Was Phil Salt’s release from Delhi Capitals a surprise?

Firstly, was it a surprise to see Salt in the auction in the first place? The 27-year-old enjoyed a productive first IPL campaign for Delhi in 2023, featuring prominently in the first XI following the injury to Rishabh Pant and the loss of form for Prithvi Shaw, a combination of events that saw the franchise resort to using all four overseas slots on their top order. Salt had a good campaign, twice passing fifty and striking at 163; only six players in the 2023 competition scored more runs at a higher strike rate than Salt.

It is unusual to see a player have that sort of tournament released from their franchise, especially an overseas player on a relatively cheap deal at INR 2 crore as Salt was. But his release spoke to how despite his encouraging first taste of the IPL, he had not forced his way into their first-choice plans. Mitch Marsh – an all-round option – and David Warner were retained, as were Shaw and Pant, leaving Salt as no more than a back-up option. Salt, along with Rilee Rossouw, who had a similar campaign to the English opener in 2023, were both released heading into the mini-auction. Harry Brook and Tristan Stubbs were added to Delhi’s batting stocks, two players younger than both Rossouw and Salt while Shai Hope was brought in as an additional wicketkeeping option. Given Salt’s performance as a stand-in player in 2023, it was a surprise to see him let go from performing a similar role in 2024.

Why was Phil Salt not bought at the auction?

Salt served the auctioneers a reminder of his talent in the days leading up to the auction, scoring his first T20I hundred in England’s successful chase against West Indies at Grenada. Three days later, and only hours after being unsold at the auction, he struck his second in another England win as the tourists compiled their highest ever T20I score. Memories of Salt scoring big runs were fresh in the mind at the auction, but that performance at Grenada has hardly been the norm for Salt in T20 cricket this year. As encouraging as his IPL performance was and as devastating as his recent England form has been, in between it has been a relatively quiet year for Salt.

He averaged less than 23 over 22 games across the T20 Blast and The Hundred this English summer, hardly numbers that inspire interest from IPL franchises. Competition for spots as an overseas opener, even as a back-up squad member, is fierce; Salt did not put forward an unanswerable case for inclusion.

There are also the auction dynamics to consider. IPL auctions, particularly mini-auctions, are weird beasts. Players are recruited and subsequently valued not because of their relative on-field worth, but due to the needs of individual franchises come the mini-auction. Quite simply, overseas openers were not in demand. Only Rachin Ravindra and Travis Head – both of whom enjoyed outstanding World Cups in India in 2023 – were picked up in that category and even then, given the respective squad balances at their franchises Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, neither will necessarily play starring roles from the outset in the 2024 IPL.

Salt may also miss the tailend of the IPL on England duty, with a T20I series against Pakistan scheduled to clash with the playoffs.

In summary, Salt has had some eye-catching highs in 2023 but also some lengthy periods without significant scores. He was unfortunate to be let go by Delhi leading up to the auction but given the lack of demand for overseas openers in the auction itself, it was no surprise to see him go unsold once he was entered into it.