It was something that surprised the cricket fans, but not the men who matter, including some of the former Sri Lankan players like Arjuna Ranatunga and Sanath Jayasuriya. While players from countries like Australia, South Africa and New Zealand attracted handsome bids in the IPL 2014 Player Auctions, but franchises didnt even shwoed intrest on Srilanka players. The only current player who was bought was Thisara Perera, by the Kings XI Punjab for INR 1.6 Crore. Muralitharan, from among the retired players, was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, while Lasith Malinga was retained by the Mumbai Indians.
The reasons are Kumar Sangakkara had already opted out of the tournament in view of the upcoming England tour, saying that he wanted to prepare and be in the right form for the series as the England tour starts in May. This could be a reason for Mahela Jayawardene not getting any buyers, too.
The players like Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara among other names may not have been in the consideration list for the same reason. If chosen, these players would have taken important roles in the line-up, and it would greatly affect the team combination and rhythm when they would leave for England halfway, which explains the reluctance on the part of the franchisees to go after them.
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