IPL Auction: Sam Curran, Ben Stokes, Cameron Green in spotlight as 405 cricketers go under the hammer | Cricket News

KOCHI: It’s time again for the 10 IPL franchises to shell out some serious money to bolster their squads ahead of the next season. The IPL mini-auctions are here and this time the venue is a non-IPL centre, Kochi.
Unlike last year’s mega auctions, this is a smaller affair with only 87 slots to be filled from a list of 405 cricketers. The 10 franchises are left with Rs 206.5 crore to fill up the vacant slots, which means a tightrope walk at the auction table.

Kolkata Knight Riders have the lowest purse of Rs 7.05 crore but they have 11 slots to fill, including three overseas players. Sunrisers Hyderabad in all probability will be the biggest movers at this year’s auction as they have the largest purse (available balance Rs 42.25 crore) and largest number of slots (14) to fill.
The smaller purse, however, won’t dampen the intensity of the bidding as some top players have made themselves available for this year’s IPL. With at least some franchises hoping to rejig their squads, there will be close competition to buy the top cricketers.
The Englishmen, who emerged as T20 world champions last month, will be the most sought-after players on Friday. Allrounders Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, promising young batsman Harry Brook and wily leg-spinner Adil Rashid have all pencilled in their names.

Intense bidding for allrounders expected
The most intense bidding is expected in the ‘allrounders’ category. Franchises have their eyes set on the likes of Stokes, Curran, Australia’s Cameron Green and New Zealand’s Jimmy Neesham, all with a base price of Rs 2 crore. Those with a lesser purse may settle for the likes of Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan (1.5 crore) and Zimbabwe’s Sikander Raza (50 lakh).
Among batters, England’s Brook (base price 1.5 crore), who played a stellar role in England’s conquest of Pakistan in the ODI and Test series, will be in high demand. Though not a typical T20 batsman, Kane Williamson (2 crore), who was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, is a proven customer in the format and his experience of leading the Black Caps will make him an obvious choice for franchises who are looking for a new captain.
Travis Head has transformed himself into an explosive batsman for Australia in all formats and his big-hitting ability may see him in high demand.
In the bowlers’ list, leg-spinners Adil Rashid (2 crore) and Australia’s Adam Zampa (1.5 crore) will be on top of the bucket list. Among pacers, two left-arm seamers in Recce Topley (75 lakh) and Australia’s Jhye Richardson (2 crore) may trigger a bidding war.

Mayank leads list of Indian cricketers
Mayank Agarwal (1 crore), released by the Punjab Kings management, is expected to lead the list of Indian cricketers who will be on the priority list of franchises.
What will be interesting to watch is the extent to which some franchises will go to buy talented uncapped Indian cricketers like Naryan Jagadeesan (Tamil Nadu), Yash Thakur (Vidarbha), Samrath Vyas (Saurashtra), Rohan Kunnummal (Kerala), Mukesh Kumar and Ishan Porel (Bengal).