Australia’s recent sixth ODI World Cup victory in India has raised the value of many of its cricketers with seven players, including skipper Pat Cummins and Travis Head, who reached legendary status with his match-winning century in the November 19 final in Ahmedabad, listing themselves for the costliest price tag of Rs 2 crore at the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 player auctions.

Besides the duo, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Sean Abbott have also made themselves available for the highest bracket.

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Afghanistan’s Mujeeb ur Rahman and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman are among the overall 23 players who will be available for a starting price of Rs 2 crore, including three Indians — Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Harshal Patel. Seven English players, including Harry Brook, are part of this list that also includes South African quick Gerald Coetzee.

Among teams, Kolkata Knight Riders are the side with most slots to fill (12) while Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lucknow Super Giants, and Sunrisers Hyderabad are the teams with the least spots available (six).

The Gujarat Titans have the highest salary cap available going into the auction, Rs 38.15 crore, with SRH (Rs 34 crore), Kolkata Knight Riders (Rs 32.7 crore) and CSK (Rs 31.4) next in the list of teams with the most money to spend in the auctions.

Expect the unexpected

Over the years, IPL auctions have thrown surprises, and a few could be expected on December 19 when a total of 333 player names go under the gavel for the 77 slots that are up for grabs among the 10 teams. The IPL Governing Council has released the final list of players for the event, in which 119 are overseas players, including one each from Namibia and the Netherlands.

All-rounders

New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra, arguably the find of the World Cup, has preferred to enter the auction at a price tag of Rs 50 lakh. Ravindra has had an impressive World Cup campaign, scoring 578 runs from 10 innings at an average of 64.22. Against an Indian attack on a helpful Dharamsala wicket, the youngster belted 75 runs. Given his all-round abilities, he could be expected to walk away with a fat pay cheque.

However, with the introduction of the Impact Player rule, the demand has somewhat decreased, but again expect the unexpected in an IPL auction. Besides Ravindra, there are a few more exciting names in the list including Daryll Mitchell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Gerald Coetzee and Azmatullah Omarzai, boasting of abilities to turn a match with both the bat and ball. Pat Cummins could also be a handy lower order bat, and could attract a lot of eyeballs. However, before splurging on someone, the franchises will also need to be mindful of the limited budget in the mini auction.

Batters – openers in demand

Australia’s Travis Head, who went unsold last season and England’s Harry Brook, released by the Sunrisers Hyderabad after a solitary season, placed themselves in the top bracket, and could be the top buys this season given their fiery batting potential at the top of the order. Manish Pandey and Karun Nair are among the Indian names in the list but it will be interesting if any franchise will invest a hefty sum on the duo.

Also in the list are West Indies’ Rovman Powell and South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw, along with Smith, but again, the first two could be a hit and miss and Smith’s strike rate in the recently-concluded T20I series against India, didn’t look much promising for him to fetch a hefty deal.

Bowling options

Pace bowlers have been the most sought-after options during auction, and this time with the likes of Cummins and Mitchell Starc throwing their hats in the middle, the Aussie duo could attract a lot of attention. Josh Hazlewood, Lockie Ferguson are also in the list, along with the Indians – Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat, who could also walk away with the big pay cheque.

The Afghanistan trio of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and Ibrahim Zadran could steal the show if franchises go for role-specific options. South Africans Tabraiz Shamsi and Rassie van de Dussen, New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell and Kyle Jamieson, Englishman David Willey and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman are also up for grabs.

Wicketkeepers

While most teams have their wicketkeeping options sorted, it is Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, who could be eyeing a keeper with power-hitting skills. As such, Josh Inglis stands a great chance to be roped in, but he will have competition from Phillip Salt, KS Bharat and Tristan Stubbs. It could also fetch a good bargain for Delhi and Kolkata given that the other franchises aren’t expected to go after the keepers and have their requirements at other departments.

Uncapped players

The recently-held Women’s Premier League (WPL) auction showed how two uncapped Indians fetched hefty sums, and this could be no different in the men’s auctions. Tamil Nadu all-rounder Shahrukh Khan, released by the Punjab Kings could top that list along with the likes of Raj Angad Bawa. Besides the duo, Kartik Tyagi, M Siddharth, Sameer Rizvi, Manav Suthar, Rasikh Dar, Dinesh Bana and G Ajitesh are some of the names that could attract the attention of the franchises, as they have fared well at the trials for various franchises.

The IPL 2024 Auction will start at 1 PM local time in Dubai (2:30 PM IST).