IPL Auction 2024 Pulse

Welcome to Auction Pulse, your byte-sized daily briefings on all things IPL Auction 2024

December 20

Punjab Kings offer clarification on Shashank Singh controversy

The Punjab Kings have sent out a press release to clear the air regarding an alleged case of mistaken identity regarding Shashank Singh, one of their signings at the IPL 2024 auctions. Right after the hammer came down for the 32-year-old batter, the PBKS contingent looked confused and seemed to be requesting the auctioneer Mallika Sagar to withdraw the signing, a request that was understandably turned down.

The Punjab Kings have now sent out a press release to clear the air regarding an alleged case of mistaken identity. "Media have reported on Shashank Singh being bought erroneously by the Punjab Kings. The Kings would like to clarify that the player was always on our target list. The confusion was due to 2 players of the same name being on the list. We are delighted to have him on board and see him contribute to our success," the release said.

In the list was also another player of the same name, who's a 19-year-old rookie with no first-class experience. The senior namesake, who was eventually picked up by PBKS, has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket and also featured in a handful of IPL games, his last stint being with Sunrisers Hyderabad who released him prior to the mega auction last year.

D-day

A month since the World Cup final, the pinnacle of the sport, and we are at the IPL auction in Dubai. Oh no no, these events are not as disconnected as you might think. Everything in cricket...is connected to the IPL auction. Case in point - Travis Head, who has robbed India of two ICC titles in two ICC finals this year, goes under the hammer this time.

No marquee list: The end of Big-budget foreign buys?

With Sam Curran, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes and Cam Green hitting the jackpot last year, this might be the year teams stop going after the big names with big money, and start to go after local talent at the Indian premier league, particularly with the marquee list being abolished at this year's auction. Case in point, Mitchell Starc has been listed alarmingly low in the sequence of players to be auctioned! Read all about it in Vijay Tagore's story!

Rishabh Pant to attend IPL auction!

One year out of top-tier cricket, and hasn't the world missed him? After a terrifying car crash that could easily have claimed his life, Rishabh Pant missed the 2023 IPL, not to mention the World Test Championship final, and the World Cup in India! And hasn't world cricket missed him? And now, he's back in the mix, and will make an appearance in the IPL auction in Dubai!

England players offer limited IPL availability

Due to a cramped FTP, and a non-committal BCCI (with the general elections in 2024), the IPL window has been decided between 22nd March and the end of May 2023, which is a window that spans over 9 weeks! Subsequently, players from New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies have confirmed their availability but those from England have not, prioritising international assignments and fitness. Read the full story, here.

Auction Day minus 1

Team officials have begun assembling in Dubai for the auction. Instagram feed is abuzz with travel activity and interactive fan wish-lists. Franchises know their way around the Emirate having visited here regularly in the last couple of years. They'll have a pre-auction briefing today where the rules and regulations will be refreshed.

What the teams already know...

... is what they want from this auction. Extensive data will have been mined by their scouts and analysts before coming to the table. Narbavie Rajendran and Roshan Gede have stepped into the shoes of each franchise and pored over squads and resources to figure out what each time might be after. Here's a teaser: RCB have pretty much an entire bowling line-up to be constructed with a little over INR 23 crores in the bank. This is a pre-auction must read.

A new auctioneer for the league

At 13:00 IST tomorrow, the IPL will welcome a new auctioneer with Ms. Mallika Sagar taking over from Hugh Edmeades. Mallika conducted the first two auctions of the Women's Premier League and is the league's fourth different auctioneer. Richard Madley and Charu Sharma are the others to have presided over previous IPL auctions.

Reward for players who earn maiden international caps between IPL seasons

In normal course, a player would have to adhere to the league fee once bought at the IPL auction for three years or until he is released by his franchise. However, in certain circumstances, the fee can go up if an uncapped player is sold for a minimum fee of INR 50 lakh. In fact, if an uncapped player participates in 10 international games between two IPL seasons, his fee can actually double up. Vijay Tagore reports about a fee regulation that the BCCI circulated to the franchises.

