3 players with ₹50 lakh base price who could spark a bidding war at IPL 2024 auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction is all set to be held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Tuesday, December 19. While 1,166 cricketers had initially registered for the auction, the final list features 333 players. The 10 franchises will be keen to have an impressive auction in their endeavor to build a strong side.

While over 300 players have been shortlisted to go under the hammer at the auction in Dubai, there are a total of 77 slots up for grabs for the 10 franchises of which up to 30 are for overseas cricketers. From the list of players who will be part of the auction, 214 are Indian cricketers, while 119 are overseas players, of which two are from associate nations.

A total of 23 players have registered their names in the highest base price category of ₹2 crore, while 13 players in the auction list have a reserve price of ₹1.5 crore. Fourteen players are in the ₹1 crore category, while numerous cricketers have placed their names in the ₹50 lakh category.

In this feature, we look at three players with ₹50 lakh base price who could spark a bidding war at the IPL 2024 auction.

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#3 Azmatullah Omarzai

Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai (Pic: Getty Images)

Young Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai could be among the big buys from players who have set their base price at ₹50 lakh for the IPL 2024 auction. The 23-year-old was one of the brightest stars of the 2023 ODI World Cup and a key factor behind Afghanistan’s memorable campaign.

The aggressive batter smashed 353 runs in eight innings at an average of 70.60 and a strike rate of 97.78 with three fifties. Several times Omarzai came in and played defining knocks for the team. His bold-hitting approach stood out during Afghanistan’s World Cup journey.

Apart from his batting, Omarzai is also a handy medium pacer, who picked up seven wickets in the World Cup at an economy rate of 7.10.

The talent in the case of the Afghanistan cricketer is pretty much obvious and franchises should look to capitalize on his skills.

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#2 Dilshan Madushanka

Dilshan Madushanka had an outstanding World Cup. (Pic: Getty Images)

Young Sri Lankan left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka could also be in demand at the IPL 2024 auction in Dubai on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old also had a stellar 2023 World Cup campaign in India which saw him claim 21 wickets in nine matches at an average of 25 and an impressive economy rate of 6.70. Madushanka was the standout performer for Sri Lanka in what was otherwise a disastrous World Cup for the team as a whole.

While Madushanka may be short on experience in international cricket, he proved himself as a shrewd campaigner during the ICC tournament. His variations with the ball made a huge impact and his delivery to clean up Rohit Sharma in the league stage was one of the balls of the tournament.

The Sri Lankan pacer has several tricks up his sleeve and can only be expected to improve with experience. IPL franchises could thus be willing to shell a little extra and invest in his raw talent.

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#1 Rachin Ravindra

New Zealand’s batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra (Pic: Getty Images)

New Zealand’s batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra was among the standout performers of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

The young left-handed batter hammered 578 runs in 10 innings during the ICC event in India at an average of 64.22 and a strike rate of 106.44. Ravindra had three hundreds and two fifties to show for his efforts.

What was most impressive about the Kiwi cricketer’s batting was the unruffled manner in which he went about scoring his runs. He rarely looked troubled even as some of the more experienced batters in the team felt the pressure.

Ravindra has set his base price at ₹50 lakh for the auction. Considering the skills he has to offer - he can also bowl a bit of left-arm spin - it will be a surprise if his name does not spark a bidding war among franchises at the Indian Premier League 2024 auction.