The Indian Premier League mini-auction is set to take place on Tuesday in Chennai and the franchises will go toe to toe for top-notch cricketers.
This time 292 cricketers are set to go under the hammer for the 2021 edition of the tournament. A total of 164 Indian players, 125 overseas players, and 3 players from associate nations will be up for grabs in the mini-auction.
Before the auction, IPL teams have changed their squads and released players to raise their available balance.
Kings XI Punjab have the highest balance (53.2 cr) to spend in the auction while Chennai Super Kings (19.9 cr), Delhi Capitals (13.4 cr), Kolkata Knight Riders (10.75 cr), Mumbai Indians (15.35 cr) and SunRisers Hyderabad (10.75 cr) have limited budgets to add new faces to their squads.
Big Names Up For Grabs
Glenn Maxwell (Base Price Rs 2 cr)
Kings XI Punjab released Maxwell from their squad after his poor form in the IPL 2020. He managed to accumulate just 108 runs off 13 games. The all-rounder also failed to hit a single six for the first time in his eight-season IPL career. Maxwell, ranked third in the ICC T20I All-Rounder Rankings, would see huge engagement from the sides to get him in their squad after he returned to form in the Big Bash League.
Steve Smith (Base price: Rs 2 crore)
Rajasthan Royals’ decision to release their captain Steve Smith came as a surprise and Smith – considered to be one of the best batsmen in the world – is the highest-profile name in Thursday’s auction list. While Smith scored three half-centuries in the 2020 season, he couldn’t lead his team to the playoffs, but he still remains a huge asset with the bat and will be a great top-order addition to whichever franchise that picks him up.
Moeen Ali (Base Price Rs 2 cr)
Another spin all-rounder who has the potential to shine in these conditions is England’s Moeen Ali. He was part of the RCB squad in the 2020 edition and played three matches for the side in which he got three scalps. His recent form in Test cricket is an example of the talent that he has. He bagged eight wickets in the second Test against India in Chennai. He has played 140 limited-overs games for England.
Harbhajan Singh (Base Price Rs 2 Cr)
Harbhajan Singh was among the players released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Harbhajan did not take part in the 2020 edition of the tournament, citing personal reasons. Given the experience that Harbhajan possesses, he is likely to attract a good bid in the auction. Harbhajan has played 160 matches in the IPL and has picked 150 wickets. INR 2 crore is the highest reserve price and Harbhajan has chosen to be slotted in the highest bracket.
Dawid Malan (Base Price INR 1.5 cr)
Not many times it would have happed that a batsman who is ranked number one in the shortest format of the game hasn’t yet featured in the cash-rich tournament. Dawid Malan, the England batsman will be on the watch list of many teams especially the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who are looking for a replacement for former Australian cricketer Shane Watson.
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