What’s the story?
The IPL auction is back this year and is all set to take place tomorrow in Bengaluru. All eight teams will be looking to purchase players who will either play the first-choice backup role or slot directly to the playing XI.
Veteran Australian spinner Brad Hogg, who will be one of 30 Australian players to go under the hammer, expressed his views on former Perth Scorchers teammate Ashton Turner. While speaking to The Sunday Times he said, “He's got all three facets of the game and I really enjoy watching him, so I think he's one that could be a dark horse.”
In case you didn’t know..
Among the 122 overseas players who have been shortlisted in the IPL auction, 30 of them are capped and uncapped players from Australia. 46-year-old Hogg will be the oldest overseas player to feature in the auction which will take place at The Ritz-Carlton hotel. However, 45-year-old Pravin Tambe will be the oldest Indian player to participate in the auction.
The heart of the matter
In spite of the presence of more than eight competitive T20 leagues in the world, the IPL has risen above them all to become the most glamorous and popular league. The auction that is scheduled for tomorrow will be the 10th IPL auction and will see 352 players going under the hammer. Among the 352 players, 122 are foreign players who may or may not have represented their country in the international arena.
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Seasoned T20 specialist Hogg, who is optimistic about getting picked tomorrow, showered praise on the highly-rated all-rounder, Turner. Turner, who is predominantly a batting all-rounder, is known for his ability to clear the ropes with ease and chip in with handy off-spinners at any stage of the game.
Hogg emphasised that Turner’s ability to churn out runs at the slog-end of the innings and contribute with the ball, can be an added advantage in an era where spinners open the bowling with the new ball. In addition to this, he is very agile and an excellent fielder on the ground.
This will be the first time that the all-rounder will be taking part in an IPL auction.
What’s next?
Turner’s has set his base price at a mere 20 lakhs and will be interesting to see if he gets picked up in the auction.
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Sportskeeda’s Take
In T20 cricket, players who can bat as well as bowl are assets to any team. Turner’s proven track record in the Big Bash League, as well as his low base price, will work in his favour. He will probably attract bids from teams like Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab or even Mumbai Indians who are looking for quality all-rounders.
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