As bidding opens, players have the opportunity to fetch starting prices of up to $240,000, yet the cream of the crop is expected to command bids far exceeding this figure.

This time around, the 10 IPL franchises have pooled a substantial $31.5 million, earmarked for player acquisitions. The Twenty20 extravaganza, known as cricket’s most affluent tournament, is slated to commence in March.

With the lion’s share of the fees going to the players themselves, AFP identifies five standout stars who could secure significant deals:

Pat Cummins (Australia):
Cummins, absent from this year’s IPL due to a packed schedule, is anticipated to make a triumphant return following his instrumental role in guiding Australia to World Cup victory in India. The 30-year-old fast bowler, renowned for silencing a 100,000-strong crowd in Ahmedabad by dismissing Virat Kohli in the final, earned widespread acclaim for his leadership.

Having set an auction record of $2.17 million in 2019 with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Cummins enters the auction with a top base price of $240,000. Additionally, fellow Australian World Cup winners like Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, and Sean Abbott are also in the hunt for substantial contracts.

Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand):
An emerging batting all-rounder of Indian descent, Ravindra made an indelible mark at the World Cup, tallying three centuries among his 578 runs at a striking rate of 106, alongside five wickets. The 24-year-old left-handed batter and spinner, whose name pays homage to Indian cricket legends Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, garnered fervent support from Indian fans during the tournament.

Expected to draw substantial attention from franchises, Ravindra enters the auction with a base price of $60,000.

Harry Brook (England):
Dynamic English batsman Brook, recognized for his impactful performances across formats, boasts a striking rate of 141.54 in T20 cricket. While securing a $1.6 million deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous auction, he encountered a moderate stint in this year’s IPL despite an early-century breakthrough.

Maintaining his base price at $240,000, the 24-year-old aims to capitalize on recent performances, including a pivotal 43 in a West Indies ODI.

Gerald Coetzee (South Africa):
A standout talent in the World Cup, Coetzee emerged among the top five bowlers, clinching 20 wickets in the competition. The 23-year-old South African paceman made a promising debut earlier this year and has since showcased his skills across formats, adding depth to the Proteas’ fast-bowling reserves.

Keen to elevate his career through the IPL, Coetzee retains a top-bracket base price of $240,000.

Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka):
Recognized for his knack for pivotal wicket-taking moments with his leg spin, Hasaranga has been a linchpin in Sri Lanka’s white-ball setups. Despite inking a $1.43 million contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2022, the all-rounder was released ahead of the upcoming auction.

With 158 limited-overs wickets and an aggressive T20 batting style, the 26-year-old, sidelined due to injury during the World Cup, maintains a base price of $180,000 and anticipates another lucrative IPL deal.

Taskin Ahmed, Liton Das, and Afif Hossain are in the category of 50 lacks in the initial list of the auction. Mustafizur Rahman will probably be the only representative of Bangladesh in the IPL this time as Shakib has not been included in any team. Delhi Capitals have retained the ‘Cutter Master’, who indicated his return to form after a bad time.

However, even if the team does not get the team in the first round, any team can still take Shakib if he wants. In that case, the space should be empty. Teams can buy a total of 87 cricketers from today’s auction. Of these, 30 are foreign quotas. Shakib has played six seasons for Kolkata Knight Riders. He was in Sunrisers Hyderabad for two seasons. Along with him, Joe Root, and Rilee Rossouw are still unsold.

Although the names of the six cricketers of the Tigers who will be in the IPL auction have not yet been revealed by the IPL authorities. However, it is believed that the names of star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, pacer Taskin Ahmed, and batsman Liton Das are on this list. However, Shakib has experience playing in the IPL only before this list.

Apart from this, Delhi Capitals has retained Bangladesh’s star pacer Mustafizur Rahman. Among the foreigners, Australia has registered the names of 57 cricketers in this year’s auction. South Africa has the second highest number of 52 people.

Apart from this, 14 cricketers have registered from Afghanistan, 31 from England, 8 from Ireland, 5 from Namibia, 7 from the Netherlands, 27 from New Zealand, 27 from Sri Lanka, 6 from the United Arab Emirates, 33 from the West Indies and six from Zimbabwe. A minimum of two cricketers have registered from Scotland.

This year’s IPL mini-auction will be held in Kochi on December 23 this month.

In addition to the money left over from their previous auction purse, each team will have an additional INR 5 crore (approx. US $607,000) to spend this year, making the overall auction purse INR 95 crore (approx. US $11.5 million). Punjab Kings had the most oversized purse left over – INR 3.45 crore (approx. US $425,000) – after last year’s auction, while Lucknow Super Giants had exhausted their entire bag.

Chennai Super Kings had INR 2.95 crore (approx. US $358,000) remaining, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (INR 1.55 crore, or approx. US $188,000), Rajasthan Royals (INR 0.95 crore or approx. US $115,000) and Kolkata Knight Riders (INR 0.45 crore, or approx. US $55,000).

Defending champions Gujarat Titans have left with INR 0.15 crore (approx. US $18,000) while three teams – Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Delhi Capitals – had INR 0.10 crore (approx. US $12,000).