Australian opener Ben McDermott and Caribbean all-rounder Romario Shepherd are banking on their recent impressive performances to bag a maiden IPL deal, having gone unsold in the previous seasons of the lucrative T20 league.

McDermott wrapped up an impressive Big Bash League season that saw him being voted as the Player of the Tournament on Monday, while also earning a recall to the Australia T20I side for the Sri Lanka series next month. The 27-year-old was also the BBL’s highest run scorer with 577 runs at a strike rate of 153.86.

“There’s not too much I can do now, it’s all up to those people in charge,” McDermott, who has a base price of Rs 50 lakh, was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “I’m excited. It’s always an exciting time just to watch, last year I remember Riley Meredith getting picked up for the big bucks and sitting there watching him in our hotel rooms in quarantine in New Zealand.”

Last year, the Australian pace duo of Meredith (Rs 8 crore) and Jhye Richardson (Rs 14 crore) landed hefty contracts with Punjab Kings after a successful BBL season.

Shepherd, on the other hand, blasted an unbeaten 44 off 28 balls to take the West Indies within one run of England’s total in second T20I in Bridgetown on Sunday. The 27-year-old smashed five maximums and a four under pressure while also taking a wicket earlier in the game.

“I try to focus on what is at hand right now and try and put my all in here,” Shepherd, who has entered February’s auction with a Rs 75 lakh base price, was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

“Eventually, if an IPL contract comes, that would be great for me. I’m not saying that I don’t think about it, I do think about it, but I try not to think about it during a game, I just focus on wherever the game is and try to get ourselves out of a situation,” he added.

Shepherd is one of the 41 players from the Caribbean who have registered for the mega-auction.

“It’s a great platform. For any youngster, it’s their dream to go to the IPL and I’m no different.”