Auction Day minus 2

The players to watch out for at the auction

There are 333 cricketers, with 214 Indians and 119 overseas players, including two from associate nations competing for the 70 slots that can be filled. So close to 80 percent of the players in the shortlist will go unsold. There will be a few that will spark bidding wars and Aayush Puthran and Gokul Gopal have jotted down a helpful collection of players for you to keep an eye out for.

There's of course Mitchell Starc, looking to play in the IPL for the first time since 2015. There's Daryl Mitchell, who was terrific against spin at the World Cup. What about Gerald Coetzee? He's sharp and can club a few with the bat. Of course, he makes the list. There are some uncapped Indian players to follow closely, none more so than Maharashtra's Arshin Kulkarni. Just go through that compilation.

Form before the auction

Performances just in the build-up to the auction day can have a say in the bid value. Phil Salt, released by the Delhi Capitals, would hope so. He smashed a terrific 109 off 56 as England chased down West Indies' 222/6 in Grenada. Harry Brook, who had his troubles against spin in the last IPL season, smoked 31 off just 7 balls. On the other side of the spectrum, Rachin Ravindra bagged a two-ball duck in Dunedin against Bangladesh and would hope he has enough goodwill in the bank through his World Cup performances.

Closer home, Harshal Patel did his stocks no harm with a three-wicket haul in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy to win the title for Haryana. Harshal, released by RCB, finished the List A tournament as the joint-highest wicket-taker.

A welcome respite for Chetan Sakariya

The 25-year-old left-arm pacer from Saurashtra made quite the splash in the IPL when he took 14 wickets in IPL 2021 playing for Rajasthan Royals. He was rewarded with a national call-up and represented India three times across ODIs and T20Is. His form has since tapered and was largely out of favour even in a struggling Delhi Capitals side last season. To add to his injury and form woes, the BCCI named him in a list of bowlers with suspect bowling action ahead of the auction.

When Cricbuzz published this report, the Saurashtra Cricket Association expressed surprise and reached out to the BCCI. It later came to light that a player from the south zone with a similar name, Chetan, was supposed to be on that suspect list and the board has since set afoot the necessary course-correction process post their unintentional error. It is hoped that the franchises will have taken note and put him back on the wishlist. Here's the story in full detail.

Auction Day minus 3: What's cooking?

We're three days out from yet another IPL auction. For all practical purposes, this one's a 'mini' and will be wrapped up in a day. But expect mega expenditures from the 10 franchises, who between them have INR 262.95 crores to spend on a maximum of 77 players (30 foreign). Franchise representatives will start assembling in Dubai over the next couple of days for the league's first 'overseas auction' at the Coca Cola Arena. They'll have a BCCI briefing to attend on December 18, the day before the big buy day.

Block your calendars

... from 11.30 AM UAE Time on December 19. That is 1.00 PM IST.

What do we know so far?

IPL trophies aren't won or lost on the auction table. But a small misstep can set you back significantly and inspired picks can soften rough edges in the squads. The trade window ahead of this auction has already created a big ripple. Gujarat Titans have INR 38.15 in the purse -- the most -- and a Hardik Pandya-shaped void to fill. Here's a breakdown of the resources available and required.

More numbers?

Yes? Ok take this. The auction will feature 333 cricketers, with 214 Indians and 119 overseas players, including two from associate nations - Paul van Meekeren (Netherlands) and David Wiese (Namibia).

Big names returning...

Remember Mitchell Starc in IPL colours? One of the foremost white-ball bowlers of this generation last played in this competition in 2015. He's finally put himself back in the auction list and is expected to spark a fierce bidding battle. A lot of his fellow World Cup-winning teammates including Pat Cummins have registered for this auction after giving the tournament a slip last year due to their unending international commitments. However...

The BCCI is yet to inform the IPL teams about the availability of foreign players. It has stated that this information will be conveyed to the franchises at a later date. Considering that the T20 World Cup follows the IPL immediately in June, the duration of availability of foreign players is crucial information that franchises are eagerly awaiting before the auction.

Only three Indians in the top bracket

23 players have chosen to be slotted in the highest bracket of base price i.e INR 2 crores. Only three of them are Indians - Shardul Thakur, Harshal Patel and Umesh Yadav.

Click here for a full list of retained, released and existing squads.

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