IPL 2022 Auction: 3 Australians with ₹1 crore base price likely to go unsold

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 mega auction is all set to take place on February 12 and 13 in Bengaluru. Ahead of it, organizers have announced that as many as 1,214 players have registered for the 2022 player auction. The final list of players for the mega auction will be prepared by the IPL governing council once the franchises send back their wishlists.

Of the cricketers who have registered their names for the upcoming auction, 896 are Indians and 318 overseas players. The list features 270 capped, 903 uncapped and 41 Associate players.

Among the list of overseas cricketers, T20 World Cup champions Australia have the biggest representation. Fifty-nine players from the country have given their names, followed by South Africa (48), West Indies (46) and Sri Lanka (36).

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IPL 2022 Auction: Will these Aussie cricketers find any takers?

A number of Australian cricketers have listed a base price of ₹1 crore for the auction. We look at three such players who are likely to go unsold.

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#1 Marnus Labuschagne

Marnus Labuschagne during a BBL match. Pic: Getty Images

Marnus Labuschagne has been a standout performer for Australia in the Test format. He averages nearly 57 after 23 Tests. He has also played a few ODIs for the country and has a reasonable record, averaging 39.41 after 13 one-dayers. But he is not considered a T20 player. In fact, Labuschagne is yet to make his international debut in the format.

The 27-year-old made his T20 debut in 2017 but has only played 25 matches till date in which he has scored 666 runs at a strike rate of 127.34 with four half-centuries. Interestingly, he has also claimed 21 wickets at a decent average.

Given his versatility, there is every chance that Labuschagne will transform himself into a match-winner in the T20 version in the near future. But this year, it is unlikely that IPL franchises will invest in Labuschagne. The sample size of his performances in the format is too short to make a judgment.

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#2 D'Arcy Short

D'Arcy Short batting for Hobart Hurricanes. Pic: Getty Images

Hobart Hurricanes opener D'Arcy Short had a decent run for his franchise in the Big Bash League 2021-22 season. He scored 444 runs in 15 matches at an average of 37 with two fifties. However, he finished the edition with a reasonably underwhelming strike rate of 113.26. Considering how crucial scoring quickly is in T20 cricket, IPL franchises might be apprehensive of bidding for Short.

If we look at the other leading run-scorers in BBL 2021-22, Ben McDermott has a strike rate of 153.86, Matthew Short 156.08, Glenn Maxwell 159.72, Jason Sangha 132.04 and Josh Philippe 143.47. Clearly, Short is some way behind as the stats point out the stark difference. His contributions with the ball as a left-arm spinner too haven’t been significant, which is also likely to go against him at the auction.

Although the 31-year-old is a highly experienced T20 campaigner, he has also only featured in the IPL once. He played seven matches for Rajasthan during the 2018 season, scoring 115 runs at a strike rate of 116.16 and claiming a solitary wicket. It seems unlikely that he will get a chance to add to his IPL numbers.

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#3 James Faulkner

James Faulkner in the BBL. Pic: Getty Images

Yes, the forgotten man of Australian cricket, James Faulkner, has also listed his name for the mega auction at a base price of ₹1 crore. There was a time when the all-rounder was a key figure in Australia’s white-ball plans. He was, in fact, the Man of the Match in Australia’s 2015 World Cup final triumph over New Zealand, claiming 3 for 36. His slow cutters and smart variations made him deadly and he was also extremely dangerous with his big-hitting batting skills.

Faulkner’s talent has been on show in the IPL as well in the past. In 60 matches, he has claimed 59 wickets at a strike rate of 20.8 with two five-wicket hauls, both coming in the 2013 season for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) against the same opponents - Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). That was a time when he was at the peak of his powers. His fortunes have dwindled significantly since due to form and fitness issues.

Faulkner last played for Australia in 2017 and his last IPL match was for Gujarat Lions (GL) against SRH in the same season. He was ruled out of last year’s BBL season after aggravating his hamstring injury. The left-arm seamer picked up eight wickets in five games for the Hobart Hurricanes. The 31-year-old then turned down a one-year contract offer from the same franchise for the BBL 2021-22 season, claiming it was "pretty embarrassing."

Faulkner hasn’t done much of note lately and hence it is unlikely that IPL franchises will look in his direction during the mega auction.