Australia’s big-hitting all-rounder Maxwell set to fetch big bucks despite flop show in IPL-13; all eyes on upcapped Mohd Azharuddeen and Arjun Tendulkar
Glenn Maxwell. Pic/AFP
Flamboyant Australian Glenn Maxwell is expected to be a favourite, despite his under-whelming record, along with England’s spin bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali during a condensed IPL players auction slated here today.
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A total of 292 players have been enlisted for the shortened auctions—164 of them Indian and 125 overseas. There will also be three associate players in the auction.
61 slots up for grabs
With 61 slots across eight franchises up for grabs, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has the maximum, 11 vacancies, to fill with a purse of R35.4 crore while Sunrisers Hyderabad has only three slots available with R10.75 crore in its kitty.
The highest purse available is with Punjab Kings, formerly Kings XI Punjab, which has R53.20 crore.
With the IPL back in India after being held in the UAE last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, focus will be on big-hitters as well as slow bowlers and Maxwell and Moeen fit the category to the T.
However, Maxwell averages 22 in the tournament, having played 82 matches for his 1,505 runs. He last played for Punjab.
Since the IPL will be held in India, Maxwell despite his under-achieving stats could be picked for his skills as a tight off-break bowler on slower tracks. While Maxwell and his former skipper Steven Smith are both in the highest bidding category of R2 crore, one name that will surely attract attention is World’s No. 1 ranked T20 batsman Dawid Malan from England.
One of the most keenly-watched teams going into the auction will be Chennai Super Kings after a nightmarish 2020 season when they failed to qualify for the IPL playoffs for the first time in tournament’s history.
As usual, there would be some eye-popping bids for the uncapped domestic players like Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddeen (Junior), Tamil Nadu’s handsome hulk Shah Rukh Khan, all-rounder R Sonu Yadav, Baroda’s Vishnu Solanki and Bengal’s Akash Deep.
Bidding wars
They could invite mini bidding wars with their lowest base price bracket of Rs 20 lakh. Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun, a left arm fast bowler who made his senior Mumbai team debut this year, is bracketed in the R20 lakh category and the kind of traction that the young kid brings along could mean that some bidders will be there for him.
379
No. of runs scored by Glenn Maxwell in 14 matches at the recently-concluded Big Bash League. The Melbourne Stars all-rounder has claimed seven wickets too
Mumbai Indians
Available slots: 7
In purse: Rs 15.35 crore
Chennai Super Kings
Available slots: 6
In purse: Rs 19.90 crore
Kolkata Knight Riders
Available slots: 8
In purse: Rs 10.75 crore
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Available slots: 11
In purse: Rs 35.40 crore
Punjab Kings
Available slots: 9
In purse: Rs 53.20 crore
Delhi Capitals
Available slots: 8
In purse: Rs 13.4 crore
Rajasthan Royals
Available slots: 9
In purse: Rs 37.85 crore
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Available slots: 3
In purse: Rs 10.75 crore
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