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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction will take place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19. As many as 333 players have been shortlisted to go under the gavel after the initial list of 1,166 cricketers was pruned down. The 10 franchises in the fray will be keen to have a solid auction to boost their respective squads.
Of the 300-plus players who have been chosen to be part of the auction, 214 are Indian cricketers, while 119 are overseas players, out of which two belong to associate nations - David Wiese from Namibia and Paul van Meekeren from the Netherlands.
While 333 players can go under the hammer at the auction, a total of 77 slots are available to be filled up by the 10 franchises with up to 30 of them being for overseas players.
Also, 23 players have registered themselves in the highest price bracket of ₹2 crore, while 13 players in the auction list have a base price of ₹1.5 crore. A total of 14 players have set their reserve price of ₹1 crore.
In this feature, we look at three players with ₹1 crore base price who could spark a bidding war at the IPL 2024 auction.
#3 Rovman Powell
West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell had a disastrous run for Delhi Capitals (DC) in the IPL 2023 season. The aggressive batter played only three matches, scoring a mere seven runs at a paltry average of 2.33 and a strike rate of 77.78. It was no surprise that he was released by the franchise ahead of the 2024 auction.
At the same time, there is a possibility that Powell could be in demand at the upcoming IPL auction. His big-hitting batting talent is no secret in world cricket. He showed glimpses of it when he hit 250 runs in 14 matches at an average of 25 and a strike rate of 149.70 during the 2022 edition.
The 30-year-old is one of the cleanest strikers of the cricket ball in modern-day cricket. He has a strike rate of 143.26 from 66 T20Is in Windies colors.
Powell has demonstrated good form in the series against England. It won’t be a surprise if he is in demand at the IPL 2024 auction.
#2 Michael Bracewell
New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell has been out of cricketing action since June this year after rupturing his right Achilles during the T20 Blast.
He thus missed New Zealand’s 2023 World Cup campaign. However, the 32-year-old all-rounder has put his name in the IPL 2024 auction for a base price of ₹1 crore and is expected to be fit for the upcoming edition of the T20 league.
The left-handed batter is a terrific hitter of the cricket ball. Indian fans would remember his blazing 140 off only 78 balls in the Hyderabad ODI at the start of the year. Even though the Kiwis lost the high-scoring game by 12 runs, Bracewell gave the Men in Blue a real scare, clobbering 12 fours and 10 sixes in an amazing display of clean striking.
Bracewell can be used as a floater in the batting order as he plays in only one mode. The 32-year-old also offers the option of off-spin.
Although the significance of all-rounders has reduced due to the impact player rule, the Kiwi could still be in high demand due to his versatile skills.
#1 Daryl Mitchell
Another New Zealander, Daryl Mitchell could spark a bidding war at the IPL 2024 auction among players in the ₹1 crore category.
The right-handed batter has not enjoyed a lot of success in the Indian Premier League. He was part of the Rajasthan Royals (RR) franchise during the 2022 season but played only two matches in which he scored 33 runs at a strike rate of 75.
The 32-year-old, however, should be in demand at the IPL auction in Dubai. He had an excellent 2023 World Cup campaign, hammering 552 runs in nine innings at an average of 69 and a strike rate of 111.06 with two hundreds and fifties. Mitchell was a commanding presence at the crease for New Zealand right through their World Cup campaign.
The right-handed batter has been in a rich vein of form across formats over the last year. IPL franchises might thus be keen to capitalize on the same.
Along with another World Cup star Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell should be in demand at the auction among Kiwi cricketers.
