Mumbai Indians sprung the biggest surprise of IPL 2024, roping in Hardik Pandya in a one-way trade with Gujarat Titans and then promoting him as captain, long before Tuesday’s mini-auction at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
The resultant speculation over a rift in the franchise following the team management’s decision to dethrone Rohit Sharma has since kept the social media platforms abuzz.
Can the turn of events at the auction override the wave of sympathy that has engulfed Rohit? Will Rohit be retained when the mega auction happens ahead of IPL 2025? That is something to ponder after IPL 2024, once the Board decides on the regulations for the retention of players.
For five-time champions Mumbai Indians, there’s very little at stake at the auction since they have only Rs 17.75 crore salary cap available, the third-lowest among the franchises.
They can target Mitchell Starc to partner Jasprit Bumrah since they haven’t had a quality left-arm pacer since Trent Boult. The Bumrah-Boult partnership had played a key role during their championship run in the last decade.
But do they have the resources to bid for Starc, who’s expected to attract fierce bidding? They are also short on spinners and could attempt to add Wanindu Hasaranga.
Teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals are flush with funds having released several of their players.
KKR will have to rework their game plan after letting go their frontline pacers like Shardul Thakur and Lockie Ferguson. Apart from Andre Russell, they have only Vaibhav Arora and Harshit Rana among the seamers.
With mentor Gautam Gambhir in their core group, don’t be surprised if they decide to go all out for a Starc or a Pat Cummins.
KKR have 12 slots left, including four overseas players, and will need to prudently use their Rs 32.7 crore purse. Some useful domestic picks will also be needed to maintain the team balance.
“The dynamics of an auction are very different to what people think. More than a
decade of my experience shows that most of the plans go haywire at the table,” a top official of one of the franchises told The Telegraph.
“You may target one player but end up paying multiple times more for a different player. So no predictions or targets can be set in advance. Only the homework needs to be done diligently,” he said.
Gujarat Titans have the highest salary cap available — Rs 38.15 crore — among the 10 franchises and need a viable replacement for Hardik. Rachin Ravindra could be their target for one of the two overseas slots available.
Shardul or Harshal Patel could also fit into their model even if they aim for an overseas seam-bowling all-rounder like Starc or Cummins.
CSK, too, can target Ravindra, Travis Head or one of the seam-bowling all-rounders to add depth. They have enough money after releasing Ben Stokes. Roping in Shardul could help since they need to prop up their lower-order after Ambati Rayudu’s retirement.
Even RCB could target the Australians, having released the bulk of their bowlers. They have Rs 23.25 left in their kitty after trading in Cameron Green.
The Board has informed the franchises that the official window for IPL 2024 will
be from March 22 till the end of May.
Sam Curran had been the most expensive player in IPL history last year when Punjab Kings bought him for a whopping Rs 18.50 crore. Will the Rs 20 crore barrier be breached this time?
IPL 2024 auction: 1pm, live on JioCinema
AUCTION PITCH
This is the first time the auction is being held overseas since the IPL came into being in 2008. A total of 1166 players registered for this year’s auction, of which the teams have shortlisted 333 names: 214 Indians and 119 overseas players. The total number of capped players are 116, 215 are uncapped while two players are from Associate nations. A total of 77 slots across the 10 teams remain to be filled. Of these, 30 are reserved for overseas players.
HOT PICKS
Mitchell Starc: The Australian pacer last featured in the IPL in 2015 and is in demand among most of the franchises. He provides attacking options in the Powerplay and is a useful hand with the bat lower down the order
Set 4: Fast bowlers
Base price: Rs 2 crore
Rachin Ravindra
New Zealand’s 24-year-old batting all-rounder has emerged as a strong contender following his impressive performance in the World Cup. He can be a key component of any side
Set 2: All-rounders
Base price: Rs 50 lakh
Pat Cummins
The Australian captain was released by KKR last season after he was unavailable because of national commitments. Twice in the past KKR had shown huge interest in recruiting him and can go for him again this time
Set 2: All-rounders
Base price: Rs 2 crore
Shardul Thakur
The seam bowling all-rounder was released by KKR but will be a much-sought player at the auction as there are few domestic experienced players available. He’s the most high-profile player in the pool
Set 2: All-rounders
Base price: Rs 2 crore
Harshal Patel
The seamer was released by RCB ahead of the auction. He had earned the tag of ‘death-over specialist’ but one bad season had ruined his reputation. He went to RCB for Rs 10.75 crore in 2022. Will he again attract big bucks?
Set 2: All-rounders
Base price: Rs 2 crore
UNCAPPED
Arshin Kulkarni
The U-19 Maharashtra all-rounder is expected to play a key role in India’s campaign in the World Cup. He gave glimpses of his T20 potential with a blistering century during the Maharashtra Premier League
Sameer Rizvi
The 20-year-old hit the most sixes for Kanpur Superstars at the UP T20 League. He also finished with 455 runs in nine innings, including two hundreds. He, however, couldn’t appear for trials at three franchises because of commitments with UP’s U-23 team l
Kartik Tyagi
A member of the U-19 World Cup team in 2020, the promising pacer would be high on the agenda of several franchises. He has played for several franchises including Rajasthan Royals, who had picked him for Rs 1.3 crore.
