Australia's ODI World Cup champions enter 2024 IPL auction at highest base price

The auction in Dubai on December 19 will see ten franchises seeking to fill a combined total of 77 slots.

Will the 2024 IPL player auction see substantial bids for cricketers like Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc?

A total of 25 players, including seven members of Australia's ODI World Cup-winning squad (Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steven Smith, Josh Inglis, and Sean Abbott), are set to participate in the 2024 IPL player auction with a base price of INR 2 crore (USD 240,000 approximately). The auction, scheduled for December 19 in Dubai, marks the first instance of it being held outside India.

Rachin Ravindra, the New Zealand batting allrounder, who showcased a commendable performance in the World Cup with 578 runs at a strike rate of 106 and five wickets, has set his base price at INR 50 lakhs (USD 60,000 approximately).

Noteworthy players in the highest base price category also include Gerald Coetzee, the fast bowler and South Africa's leading wicket-taker in the World Cup, and England batter Harry Brook, who was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Additionally, Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, and Kedar Jadhav are among those listed with a significant base price.

The ten franchises participating in the auction have a collective 77 slots to fill, with a provision for 30 of these slots to be filled by overseas players. Notably, players like Starc, Head, and Ravindra, who demonstrated impressive skillsets and performances in the recent ODI World Cup, are expected to generate intense bidding wars among the franchises.

Starc, absent from the IPL for the past eight years since his last appearance in the 2015 season with RCB, is poised to make a return. Although he was acquired by KKR for INR 9.4 crore in the 2018 auction, an unfortunate injury prevented him from participating in that season. This time around, Starc is eager to use the IPL as a valuable preparation opportunity for the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup in June.

Travis Head, named the Player of the Match in both the semi-finals and finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup, is another player gaining attention. Having been part of RCB in 2017, where he played ten games over two seasons, scoring 205 runs at a strike rate of 138.51, Head is set to make a potential IPL comeback after a hiatus since 2017.

On Friday, the IPL provided franchises with an extensive list of 1166 registered players for the auction. The final pool will shrink considerably as teams submit the names of players they are interested in. The initial list includes 45 players from Associate nations, 909 uncapped players (812 of them Indian), and 18 capped Indian players.

Players like Harshal, Wanindu Hasaranga, Brook, Thakur, and uncapped Indian batter Shahrukh Khan are likely to attract strong interest from multiple franchises. Harshal and Hasaranga, both bought for 10.75 crores, were released by Royal Challengers due to subpar performances at M Chinnaswamy stadium, their home base.

Brook, previously acquired by Sunrisers for INR 13.25 crore, became the franchise's costliest overseas purchase at a mini auction. However, his impact was limited, prompting Sunrisers to reconsider their investment.

Thakur, traded for 10.75 crores from Delhi Capitals before the 2023 auction, struggled with just seven wickets in 10 matches and a high economy rate. He also faltered with the bat, scoring 113 runs in 10 innings.

Shahrukh, making his IPL debut in 2021 with Punjab, was released ahead of the mega auction but bought back for 9 crores. Despite just one Player-of-the-Match award, he has set a base price at 40 lakhs, hoping for interest from his hometown franchise, Chennai Super Kings.

Players with a base price of INR 2 crore include Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, Kedar Jadhav, and others. Those with a base price of INR 1.5 crore include Mohammad Nabi, Chris Lynn, and Wanindu Hasaranga, while players like Ashton Agar, Riley Meredith, and Kyle Jamieson have a base price of INR 1 crore.

Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, and Rao Iftikhar have been enlisted to support chief selector Wahab Riaz

Although Akmal and Anjum have experience in selection positions, this marks Salman Butt's inaugural role with the PCB since his return from a ban following the 2010 spot-fixing scandal.

The PCB has appointed former international cricketers Kamran Akmal, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, and Salman Butt as consultant members to assist chief selector Wahab Riaz. They will commence their roles on the selection panel immediately, and their first task will be contributing to the selection process for Pakistan's five-match T20I series against New Zealand starting on January 12, following the Test tour to Australia.

The PCB mentioned that when not involved in selection duties, the trio may be assigned additional responsibilities such as organizing skill camps. While both Akmal and Anjum have prior experience in selection roles, it's worth noting that Akmal, who retired from all forms of cricket in February after representing Pakistan in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is for 15 years, had been appointed as the chair of PCB's Junior Selection committee earlier this year. Additionally, he took on the role of chairing an eight-member selection committee responsible for conducting trials for Under-13, Under-16, and Under-19 categories to form regional and district teams.

Anjum, who played one Test, 62 ODIs, and two T20Is for Pakistan, previously served on a committee alongside Shahid Afridi when he was named interim chief selector of the Pakistan men's national team alongside Abdul Razzaq last year. On the other hand, Salman Butt, the former captain, is taking on an official role with the PCB for the first time since his return from a lengthy ban related to the spot-fixing scandal in 2010. He played 33 Tests, 78 ODIs, and 24 T20Is and captained the team when the ban was imposed. Despite not returning to Pakistan colors, Butt continued to play first-class cricket and received a commentator's job offer from the PCB in 2020.

The appointments, particularly Butt's, might raise concerns given his past ban. Both Wahab and Akmal were associated with questioning around the 2010 episode, with Akmal receiving an ICC notice after the T20 World Cup in 2010. Wahab, questioned by Scotland Yard at the time, was not charged with any offense. Wahab recently assumed the role of chief selector after Inzamam-ul-Haq's resignation amid conflict-of-interest allegations. However, the PCB clarified that the appointed consultants, including Butt, would not have independent decision-making powers but would assist the chief selector by providing recommendations and feedback, particularly in identifying top-performing talent in domestic cricket.

Additionally, Mohammad Hafeez was appointed as team director and will also serve as Pakistan's head coach in Australia and New Zealand. The squad for the upcoming Test series in Australia was finalized on November 20, with Shan Masood set to captain the team following Babar Azam's resignation from the captaincy across all formats last month.