IPL Auction 2020 | Dale Steyn and Glenn Maxwell up for grabs at INR 2 crores; Yashasvi Jaiswal available at reserve price of INR 20 lakhs
What’s the story?
Seven overseas cricketers have decided to enrol themselves for the 2020 IPL Auction within the highest base price bracket of INR 2 crore. Robin Uthappa, meanwhile, is the only Indian player with a base price of INR 1.5 crore.
In case you didn’t know
Previously, 971 cricketers had made themselves available for the mini-auction in Kolkata, hoping to land a contract in the most lucrative T20 league on the planet. However, that list has been trimmed down with 332 players set to go up for auction on the 19th of December.
The heart of the matter
In the top-most base price bracket, teams can look at acquiring the likes of Angelo Mathews, Chris Lynn, Dale Steyn, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins.
The inclusion of Maxwell comes as a welcome boost to the IPL, especially considering the all-rounder is returning after taking a break to deal with mental health problems. Additionally, Lynn and Steyn would be hoping to get picked on the 19th of December as sides look to bolster their foreign ranks.
While the South African was replaced after acting as a replacement for the Royal Challengers Bangalore last season, Lynn was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the 2020 auction.
A few West Indians, meanwhile, namely Hayden Walsh Jr, Kesrick Williams and Shimron Hetmyer might also be in demand, courtesy their stellar performances in the shortest version.
As for the other Indian cricketers up for grabs, teams might be looking at young guns of the ilk of Rohan Kadam, Virat Singh and Yashasvi Jaiswal, with the triumvirate available for a base price of INR 20 lakhs.
Additionally, seasoned domestic cricketers like Jaydev Unadkat, Piyush Chawla, Rahul Tripathi and Robin Uthappa would be going under the hammer.
While Chawla and Unadkat are priced at INR 1 crore, Uthappa falls into the INR 1.5 crore bracket. Tripathi, on the other hand, could be available for a cut-price deal worth INR 20 lakhs.
What’s next?
With so many high-profile players lining up at the auction, it would be interesting to see where these cricketers head and what strategies the 8 franchisees undertake.