IPL teams set to splurge Rs 143 crore at player auction today

Moneycontrol Bureau
The eight Indian Premier League franchises will have Rs 143.3 crore to spend between them as the player auction gets underway in Bengaluru on Monday. 

English players are expected to be the flavour of the auction, with all-rounder Ben Stokes set to get top billing. The New Zealand-born player has set the highest base price of Rs 2 crore along with his teammates Chris Woakes and Eoin Morgan. The others in the Rs 2 crore club are Australian pacers Mitchell Johnson and Pat Cummins, and Sri Lankan captain and all-rounder Angelo Mathews.Fast bowler Ishant Sharma has also set the same base price, and is the only Indian for whom the bidding will start at more than Rs 1 crore.

In all, 351 players will go under the hammer and a maximum of 76 players, including 28 overseas, can be bought at the auction.

If recent auctions are anything to go by, then only a few players will attract heavy bids as teams primarily look to plug holes in their already established line-ups. As always, high-quality all-rounders will be the most in demand.

Kings XI Punjab, who finished last in the 2016 edition of the IPL, have the most to spend with Rs 23.35 crore in their kitty, while Mumbai Indians have the least spending power at just Rs 11.55 crore.

At last year’s auction, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson fetched the highest price as Royal Challengers Bangalore paid Rs 9 crore for his services, while uncapped Indian Pawan Negi was the highest-rated Indian with Delhi Daredevils bagging him for Rs 8.5 crore.

Players with low base prices could get top billing just like last year when Negi was picked up for 28 times his base price of just Rs 30 lakh.

Again, English players could be in demand with pacers Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills expected to fetch much more than their bases prices of Rs 50 lakh each. New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme should also get more than his base price of Rs 30 lakh.English players have had limited participation in the IPL since it started in 2008, mostly because it coincided with their international schedules. This year, too, they may have to leave early to prepare for England’s series against South Africa.While there no Pakistani players up for grabs, six players from the Associate nations, including five from Afghanistan and one from UAE will go under the hammer.