IPL 2019: 10 big players with their ideal base prices

The IPL auction is almost upon us and it is time for the franchises to do their homework and ascertain the requirements of their squads. Accordingly, they can pick players and make sure no area is left uncovered.

The base prices are set by the players themselves. The maximum base price a player can set for himself is 2 crores and minimum base price as per the revised rules is 20 lakhs. In 2019, the teams are allowed to spend a maximum of 82 crores on building a squad.

It is imperative for the players to figure out an ideal base price for themselves since it has a big impact on getting picked or going unsold. Some players who are not playing international cricket need to realize that their value is not as high as those who are playing and hence be modest in this aspect.

Let us take a look at 10 big players and the ideal base price that they can set for themselves.

#10 Glenn Maxwell (2 crores)

The 30-year-old Victorian all-rounder was axed by the Delhi Daredevils following a poor season in 2018. Maxwell is one of the hottest properties who is likely to fetch big bucks at the auction.

The swashbuckling all-rounder is a regular in T20 international cricket for Australia and is in a pretty decent touch at the moment. He has a reputation of being a big destroyer when he is at his best in T20 cricket. Considering this, Maxwell can afford to keep his base price at the highest (2 crores) and still fetch a big amount.

#9 Aaron Finch (2 crores)

Like his fellow Victorian Maxwell, Finch too is one of the most devastating strikers of the cricket ball in the shortest format of the game. Finch is a holder of several records in T20 cricket including the highest individual score at international level.

Finch was shockingly released by the Kings XI Punjab after his last season's performances and is up for grabs at the auction. Being a gigantic name in the world of T20 cricket, anything less than 2 crores as the base price for him would be very humble.

#8 Axar Patel (2 crores)

The Indian left-arm spinner was a surprising exclusion from the Kings XI Punjab squad ahead of the IPL 2019. Axar Patel has got all the qualities of a good T20 player and has age on his side as well. Axar has shown over the years that he can deliver on the big stage and we have seen that through his international performances.

The IPL franchises are likely to berserk when his name comes up at the auction as every team would love to have a player like him in their squad. Considering this, a base price of 2 crores seems properly justified.

#7 Brendon McCullum (1.5 crores)

The former Black Caps skipper and opening batsman finds himself back in the pool of players at the auction after the Royal Challengers Bangalore vid him farewell ahead of the IPL Auction2019.

McCullum has built his reputation of being the most destructive opener in T20 cricket. The retired international players usually don't attract a lot of bidders but since McCullum plays almost every T20 league across the world and is available for the entire tournament and could captain as well, a base price of 1.5 crores is reasonable.

#6 Jaydev Unadkat (1.5 crores)

The Rajasthan lad fetched a whopping 11.5 crores from the Royals last time around and failed to live up to the expectations, only to find himself in the auction mix again. Unadkat is someone whom quite a franchises may be interested in.

Since he is in the scheme of things in international T20 cricket, Jaydev's value is much higher than few other Indian seamers. He is growing from strength to strength and his bad 2018 season is unlikely to be looked into by the franchises while bidding for him. All things considered, 1.5 crores seems a fair amount.

#5 Mohammed Shami (1.5 crores)

Mohammed Shami, who played for the Delhi Daredevils last season was released by his franchise and will be looking for a new home at the IPL auction 2018. Although a very potent Test bowler, Shami's record in T20 cricket hasn't been great.

Shami may not be a big name in this format of the game, but the fact that he is an Indian capped seamer with a wealth of experience per se adds a lot of value to the table. Hence, he can afford to keep himself in the 1.5 crore bracket.

#4 Mohit Sharma (1 crore)

The Haryana pacer was another capped Indian released by the Kings XI Punjab after the 2018 edition. Mohit Sharma has not played international cricket in three years now and is out of the reckoning for India.

A base price of 1 crore might be apt for the Indian pacer. In the past, he has been good in death overs with his slower deliveries. At 1 crore, Mohit can turn out to be a good bargain buy.

#3 Mitchell Starc (1 crore)

Mitchell Starc will be making a return to the IPL after missing three seasons in a row due to injuries. The 28-year-old is among the premier fast bowlers in the world of cricket at the moment.

Although widely regarded as the best in the business, Starc is unlikely to attract lucrative bids because of his injury-marred history and given that the 2019 World Cup is around the corner. The IPL teams are unlikely to go hard at Starc and if his base price exceeds 1 crore, he may not get any bids.

#2 Yuvraj Singh (1 crore)

He may have rocked the IPL auctions in the past, but today Yuvraj Singh goes into the same event with a great chance of going unsold. Yuvi's performances have totally declined and he has done very little to justify a huge bid.

Also, not being a regular in the domestic circuit, there are serious doubts about his fitness and match practice. A decade and a half in international cricket mean that he may have done enough to keep his base price at 1 crore. However, anything more than that could get him into serious trouble.

#1 Gautam Gambhir (1 crore)

Gautam Gambhir's Delhi homecoming did not turn out to be a fairytale one as he could amass only 85 runs in 6 matches for his home franchise in the eleventh edition of the IPL. He was soon axed from the team.

Being in the twilight of his career, Gambhir has been out of the Indian team for more than two years now. He is not scoring in domestic cricket heavily and has not played competitive T20 cricket for a while.

Hence, Gambhir has to make sure that his base price is kept as low as possible to attract a bid. Given his current form, the franchises would not be willing to spend more than 1 crore as a base price on him.