5 BBL stars who could fetch big money at the IPL auction

Perhaps the most popular domestic T20 tournament in the world after the IPL is Australia's Big Bash League. A concept which materialized in the 2011/12 season, the BBL has come a long way to gain prominence in other parts of the cricketing sphere outside its home country.Even the players who have performed well in recent seasons of the league are getting opportunities to prove their mettle in similar tournaments across the cricket world. The recently concluded edition of the BBL was even bigger in terms of popularity and some of its stars could fetch big bucks at the upcoming IPL auction.Here are 5 performers at the BBL who could go for plenty in the IPL auction:

#5 Adam Zampa

Leg spinner Zampa impressed one and all at the BBL

Australia has pretty much been the land of leg spinners and Adam Zampa is yet another practitioner of this complex trade from the country. Zampa played in the BBL for runners-up Melbourne Stars and bowled well enough to earn a call-up to the Australian team for the New Zealand ODI series.

The leggie had an impressive run at the Big Bash League as he picked up 12 wickets in 10 games at a very decent average of 22.50. The most impressive bit about Zampa’s performance was his economy rate of slightly over 7, which is great for a leg spinner in T20 cricket.

Adam Zampa is among the likely candidates from the BBL who could be a big draw at the IPL auction. The main reason for this is the kind of success leg spinners have had in recent editions of the IPL.

#4 Marcus Stoinis

Stoinis proved to be a handy allrounder for Melbourne Stars

Marcus Stoinis is a medium-pace bowling allrounder who represented Melbourne Stars at this year’s BBL. Stoinis got to play just one ODI and T20I for Australia in the limited-overs matches which followed the 2015 Ashes series.

However, he had a crucial role to play not only in his team’s road to the final of the Big Bash League, but also in the summit clash where he picked up 3 wickets, albeit in a losing cause. Stoinis managed to score 169 runs and picked up 9 wickets in his 10 matches at the BBL.

Allrounders have been the order of the day in all 8 editions of the IPL so far and a good one like Marcus Stoinis may just be able to attract a profitable deal at the auction.

#3 Cameron Boyce

Boyce was quite outstanding for the Hobart Hurricanes this year

26-year old leg spinner Cameron Boyce is another BBL player who could go for big money at the IPL auction. Boyce was recently included in the Australian T20 team for the 2nd and 3rd T20Is against India and bowled quite impressively picking up 2 for 28 in the final T20I.

The leggie had a great BBL season for the Hobart Hurricanes as he claimed 11 wickets in 8 games at a steady average of 22.09. Boyce’s best figures of 3 for 34 in the tournament, however, were not enough to help his team win against the Melbourne Renegades.

Good spinners can prove to be like gold in the IPL, which is why Cameron Boyce may end up getting a lot more than he may expect at the auction on 6 February.

#2 Usman Khawaja

Khawaja turned out to be a revelation at the BBL

Despite his chances of representing Australia in limited-overs cricket having been written off, Usman Khawaja managed to sneak into the T20I squad and got his first game against India on Sunday. Khawaja got his chance for two key reasons - skipper Aaron Finch's injury and his own performance at the BBL.

The Pakistani-born southpaw played just 4 matches in the T20 league, yet he finished as the 2nd highest run-getter with 345 runs at a mind-boggling average of 172.50. Khawaja scored 2 centuries in the recent edition of the BBL and also led his team Sydney Thunder to the trophy with his 70-run innings in the final.

Usman Khawaja is highly likely to win a hefty contract at the upcoming IPL auction considering the form he is in at present.

#1 Travis Head

Head's outstanding BBL season earned him a national call-up

Young Australian southpaw Travis Head made a great impact with the bat in the recently concluded Big Bash League. Head managed to impress the Australian selectors so much with his performances that they decided to give him a break in the national T20 team.

The 22-year-old batsman mustered 299 runs in 9 BBL matches at a highly impressive average of 42.71 and a devastating strike rate of just under 155. His efforts included a match-winning century and a couple of fifties.

Travis Head is one of the BBL stars who might fetch a good amount of money at the upcoming IPL auctions. Head has the ability to play aggressively, a trait which makes him a mouth-watering prospect in tournaments like the IPL.