IPL 9 auction: Ten men who could earn the big bucks

Yuvraj Singh

© Getty Images IPL 9 auction: Ten men who could earn the big bucks

Base Price: Rs 2 crore

When the flamboyant left-hander was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 14 crore during the 2014 auction, it came as a surprise because he didn’t have the numbers on the field in the lead up to suggest that he would pocket so much. His run with Bangalore didn’t inspire confidence either and, sure enough, the side released him for the following season. Then came the big bidding war between Delhi Daredevils and, amazingly, Bangalore, which took his price up to Rs 16 crore, where Delhi bought him. He had an even worse stint with the bat this time around, averaging 19.07, and here again he is back in auction pool. This year, however, he has had strong domestic numbers, that fine display in the third Twenty20 International against Australia in Sydney and, now, a place in the Indian World T20 squad – all of that could help him draw in more moolah.

Dinesh Karthik

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Base Price: Rs 2 crore

Good wicketkeeper-batsmen have always been in demand in the IPL, so one can expect the Tamil Nadu man to rake in good numbers. He was the second most expensive purchase for two successive years in 2014 (Delhi Daredevils) and 2015 (Royal Challengers Bangalore) behind Yuvraj and he could well be in for another such windfall. His average of 12.81 with Bangalore could be a deterrent for teams bidding big for the 30-year-old but he has been good at the domestic level and he has the ability to score at a brisk pace. Also, he has played 122 games and scored at a career average of 23.47. So, if teams are looking for experience and a handy man behind the stumps to go with game-changing abilities with the bat, they won’t look much further.

Kevin Pietersen

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Base Price: Rs 2 crore

He’s 35, and he hasn’t played international cricket since England unceremoniously dropped him in 2014. The dumping, he said, hurt him but that didn’t stop the charismatic batsman from becoming one of the most sought-after freelance T20 players since. He was a big hit in the Caribbean Premier League for St Lucia Zouks and rather fiery in the Ram Slam T20 for the Dolphins, but his value well and truly skyrocketed after coming up with highly impressive numbers for Melbourne Stars in the last edition of the Big Bash League (323 runs from nine games, 40.37 average). He was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad at his base price of Rs 2 crore during the 2015 auction but because Pietersen was attempting to get back into England side by playing county cricket, he missed the entire season. This time, with his international hopes out the window, the batsman could be expected to hit the jackpot.

Jos Buttler

© AP Photo IPL 9 auction: Ten men who could earn the big bucks

Base price: Rs 1.5 crore

In the absence of Pietersen, England were looking for someone with the ability to turn games on their head and along came Jos Buttler. The 25 year old is easily one of the most talented emerging players in the world and back-to-back centuries, first against Pakistan and then against South Africa, in his last two One-Day Internationals are surely going to up his value during the bidding process. Buttler, who was caught in a dilemma between picking county cricket to improve his chances of making it to the Test side and the IPL, was talked into it by Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, and Andrew Strauss, the England and Wales Cricket Board director. To top off his impressive skills in front of the stumps, Buttler is also a force behind, making him a pretty valuable commodity.

Shane Watson

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Base Price: Rs 2 crore

His team-mates, Steven Smith and James Faulkner, both Rajasthan Royals men, were picked up by Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions respectively, but for the first time since the inaugural edition of the IPL, Watson finds himself without a team. That could, however, work in his favour, owing to the kind of form he is in and the kind of money he could bag as a result. The Australian allrounder wasn’t among the ten players picked in the draft, but he proved his worth by smashing a century in the third Twenty20 International against India before which he put up consistent numbers with both bat and ball for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League. His figures of 2 for 17 from three overs was crucial in Thunder’s win against Melbourne Stars in the final of the Australian T20 event. In any case, forget recent numbers, Watson has 2372 runs in the IPL at an average of 36.49 and 61 wickets at an economy of 7.49 over the years.

Ashish Nehra

© AP Photo 10 men who could earn the big bucks

Base Price: Rs 2 crore

More often than not, the left-arm paceman has had time work against him. This time, for a change, it has worked in his favour and it comes after his inclusion to the Indian T20I squad. He didn’t pick up too many wickets in the Australia series, but wasn’t expensive either, and was called on to bowl at the death and he showed why he was the man Dhoni went to when he was with Chennai Super Kings. He has had issues with injuries but the shortest format, especially the IPL, brings out the best in the experienced seamer. His IPL record, 89 wickets from 74 games, should also count for a lot when the franchises look for a seasoned performer to handle pressure situations.

Dale Steyn

© PA Images 10 men who could earn the big bucks

Base Price: Rs 1.5 crore

Many raised their eyebrows when Sunrisers Hyderabad opted to let go of Dale Steyn. He had after all been their go-to paceman since 2011, but it’s quite possible that Steyn’s disappointing performance in the 2015 World Cup had a part to play in this. Trent Boult, who was a star in New Zealand’s World Cup campaign, was picked ahead of Steyn most often. Steyn played a mere six games and picked up just three wickets and went for nearly nine runs an over. Even now, he is recovering from a shoulder injury, which forced him to sit out of the series against England. All these factors could hurt his chances of making a pile of money, but if the teams look back beyond last year, they would see a menacing force and that could bring oppositions to their knees.

Martin Guptill

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Base Price: Rs 50 lakh

His last five T20I innings were 42, 87*, 2, 63, 58. You’d expect a hefty base price to go along with numbers like that but, surprisingly enough, Guptill has set himself a modest base price of Rs 50 lakh. Many teams vying for a quality in-form batsman would be looking at him and there is expected to be a fiery bidding war when his name is announced among the list of marquee players.

source msn