Two Australian cricketers -- white-ball specialist Mitchell Marsh and opener David Warner -- could start a bidding war in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Mega Auction, which could lead to some unprecedented sums being pocketed by the two players over the weekend.
The logic behind several IPL franchises, including the two new inductees -- Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants -- to go for them is simple: Their performance in the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE last year.
Warner, despite his patchy form for SunRisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2021, was a different cricketer altogether for his country, playing a huge role in Australia winning its maiden ICC T20 World Cup title, along with team-mate Marsh.
A report in the australian.com.au said that several IPL franchises had "checked in with their contacts in Australia about Marsh -- man-of-the-match in the (ICC T20) World Cup final (in UAE) and the title winning star for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash (League)."
On the other hand, Warner, who is a free agent after being let go of by SRH following his below-par showing in both the India and UAE legs of IPL 2021, along with Test skipper Pat Cummins, is only one of 10 marquee stars up for grabs in the auction.
History also suggests that when there is a bidding war for the Australians, it goes the distance. Ahead of the IPL 2020 auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) emptied their pocket to buy Cummins for a mind-boggling sum of Rs 15.5 crore, as the quick emerged the third highest money grosser from an IPL auction in the history of the tournament.
Only South African all-rounder Chris Morris (bought by Rajasthan Royals in 2021 for 16.25 crore) and India's Yuvraj Singh (bought by DC for Rs 16 crore in the 2015 auction) have earned more the Cummins so far and chances are the bidding war between Marsh and Warner could reset auction records.
ICC T20 World Cup performance
Australian interim coach and long-time IPL coach Andrew McDonald was quoted as saying in the report that franchises will get attracted to the stars they watched win the ICC T20 World Cup against all odds in November last year.
"It's great to see Australian players at times headlining the IPL's big contracts, it's a great opportunity for them and they deserve what they get... I'd like to think we'd have a fair contingent there and that it will be a reward for the team's success from the World Cup.
Australian cricketers will make up the greatest overseas portion in the two-day Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, scheduled to commence later in the day in Bengaluru, with the likes of Test captain Pat Cummins, left-handed opener David Warner, top-order batter Steve Smith, limited-overs specialist Mitch Marsh and pace bowler Josh Hazlewood among those in the 47-strong Aussie list, which will vie for a big lucrative-league purse.
A total of 590 cricketers are up for grabs, and of those, a mind-boggling 228 are capped players, while the Australians make up the biggest overseas portion with 47 enlisted players.
Australians have traditionally done well in the IPL auctions, with the likes of white-ball specialist Glenn Maxwell, pace bowler Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith earning in millions in 2021. While this year, only Maxwell is the only Australian to have been retained by his franchise -- Royal Challengers Bangalore -- several other hotshot Aussie players, following their ICC T20 World Cup title triumph in the UAE and the recent Ashes success, are likely to make big money over the weekend.
Two-day IPL Auction
Which means Cummis, who led Australia in the Ashes after Tim Paine stepped down, and Mitch Marsh, one of the heroes of the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE, could be hot properties, along with former Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper David Warner, who too has done exceedingly well in the T20 World Cup and the Ashes.
Marcus Stoinis, meanwhile, has already been was snapped up by new IPL franchise, Lucknow Super Giants, for a reported two million dollars.
But while several Australians will land huge deals, there will be many who will go unsold, as the trend last year showed. According to foxsports.com.au, only eight Australians were bought at the auction while 27 went unsold in 2021, with the eight being purchased for a combined total of 9.4 million dollars.
But with two new franchises added this year, it could be bumper harvest for the cricketers from Down Under.
Players listed on base price:
Rs 200 lakh: Pat Cummins, David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ashton Agar.
Rs 150 lakh: Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn, Usman Khawaja, Kane Richardson.
Rs 100 lakh: Marnus Labuschagne, Daniel Sams, Andrew Tye, Moises Henriques, Riley Meredith, James Faulkner, D'Arcy Short, Josh Philippe.
Rs 75 lakh: Nathan Ellis, Jason Behrendorff, Sean Abbott, Billy Stanlake, Ben Cutting.
Rs 50 lakh: Ben McDermott, Kurtis Patterson, Wes Agar, Jack Wildermuth, Joel Paris, Hilton Cartwright.
Rs 40 lakh: Tim David, Chris Green.
Rs 30 lakh: Ben Dwarshuis, Matt Kelly.
Rs 20 lakh: Hayden Kerr, Tanveer Sangha, Alex Ross, Jake Weatherald, Nathan McAndrew, Tom Rogers, Liam Guthrie, Liam Hatcher, Jason Sangha, Matt Short, Aidan Cahill.
Franchisee, Salary Cap left for the 2022 player auction (in Rs. crore, No. of open player slots, No. of open overseas player slots)
1. Chennai Super Kings: (Rs 48 crore, 21 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots).
2. Delhi Capitals (Rs 47.5 crore, 21 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots).
3. Kolkata Knight Riders (Rs 48 crore, 21 Open Player Slots, 6 Overseas Player Slots)
4. Lucknow Super Giants (Rs 59 crore, 22 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots).
5. Mumbai Indians (Rs 48 crore, 21 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots).
6. Punjab Kings (Rs 72 crore, 23 Open Player Slots, 8 Overseas Player Slots).
7. Rajasthan Royals (Rs 62 crore, 22 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots)
8. Royal Challengers Bangalore (Rs 57 crore, 22 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots)
9. Sunrisers Hyderabad (Rs 68 crore, 22 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots).
10. Gujarat Titans (Rs 52 crore, 22 Open Player Slots, 7 Overseas Player Slots).
(With inputs from IANS)
