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One of the best parts of the IPL auction is seeing which players attract the biggest price tags. Players are able to set their own reserve prices—with the highest being INR 2 Crore, and the lowest INR 50 lakh—however, when two or more franchises set their sights on the same player, often salaries can get blown out of proportion.
Here are some players we expected could entice a bidding frenzy at the IPL auction on December 23rd:
Ben Stokes
The current English Test captain is hot property at the moment, and the talk of the town when it comes to Test cricket. Even though his batting may not be in the best form at the moment, all this fades into irrelevancy when you consider what Ben Stokes brings to the table – proven performance under pressure, time and time again, captaincy, the aura of a winning team, all-rounder ability, and star-value. Any one of these make Stokes an attractive option—together, they make him a potentially record-breaking auction candidate.
Sam Curran
Another English all-rounder, Sam Curran proved himself to the world yet again at the 2022 T20 World Cup. Curran was arguably the most clinical bowler at the death, delivering both wickets and an incredible economy rate that ultimately led his nation to World Cup glory just months ago. Add to this his pinch-hitting ability at the death where he can seemingly send balls over the ropes at will, and Curran is a player many IPL franchises will have their eyes on heading into this auction. With a base of INR 2 Crore, Curran could easily go for five times that figure.
Cameron Green
Big hitting Australian Cameron Green may have had a quiet December so far, but it’s no fault of his own. The batting all-rounder is nestled behind Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the Australian Test batting line up, meaning that his services—alongside the majority of the rest of his fellow batsmen—have not been required recently. However prior to this, Green showed a flash of what he’s capable of, scoring two half centuries at a strike rate of 214.54 in India. IPL teams are always after versatile batsmen who can float up and down the order with high strike rates, and there’s a good chance Green could be viewed in that light.
Mayank Agarwal
Over the past two seasons, Agarwal has had the third highest strike rate of openers in the IPL, behind only Jos Buttler and Prithvi Shaw. He accrued 1026 runs at a strike rate of 144.50 from his 31 innings, averaging 34.20. Consistency and striking power like this is worth its weight in gold in the IPL. Considering that Agarwal is an Indian batsman and won’t eat into a team’s overseas player allocation, he’ll be hot property for IPL franchises looking to bolster their top orders. While he’s recently had a dip in form in the domestic circuit, several teams are looking to strengthen their opening partnerships, and Agarwal will most likely find a home at a healthy price this season.
Harry Brook
It speaks to the health of English cricket that three of the five players to watch this IPL auction come from the country. Brook recently became the fastest ever English Test batsman to reach three Test centuries, passing the milestone in just six innings—an achievement that could have likely occurred much sooner, had he not been so selfless in earlier innings. The 23-year-old is quickly looking like the next big thing in cricket, and if his Test strike rate is anything to go by, he’ll attract big money and fit right into the IPL this season.
Tune in on Friday the 23rd of December from 9:00 AM GMT to see how all of the bidding unfolds.
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