5 overseas players who could have kept themselves at a higher base price for IPL 2024 Auction ft. Rachin Ravindra
We're less than a week away from the IPL 2024 Auction in Dubai on December 19, with the 10 franchises looking to complete their squads and plug whatever loopholes remain.
The list of players shortlisted for the same was announced on Monday, December 11, with 333 making the final cut. The split is such that 214 of them are Indians while the remaining 119 are overseas players, including two from Associate Nations.
A maximum of 77 players can be bought at the IPL 2024 Auction, including 30 overseas players. The 10 teams have a total of ₹ 262.95 crore to spend for these 77 players and there could be some groundbreaking deals in store on Tuesday.
While a host of top-drawer attractions such as Mitchell Starc, Travis Head, and Pat Cummins have set their base price at ₹2 crore, some others have chosen to play it safe instead even as they're expected to fetch a good deal.
Here, we take a look at five overseas names who could have placed themselves in a higher bracket for the IPL 2024 Auction:
#1 Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
After a breakout 2023 World Cup campaign, Rachin Ravindra is expected to be a hot property at the IPL 2024 Auction. The 23-year-old left-arm spinning all-rounder should make a good fit at most teams and the paddle out to go up multiple times on Tuesday.
Interestingly though, he has set his base price at just ₹50 lakh - the lowest bracket for a capped player. Given the potential demand for the prodigious cricketer, you'd think he could have priced himself at a higher bracket since a contract seems a formality.
Once the bidding starts in manic fashion though, it could just lead to psychological mind games between the franchise think tanks at the table and as a result, lead to a raise in the eventual sum that Ravindra will be bought for.
#2 Kusal Mendis (Sri Lanka)
Kusal Mendis has morphed into an aggressive match-winner at the top of the order for Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket. While he started the 2023 World Cup in blistering fashion with a half-century and a 65-ball ton, he tapered off as soon as he was handed the reins of captaincy.
Irrespective of that though, he could just prove to be a very shrewd pick at the IPL 2024 Auction given his ability to murder spin while also doubling up as a wicketkeeper.
Mendis has scored 211 runs at a strike rate of 158.64 in six T20Is this year, while his overall T20 strike rate for 2023 reads 139.74 after 22 outings. With this in mind, it is surprising to see his base price listed at ₹50 lakh with a couple of teams looking for an aggressive batter up top with his wicket-keeing adding an advantage.
It could be down to the fact that he hasn't fetched an IPL contract yet to date. But there's reason to believe that a deal could come his way at the IPL 2024 Auction.
#3 Alzarri Joseph (West Indies)
The record holder for the best bowling figures in IPL history, Alzarri Joseph was part of the Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022 and 2023. He has been released ahead of the IPL 2024 Auction though and should fetch attention from teams that require an overseas fast bowler.
Given his ability to clock high speeds and his ever-improving control, Joseph is the ideal middle-over enforcer a team would love to fall back upon. There are a fair number of franchises that will go shopping for a lead overseas quick, and his name ought to be up there in that regard.
With 20 wickets in 19 IPL matches and 28 wickets in 17 T20Is, Joseph has a decent amount of experience to fall back upon. He is an out-and-out wicket-taker and in this regard, it is surprising that his base price has been listed at ₹1 crore.
Considering what he offers, expect the final number to shoot up when the auction rolls by.
#4 Tristan Stubbs (South Africa)
The future is a bright one for Tristan Stubbs, who remains the highest-paid player at the SA20 auction as the SunRisers Eastern Cape broke the bank for him in 2022. Having joined Mumbai Indians (MI) as a replacement player before that in the IPL, he has been let go now.
Stubbs is a hard hitter of the ball who can turn the game on its head single-handedly. He also keeps wickets while also chipping in with handy overs of off-spin and is a tremendous fielder. In short, he is the ideal package a team wants in a T20 cricketer.
Which is why then you feel he has underpriced himself at ₹50 lakh for the IPL 2024 Auction. Stubbs may not be a finished product yet but the fact that his ceiling is massive means that teams will be ready to loosen their purse strings for him. Even at a higher base price of say ₹1 crore, he ought to have commanded the same level of interest.
#5 Rovman Powell (West Indies)
Securing the finisher's role is often an arduous task in T20 cricket. The number of options in the market is limited and not too many come with the requisite blend of experience and pedigree to pull it off consistently.
West Indies' T20 skipper Rovman Powell is an exception in that regard though. The Delhi Capitals (DC) duly spotted that and picked him up at the mega auction but having let him back into the IPL 2024 Auction pool, some other teams that need a middle-order batter who can finish the innings ought to turn towards the Jamaican.
Powell's base price for the auction stands at ₹1 crore - a number that you'd think ought to multiply significantly on D-Day. For a player of his experience and the limited number of proven options among those who play a similar role, he could have possibly placed himself in a higher bracket.
Don't be surprised if a bidding war comes Powell's way though given that he's also a gun fielder and offers leadership value to any team. In case the demand is surprisingly less at the IPL 2024 Auction, whichever team snaps him up ought to deem themselves lucky.
Who among these players do you think will have maximum demand at the IPL 2024 Auction? Have your say in the comments section below!