1,003 players register, no Maxwell-Finch in IPL 2019 and more - Cricket News Today, 05th December 2018

Welcome to Sportskeeda's Cricket News Today, a section that covers a summary of the trending news topics of the day in the world of cricket.

The India-Australia Test series is merely a few days away, and fans are waiting in anticipation for the much-awaited contest to commence. Elsewhere, even with the IPL months away, the imminent auction is keeping IPL followers hooked.

For fans, however, be it a match day or even a non-match day, there are loads to catch up on the cricketing front with updates from around the world.

Here are some of the headlines from the world of cricket:

#1 More than 1000 players register for IPL 2019 auction

The 2019 IPL auction might be a one-day affair, but the initial list of players makes for a lengthy read. For the 70 slots that are available across all teams (50 Indians, 20 overseas), as many as 1003 players have put in their names for the auctions, set to take place on December 18.

A total of 232 overseas players have put in their names, with South Africa leading the tally with 59 players. Ireland, Hong Kong, Netherlands and USA have only one player each representing them, while Afghanistan's list features as many as 27.

A total of 800 uncapped players are in the list, 746 of which are Indians.

The country-wise breakdown of 232 overseas players is as below:

Country - Players Registered

Afghanistan -27

Australia - 35

Bangladesh - 10

England -14

Hong Kong - 1

Ireland - 1

Netherlands - 1

New Zealand - 17

South Africa - 59

Sri Lanka - 28

USA - 1

West Indies - 33

Zimbabwe - 5

#2 No Maxwell, Finch for IPL 2019

Maxwell played for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018

Australia's star duo of Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch have withdrawn their names from the IPL 2019 auction, possibly indicating that the tournament could be played without many of world cricket's big names. Maxwell and Finch, part of Australia's World Cup plans, were both released by their respective franchises ahead of the auctions.

With the IPL cutting close to pre-World Cup preparations, several mainstream players are in a dilemma to risk playing the T20 tournament or not. The New Zealand board has announced that its players will be available for the entire season, but England and Australia have declared that their players will have to return before May 1.

#3 Ravi Shastri speaks out about Shaw's return

Shaw injured his ankle in the CXI v India game

Prithvi Shaw's injury in the practice game forced him into the non-starter's list at least for the first two Tests, but coach Ravi Shastri believes that the teenager's speedy recovery could see him returning as soon as the Boxing Day game.

Speaking to radio channel SEN, Shastri said: "It was heartbreaking to see him go down the way he did but the good thing is he is recovering well. He has started walking, maybe if we can get him running by the weekend, that will really be a good sign. With youth by his side, he might recover quickly, we will take a call as we go close to Perth".

#4 New auctioneer for IPL 2019 auctions

Hugh Edmeades

It will be the end of an era of sorts in the upcoming IPL auctions, with Richard Madley, a constant figure for 11 seasons, being replaced by a new auctioneer for the December 18 event.

Huge Edmeades has been announced as the auctioneer for 2019 IPL and will preside over the day's events two weeks from now. Edmeades has been the auctioneer at Christie's for 30 years and is known to specialise in fine arts and cars.

The reason for Madley's absence is still not known.