Top 10 Australians bought in the IPL Auction 2018

As is often the case at the IPL auction, there were plenty of Australian players up for grabs for the eight franchises to purchase.

David Warner and Steven Smith had already been retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals respectively, but their international colleagues were very much in demand.

I’ve had a look at some of the Australians purchased for this year’s IPL and rated them on how big an impact they’ll make in the upcoming tournament.

#10 Shane Watson (Chennai Super Kings)

Watson is one of several wise heads in the Super Kings dressing room and has experienced something of a rejuvenation in recent months.

He’s the third top run scorer in this year’s Big Bash with 331 and has also hit the third-highest number of sixes with 16.

It looks likely that he’ll open for CSK in the upcoming IPL, but he’s versatile and might come unstuck quickly when it comes to facing spin.

#9 Mitchell Johnson (Kolkata Knight Riders)

Mitchell Johnson wasn’t picked up by a franchise until late on in the second day of this year’s auction and it looks like his days at the top level might be numbered.

However, he’s still bowling at a good pace and has also taken seven wickets in this season’s Big Bash. He withdrew from this year’s Pakistan Super League, due to take place in February, meaning that he might be undercooked come the start of the IPL in April.

He might also find himself as a back-up to fellow Australian Mitchell Starc for the Knight Riders.

#8 D'Arcy Short (Rajasthan Royals)

D'Arcy Short has been the breakout star of this year’s Big Bash and leads the run-scoring charts by a mile. This can be put down to his record-breaking knock of 122* for the Hobart Hurricanes against the Brisbane Heat.

He’s a bowling option too, with some left-arm spin and it’ll be interesting to see how much game time he gets.

When looking at the roster, he looks to be a backup batting option, but with Steve Smith in the same team, he could find himself thrown into action.

#7 Andrew Tye (Kings XI Punjab)

Kings XI are top-heavy this year and Tye is their only experienced overseas fast bowler. He’s in-form though and has a range of different deliveries that can cause batsmen difficulties.

He’s a wicket-taker with 16 already in this year’s Big Bash, despite missing a number of games after being called up to make his ODI debut for Australia.

He broke a record in last year’s IPL, taking 5/17 for Gujarat on debut, registering the best bowling figures on debut in the tournament’s history.

#6 Marcus Stoinis (Kings XI Punjab)

This will be Stonis’ third season with Kings XI and there’ll be considerable pressure on him after going for a large sum.

He’s able to bat anywhere in the order, but his bowling will be much more valuable to the team.

Like Tye, he’s currently in-form, but there’s a lack of bowling quality in the Kings XI squad this year and he’ll have to be economical and take wickets.

#5 Pat Cummins (Mumbai Indians)

Cummins will be a part of a fearsome bowling partnership with Jasprit Bumrah for the Mumbai Indians this year.

The fast bowler’s fitness will have to be monitored throughout, but he’s a very good signing for the defending champions.

One worry might be that pace can often be easily dispatched to the boundary in India, while he also doesn’t produce many Yorker deliveries.

#4 Aaron Finch (Kings XI Punjab)

There’s going to be a great expectation from Aaron Finch this season for Kings XI as a result of what they’ve done in the auction.

It looks as if their tactic will be to score as many runs as possible and then try and defend. That’s where Finch comes in.

Likely to open with Chris Gayle, Finch will have to hit the ground running if KXIP are going to do anything this year.

His leadership qualities will also be important as there’s no recognised captain in the team and he might even have to bowl as well.

#3 Glenn Maxwell (Delhi Daredevils)

Delhi paid slightly over the odds for Maxwell in the auction and they’ll be hoping that he replicates his form from the IPL in 2014.

He was very hit-or-miss last year and he is the definition of a mercurial talent. His capacity to give away his wicket will be a worry, but his strike rate is very good.

Delhi have a very good team this year and Maxwell will be a key part of it.

#2 Chris Lynn (Kolkata Knight Riders)

When fit, Chris Lynn is one of the most destructive T20 batsmen in the world, but his injury record is a worry.

He’s recently recovered from a serious shoulder injury which still affects him in the field, while he also missed a couple of Big Bash matches with a calf injury.

However, he scored 295 runs for KKR last year with a strike rate of over 180. He also set a record with Sunil Narine against RCB last season.

#1 Mitchell Starc (Kolkata Knight Riders)

The Knight Riders’ season will be very reliant on the fitness of their overseas players this year and Starc is one with doubts.

He came through the Ashes series unscathed, but it’s unlikely that he’ll feature in every game this season.

He’ll rotate with Mitchell Johnson, I can’t see them playing together and his in-swinging Yorker will be very difficult for opposition batsmen to face.