Australian stars set for IPL mega-auction

Now that the date for the mega-auction of the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) is announced, Australia’s stars are looking forward to reaping the rewards of the auction which will be held in Bangalore on January 27 and 28. With a new broadcast rights deal worth $AUD 3.2 billion and a salary cap increase of 20 percent, the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David Warner can all expect handsome salaries if they are available.

England’s Ben Stokes was sold for Rs. 14.5 crores last year to become the leagues’ highest-paid overseas player. Figures like those will be a common sight if franchises now able to shell out a maximum of around Rs. 80 crores on their squads – ten times the Big Bash League cap, as reported by Cricket Australia.

The international calendar isn’t as cramped as usual in 2018, meaning more Australians may be tempted to play in India’s Twenty20 gala during their official leave period. Mitch Marsh will be among the few to forgo the IPL riches instead opting for county cricket for Surrey.

Starc has not played in the past two IPL edition but is expected to enter the auction. The left-armer, widely regarded as one of the best white-ball bowlers in the world, could potentially earn three times the $973,000 he was bought for by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014.

Hazlewood has skipped the past three editions of the IPL but he too is understood to be mulling a potential return, with several clubs having already expressed an interest. Cummins is likely to return. Smith, who is on the hunt for a new home after Rising Pune Supergiant’s axing can be retained by the Rajasthan Royals, and Warner who captained the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last three seasons.

“More than the money, I believe the best thing the IPL offers me – and any other player for that matter – is the ability to learn on the job in high-pressure situations. The money is excellent … (but) the players involved earn every cent.” Smith wrote in his recently-released biography The Journey.

The increased salary cap is also likely to present opportunities for standout players from the Big Bash League, with 21 Australians taking part in IPL 2017.

“It’d be huge, everyone wants to play in the IPL,” Perth Scorchers and Australia T20 quick Jason Behrendorff said recently. You chat to all the guys in the Big Bash who have done it or are aspiring to do it and they say how great a competition it is, how much fun it is, the people they get to meet and the crowds they play in front of. It’s an experience I’d love to have. You never know.”