Around 292 cricketers are set to go under the hammer at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 auction in Chennai on Thursday (February 18) from 3pm onwards but there are certain batsmen who have already hogged the limelight and are going to be the centre for attraction as the eight teams look to splash money and fill their vacant slots.
Here we take a look at some of the cricketers who will be big attraction at the auction…
Dawid Malan (Base Price: Rs 1.5 cr)
It is not often that a batsman who is ranked No. 1 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 all-rounder Shane Watson.
Alex Hales (Base Price: Rs 1.5 cr)
A flamboyant right-handed batsman, he will bank upon his recent outing in the Big Bash League (BBL) which has also prompted former cricketers (including Michael Vaughan) to advocate for his inclusion in the England side for the T20 World Cup slated to be played in India later this year. Hales smashed 543 runs at a strike-rate of 161.60 in BBL and will be on the radar of the sides who are looking to make the most of the first six overs in the upcoming showpiece event.
Alex Carey (Base Price: Rs 1.5 cr)
It was unfortunate for the Australian wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey who had to warm the bench for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020 despite coming into the tournament on the back of a match-winning hundred against England in September last year. Carey whacked a 62-ball century against Brisbane Heat in the recently concluded BBL.
The classy left-hander has been released by Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction and will be on the watchlist of teams who wants to bolster their middle order.
Mohammed Azharuddeen (Base Price: Rs 20 Lakhs)
Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddeen hogged the limelight when he smashed a 37-ball century to guide his side to an eight-wicket victory over Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match in January. A wicket-keeper batsman Azharuddeen can be key to any IPL franchise considering the base price he has been set on.
With his ability to score some quick runs at the top the opening batsman can expect teams bidding for him in the auction on Thursday.
Shahrukh Khan (Base Price: Rs 20 lakhs)
Tamil Nadu’s swashbuckling batsman Shahrukh Khan might have smashed a customary 18 runs off seven balls in the finals of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy but he played a key role when the side was struggling to even qualify for the semi-finals. Shahrukh slammed 40 runs in 19 balls to rescue Tamil Nadu against Himachal Pradesh in the quarter-finals as the Dinesh Karthik-led side chased down the target with 13 balls to spare.
Sharukh could well be on the CSK watchlist considering the yellow army had a poor show with the bat in the last year’s edition.
(with ANI inputs)
