hyped England players struggled, he had a quietly impressive maiden campaign, averaging 27 and striking at 163. Even if it is understandable that Delhi Capitals wouldn’t require his services, with Rishabh Pant expected to return to the wicketkeeping role, the extra value Salt adds as a gloveman might have been expected to be enough to earn him a contract.

Phil Salt – who did well in last year's competition and is a better player now – and Michael Bracewell – very handy skillset as a left-handed power hitter and off spinner, and a decent 2023 IPL too – two of the unluckier players not to get an IPL deal in the auction

— Tim Wigmore (@timwig) December 19, 2023

I'm not sure I'll ever understand all the dynamics at play in IPL auctions but I don't see how Phil Salt got an IPL deal last year but not this year.

Decent IPL campaign in 2023, can keep wicket and in good T20I form.

— Yas Rana (@Yas_Wisden) December 19, 2023

South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw is the only other Full Member batter to go back to back in the shortest format, and he is evidence of the unpredictability of the IPL auction. After originally going unsold, he was picked up for INR 8 crore in the accelerated auction, four times his base price.

It’s a reminder that, at an IPL auction, there can be more than just pure player quality – itself something impossible to define – at work. Auction dynamics can be hard to parse, and a player being picked up will of course be determined significantly by what franchises need, as well as the conditions at play at the host venue. While Salt is a wicketkeeper, he’s also an opener, one of the most competitive roles going. There was no overseas wicketkeeper bought for equal to or more than Salt’s base price, with Travis Head – Player of the Match in the World Cup final against India – and Rossouw, whose T20 record is outstanding, the only overseas top-order specialist batters to fetch big bids.

Then there’s availability. England are set to play Pakistan in a series that will clash with the IPL, and given that it will be their last preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup, they are expected to call back their stars. That didn’t stop the likes of Chris Woakes and Harry Brook from fetching bids, but perhaps it helps explain why David Willey, retired from international cricket, and Tom Kohler-cadmore, not in the England frame, snared contracts.

All is not lost for Salt. His century today was perfectly timed for England, but a few hours too late to further his cause with the paddle-holders at the IPL. But should any batters fall injured, a near certainty given the length of time until the IPL, and how long the tournament itself takes, he will have put himself at the head of the queue to fill in as a replacement player.