IPL 2023 Auction: 3 Australian stars who might go unsold
Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has seen several Australian players assert their dominance in the tournament.
Since Shaun Marsh won the Orange cap in the first edition, the likes of David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, and Josh Hazlewood have played huge parts for their respective IPL franchises over the years.
IPL organizers recently revealed a list of 405 players who are set to go under the hammer at the IPL 2023 Auction. The event will be held in Kochi on December 23.
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Out of those 405 cricketers, 273 are Indians while 132 are overseas players, of which four are from Associate nations.
Out of all the foreign players, T20 champions England have the highest representation with 27 players. They are followed by South Africa (22), Australia (21), and West Indies (20).
A few Australians might find it difficult to find a buyer at the IPL 2023 Auction
While the likes of Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc have opted out of the upcoming edition of the tournament, some Australians, including Cameron Green and Daniel Sams, might be in high demand at the mini-auction.
However, not all 21 Australians who will go under the hammer on December 23 might find buyers at the auction.
On that note, here are three Australian players who are likely to go unsold at the upcoming IPL 2023 auction.
#3 Nathan Coulter-Nile
While all-rounders are always considered hot properties in IPL auctions, Nathan Coulter-Nile isn't expected to start a bidding war at the event.
Moreover, Coulter-Nile, who last represented Australia back in 2019, had listed himself in the highest category of ₹2 crore base price before reducing it to ₹1.5 crore recently.
The 35-year-old went unsold in the first round of the IPL 2022 auction before the Rajasthan Royals (RR) bagged him for his base price (₹2 crore) during the accelerated round.
However, Coulter-Nile featured in just a single game for the IPL 2022 finalists before he was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. RR released him ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.
Typically a bowling all-rounder, Coulter-Nile has fared reasonably in the IPL, picking up 48 wickets in 39 matches at an economy of under eight.
However, given his age (35) and proneness to injuries, franchises might steer clear of the Australian.
#2 Moises Henriques
Similar to Coulter-Nile, Moises Henriques is another Australian all-rounder who may not find takers at the forthcoming mini-auction.
At 35 years of age, Henriques is currently playing in the Big Bash League (BBL) and is also the skipper of his franchise Sydney Sixers.
The right-hander has set his base price at ₹1 crore at the IPL 2023 auction and will be one of the few Australian international all-rounders available in the market.
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While he has featured in as many as eight IPL editions, it won't be an overstatement to say that Henriques is well past his prime.
His best IPL campaign came when he was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in 2015, amassing 287 runs at an average of 41 and a strike rate of 136. Henriques even took 11 wickets during the campaign.
It was a time when he was at the peak of his powers. His fortunes have dwindled significantly since due to form and fitness issues.
In 2022, Henriques has scored just 207 runs at a mediocre average of 22 and a strike rate of under 113 across 11 T20 games.
The former SRH all-rounder went unsold at the IPL 2022 auction and it is unlikely that IPL franchises will look in his direction this time around as well.
#1 Andrew Tye
Andrew Tye, who won the IPL Purple Cap in 2018 with 24 wickets from 14 games, has experienced a sharp decline in effectiveness over the course of his last few seasons in the league.
From 8.00 in IPL 2018 to 10.59 and 12.5 in the next two seasons, the pacer's economy rate increased dramatically.
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Similar to Henriques, Tye also went unsold at the IPL 2022 auction. However, he played three matches for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) after being signed as an injury replacement for Mark Wood. In those three matches, the Australian right-arm seamer bagged only two scalps at an alarming average of 53.5.
Due to his poor display, LSG opted to release him ahead of the IPL 2023 auction.
Tye's slower ball, which once used to be virtually unplayable at the death, has become all too predictable, and his pace has also dropped.
Tye's returns in the IPL reflect where he stands as a T20 bowler right now, and at 36 years old, there are other overseas pacers who might be well ahead of him in the pecking order.