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Biggest drawcards at the IPL auction

Published on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 11:48 | Source : Moneycontrol.com

Updated at Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 12:32

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It's that time of the year again when purse string are loosened and the rich and the beautiful go shopping for cricketers. Sixty six players will go under the hammer in the auction for the third season of the Indian Premier League today.

Here is a list of the hottest picks this season:

Brad Haddin: The dashing Australian wicketkeeper-batsman will be one of the big picks for franchises.

Other Australian players: Doug Bollinger, Ashley Noffke, Adam Voges, Luke Pomersbach, Clint McKay, Graham Manou, Ben Laughlin, Jason Krejza, Damien Martyn.

Phillip Hughes: The explosive Australian opener may be out of national favour for now, but he would attract a lot of attention from the bidders.

Kieron Pollard: He blasted the likes of Brett Lee during the Champions League for Trinidad and Tobago. His explosive batting could well be the toast of this IPL season.

Other West Indies players: Ramnaresh Sarwan, Daren Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Wavell Hinds, Sulieman Benn.

Kemar Roach: He shot to fame by taking down Australian captain Ricky Ponting. His raw pace makes him a hot buy this season.

Eoin Morgan: The England middle-order batsman showcased his penchant for big-hitting during the South African tour. Is known for his T20 hitting.

Other England players: Tim Bresnan, Robert Key, Anthony McGrath, Monty Panesar, Mark Ramprakash, Jonathon Trott.

Graeme Swann: Fiery off-spinner and jovial on the field at the same time, Swann's demand will be high at the auction for the teams' need for slow bowlers and effective lower order batsmen.

Shahid Afridi: One of the biggest drawcards of the season, Shahid Afridi's well-known all-round skills will be highly sought after.

Other Pakistan players: Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Imran Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir.

Mohammad Aamer: A teenager with extreme pace, Mohammad Aamer has made waves in his short career so far and is a bright prospect.

Shane Bond: His retirement from Test cricket has not diminished his status as a premier fast bowler. It also makes sure he would be available for a large part of the season.

Other New Zealand players: Grant Elliott, Lou Vincent, Nathan McCullum.

Wayne Parnell: The young left-arm South African speedster is quickly rising to fame and is known for his limited overs skills.

Other South African players: Zander de Bruyn, Tyron Henderson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Rory Kleinveldt, Yusuf Abdulla, Vernon Philander, Johan van der Wath, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Morne van Vyk, Justin Kemp.

Shakib Al Hasan: He may be the only Bangladesh player in the auction, but he still is the world's No. 1 all-rounder.

Chanaka Welegedara: The tall Sri Lankan paceman has taken huge strides forward since his maiden tour to India and swings the ball at good pace.

Other Sri Lankan players: Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Zoysa, Upul Tharanga, Thissara Perera, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Chamara Silva.

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