From Jofra Archer’s return to the IPL auction list to James Anderson’s registration, here are all the important facts
38 players in the England squad have been shortlisted for the mega IPL Auction 2024. All these players will take part in the auction scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday. The England team management will be keeping a close eye on this auction and see which players get how much amount.
Which of the players from the England squad gets the biggest bid?
None of the 10 foreign players retained before the mega IPL Auction were England players. In such a situation, England’s leading white-ball specialist could be among the top earners this weekend. Jos Buttler, who has played seven successful seasons with Rajasthan Royals, leads that list, while big bids can also be made for Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, and Phil Salt.
34-year-old Jos Butler has had to deal with calf injuries in recent times. Due to this, many teams may move away from him, but his IPL record is excellent. Butler has scored runs in the IPL at an average of 38.10 and a strike rate of 147.52 and has seven centuries to his name, which is the second-highest after Virat Kohli. A newcomer all set for his first big IPL contract this time is Phil Salt. He played great cricket for Kolkata Knight Riders during their title win last year, but he signed with the KKR team as a replacement player during that season.
Sam Curran got a contract of Rs 18.5 crore in two years with Punjab Kings. This time he may face a big cut in this matter, but his popularity is still intact. On the other hand, Livingstone was struggling with injuries in the last two seasons. He has returned to great form in the last three months. Punjab Kings’ new coach Ricky Ponting could sign back either or both of these players via Right-to-Match (RTM).
Brook has a shot at proving himself
England’s multi-format players have taken their chance of being available for IPL 2025 into consideration as they are getting a break between the Champions Trophy and India’s home Test series, starting in June. Players like Jamie Smith, Joe Root, and Ben Stokes have declared that they will not opt for the auction but Harry Brook has agreed to participate and is known to be keen to deliver in India.
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Sunrisers Hyderabad spent Rs 13.25 crore on Brook in IPL 2023. Brook also scored an unbeaten century in his fourth IPL match but in his debut season, he could cross the 20 mark only once after that. He has not returned to India since then.
Brook has played 80 games across formats for England, but only five of those have been against India, and all of those were T20 matches, which include two T20 World Cup semi-finals. His return to the IPL will not only give him a chance to face India’s best bowlers but also an opportunity to prove he doesn’t struggle on turning pitches ahead of his first Test series.
Fast bowlers’ workload monitored
Jofra Archer was added late to the IPL Auction list after long negotiations with the ECB. Such new rules make it much harder for the boards to have full control over their subjects. For example, during the last season, Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood were taken back from the auction in the last few minutes of time so that they could not go through too much workload; such a move can now invite banishment for two years.
Therefore, the auction of Archer, Atkinson, and Brydon Carse will come under intense observation from the managing director of England, Rob Key, since these three bowlers will have an important role to play in the five-Test series that England is set to host India and Australia next year. Matthew Potts and Ollie Stone will also feature in the auction but the probability of their chances seems less. At the same time, Mark Wood’s name is not on the shortlist this time, either.
Will Bethell prove to be the dark horse in IPL Auction?
Jacob Bethell is 21 years old. If there’s such an exciting young cricketer in English cricket, it has to be Jacob Bethell. After batting magnificently against Adam Zampa in his second game for T20 Internationals, he played two unbeaten half-centuries for the West Indies. He is currently with the England Test team in New Zealand. A good bid can make him a multi-format international player.
Bethell is already contracted with Paarl Royals, which is the affiliate team of Rajasthan Royals for the SA20 next year, and at a base price of INR 1.25 crores, he might look like a long-term investment in the IPL auction.
Anderson’s entry into IPL Auction
James Anderson hasn’t played a single T20 match in the last ten years. He hasn’t bowled with the white ball in competitive matches since 2019 and hasn’t played any format since his last Test match in July.
But there still remains an outside chance that Anderson, at 42, will earn a maiden IPL deal this weekend. He entered the auction at a base price of INR 1.25 crore. Franchises may even be forced to pay Anderson more for his experience and mentorship than his skills. Maybe the best option is to hope he goes unsold in the auction, and then negotiate a deal with him as an additional member of the coaching staff. It would take away one of the eight overseas slots and keep his salary off the playing salary cap.
The names of the England-qualified players of the IPL 2025 mega-auction
2 Crore
Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Jonny Bairstow, Phil Salt, Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Ben Duckett, James Vince, Moeen Ali, Will Jacks, Tom Banton, Gus Atkinson, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Tymal Mills
1.5 Crore
Sam Billings, Jamie Overton, Dan Worrall, Matthew Potts, John Turner
1.25 Crore
Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, James Anderson
Rs 1 Crore: Brydon Carse, Dan Lawrence, David Paine
Rs 75 Lakhs: Ollie Pope, Richard Gleeson, Reece Topley, Luke Wood, Dan Mousley, Ollie Stone
Rs 50 Lakhs: Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Du Plooy, Michael Pepper, Benny Houle
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