As India and England take a long break before the third Test, all focus now shifts to the IPL auction that’s slated to take place on 18 February in Chennai.
The eight franchises made a few big releases during the off-season while some players put in solid performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to bolster their hopes for a good contract in the upcoming season of the IPL.
Currently, the most expensive player’s tag belongs to Australian Pat Cummins (INR 15.5 Cr), for whom the two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders broke the bank. Will that bid be topped going into the 2021 season?
The Auction will begin from 3pm onwards with teams being allowed to a maximum of 25 players on their roster. A total of 1097 players have signed up for the IPL and eventually 61 players can find new teams at the auction.
Who are the players who are likely to attract the most attention in Chennai on 18 February? Will it be a senior pro like Steve Smith or Glenn Maxwell or will a Kyle Jamieson make his presence felt or will Sreesanth grab the headlines on comeback?
Shakib Al Hasan
Bangladesh’s star all-rounder is back from suspension and along expected lines has signed up for the IPL again. His last stint saw him turn out for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2019.
There is no doubting that Shakib adds an extra dimension to a team in all the departments and is considered to be one of the best all-rounders in world cricket.
With a strike rate in excess of 100 with the bat and 59 wickets in 63 games, Shakib is likely to attract a few bids from those who have the purse to spend. One could see the likes of Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore to probably fight it out for the ace all-rounder.
Glenn Maxwell
An Australian who is brilliant on his day and can be quite pedestrian on another. While he has mostly flattered to deceive his abilities are there for all to see. Only recently after the IPL in UAE, where he was not in good touch, he helped demolish India in Australia in the white ball games.
Maxwell, last season, said what has not sat well with him is the constant change in roles with the KXIP side as opposed to what he is used to for Australia. He smashed 194 runs in the ODI series against India, striking at 194.18. In the T20I series, Maxwell only batted for 54 balls to score 78 runs, at 150.00.
It’s tough to bet against ability of that kind, especially when the player is a terrific fielder and a fairly decent bowler. But which Glenn Maxwell will turn up in the IPL is anyone’s guess, as is his eventual destination in the tournament.
Dawid Malan
The England batsman has been in fine form recently and will also be in tune with Indian conditions ahead of the IPL as England complete their tour of India with five T20s and 3 ODIs. The World No.1 T20 batsman has listed his base price at Rs 1.5 crore.
While his recent form in the BBL is a little patchy, the flamboyant left hander has a total of 6 T20 centuries in a total of 242 games, 1 for England and 5 otherwise, which goes to show he quite enjoys the format. In 19 T20I innings, Dawid Malan has scored 850 runs at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 150.
Given his form over the last year or so, it is very likely that the southpaw will attract a few bids and his England captain Eoin Morgan might just be mighty interested at KKR.
Kyle Jamieson
The New Zealand fast bowler may just well be one of the most sought after players at the auction this year. In his first year in international cricket, he has caught the eye of plenty of experts and NZ’s former players, who are coaches in the IPL, and that’s not because he stands at 6’8.
Jamieson troubled India’s big names with the red ball first and then caused a fair bit of discomfort to the West Indies and Pakistan sides in recent months.
While his height definitely gives him the sharp bounce that will make it tough to get away, he can swing it both ways too, making things a tad bit more tougher for the batsmen.
Brendon McCullum, Shane Bond, Gary Stead and Mike Hesson have all spoken very highly of him in the months leading up to the auction.
In all T20 cricket, he holds the record for the fifth-best figures, having claimed 6 for 7 for Canterbury Kings against Auckland Aces in January 2019. All in all, he has taken 54 wickets in 38 T20s at an average of 20.59 and economy rate of 7.98.
The 26-year-old will definitely attract a fair amount of interest on 18 February!
Chris Morris
The South African pacer has been one of the most effective bowling all-rounders in the IPL but has faced issues due to injury. His last stint saw the Royal Challengers Bangalore cough up a fair amount for which he responded with 11 wickets in the season at an excellent average and economy rate of 19.09 and 6.63 respectively.
With plenty of experience in the bag and a fairly good record of more than 300 wickets in all T20s, Morris will undoubtedly be a very good addition to any bowling line-up.
While he may not command the bids like Pat Cummins did, there is likely to be a good battle to land his signature for this season.
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