Aussie trio tipped to attract big bids at IPL auction

Australia’s Mitchell Starc, Travis Head and Pat Cummins are expected to attract big bids from Indian Premier League franchises on Tuesday evening, when the 2024 auction takes place in Dubai.

Fresh off a commanding victory in the first NRMA Insurance Test against Pakistan in Perth, the trio are among the most sought-after overseas players available in this year’s event.

Having previously attracted sizeable bids of $A888,000 in 2014 and A$1.8m in 2018 (a season he missed through injury), Starc has not played an IPL match for eight years and is tipped to be valued highly at the ‘mini auction’, which sees decidedly fewer players up for sale compared with the ‘mega auction’ set for 2025.

Several Aussie white-ball stars, such as Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis, have all been retained by their franchises for the 2024 season, and won’t feature when paddles are waved from 1pm Indian Standard Time on Tuesday (6.30pm AEDT).

But for left-arm star Starc, who will turn 34 next month, hopes will be high a bidding war ensues between the franchises to ensure a multi-million-dollar contract at the back end of his career.

Australian fast bowlers have traditionally attracted big bids at IPL auctions, with Cummins (A$3.16m in 2020) and Jhye Richardson (A$2.48m in 2021) commanding two of the four highest bids ever for Aussies in the IPL.

IPL's most expensive Australian buys

 

Cameron Green: A$3.15m (17.5 crore) Mumbai Indians, 2022

 

Pat Cummins: A$3.16m (15.5 crore) Kolkata Knight Riders, 2020

 

Glenn Maxwell: A$2.52m (14.25 crore) RCB, 2021

 

Jhye Richardson: AA$2.48m (14 crore) Punjab Kings, 2021

 

Steve Smith: A$2.3m (12 crore) Rajasthan Royals 2018

 

David Warner: A$2.3m (12 crore) Sunrisers Hyderabad. 2018

 

*AUD conversions correct at time of auction

Cummins is set to return to the world's foremost domestic T20 league after pulling out of this year’s competition with Kolkata Knight Riders, citing a heavy workload that included an India Test tour, World Test Championship final, the Ashes and an ODI World Cup.

Last month the Test and ODI captain said next year’s tournament will come as ideal preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup, forecast to commence only days after the IPL final.

"I feel like I haven’t played a heap of T20 cricket and in some ways I feel like I haven’t played my best T20 cricket for a little while," he said.

"I'm really excited, I'm probably going to go into the IPL auction for next year to try to get some games before that World Cup and push a case to not only make the side but get back to how I feel like I can bowl in T20 cricket."

While T20 World Cup winners Starc and Cummins and largely known quantities in the format, Head presents as perhaps the most interesting prospect ahead of the auction.

The left-hander’s stock could hardly be higher at present, having propelled Australia to World Test Championship and World Cup final glory in 2023, winning player of the match honours in both.

Notably, both these performances came against India.

Head has previously been part of two IPL franchises; the Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in 2015 when he did not play a game, and Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016 and 2017, where by his own admission he struggled for fluency (205 runs at 29.29) in a star-studded side featuring Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.

“I’d really like to experience it (again),” Head recently told the Unplayable Podcast.

“I did it when I was a little bit younger, and I would like to have done it a lot differently.

“As a 21, 22-year-old at Bangalore with a few rockstars, I probably didn’t do it as well as I would’ve like to have done.

“To have another crack at that, in a different mindset and I guess being a lot older, it’s something I would like to have a crack at again.”

Six of Australia's World Cup-winning XI are all up for auction on Tuesday evening, with Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis (plus Sean Abbott) all registering for the highest base price of INR 2 crore (A$360,000).

Australians retained for IPL 2024

 

Delhi Capitals: Mitch Marsh ($1.2m), David Warner ($1.16m)

 

Gujarat Titans: Matthew Wade (446,000)

 

Lucknow Super Giants: Marcus Stoinis ($1.7m)

 

Mumbai Indians: Tim David ($1.53m), Jason Behrendorff ($135,000)

 

Punjab Kings: Nathan Ellis ($135,000)

 

Rajasthan Royals: Adam Zampa ($270,000)

 

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Cameron Green ($3.15m), Glenn Maxwell ($2m)

In addition to those seven, a further 14 Aussies have put their hand up for the auction at varying base prices, including exciting young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk at the lowest figure of 20 Lakh ($A36,000).

In total, 333 players (214 from India and 119 overseas) will go under the hammer, with just 77 available spots – up to 30 of which are allocated for overseas players.

Aussie fans won't have to wait long to see the World Cup winners up for grabs, either. Players are categorised into their role (batters, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spinners) and whether they are internationally capped or not.

The first set of players to be auctioned will be capped batters, with England's Harry Brook to commence proceedings before Head's name is called next, with Smith the sixth name up for grabs.

Cummins (ninth name called) will follow in the allrounders set, before Inglis (18th), Hazlewood (23rd) and Starc (28th).

Other notable players who have opted for the highest base price include Brook's England teammate Adil Rashid, South Africa's Rassie van der Dussen and Gerald Coetzee, India's Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav, and New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson.

Fellow Kiwi and breakout World Cup star Rachin Ravindra has a base price of just INR 50 lakh ($A90,000) and is expected to be snapped up.