The IPL 2016, which is set to start on 9 April, will witness some huge names, including New Zealand players, go under the hammer on 6 February in Bengaluru. New Zealand players such as Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, who are expected to be bought by IPL franchises for huge money, are said to have registered for the IPL auction.
Grant Elliott, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell and Nathan McCullum are also expected to be part of the auction, while some big names like Ross Taylor will not participate in the IPL auction.
Along with Taylor, players such as Matt Henry and Luke Ronchi are also expected to give 2016 IPL a miss as they could ply their trade in England's county cricket, reported stuff.co.nz. Cricket fans will miss Taylor, who is known for his massive hits and is a favourite of the crowd for his six hitting skills.
However, New Zealand cricket fans should not be too disappointed as well with in-form New Zealand cricketers, Guptill and Munro expected to be two of the major stars in the IPL auction with IPL teams keen on good strikers of the ball. The duo's case has been further strengthened with their recent performances.
Guptill has been one of New Zealand's most consistent batsmen in the T20 format as he has scores of 33, 42, 60, 58 and 63 in his last five T20I matches. While Munro, who is an aggressive batsman, might have grabbed attention at the right time as he scored a 16-ball 50 against Sri Lanka last Sunday, which IPL franchises must have surely taken note of.
With such stats against their names, it will not be surprising if IPL franchises have already added Monro and Guptill to their wishlist, which could lead to a fierce bidding war. It is quality aggressive cricketers, who can change the face of the game in a matter of overs, that are always in demand during the IPL auction.
Southee could also fetch decent money as he is a quality fast bowler, who can run through teams as well.
All eight participating teams in the 2016 IPL auction will come with their homework well done and try to get not only the best players for whopping sums of money, but also use their money wisely and have a great squad.
