IPL auction: Bosch, Head, Cummins, Shardul and Umesh in top pay bracket as 333 players set to go under hammer

Mumbai: England youngster Harry Bosch, Australian opener Travis Head, Rilee Rossouw of South Africa, Australia captain Pat Cummins, former Australia captain Steve Smith, India’s Shardul Thakur and Chris Woakes of England are among the 23 players that have opted for the highest reserve price of Rs 2 crore in the upcoming Player Auction for the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) to be held in Dubai on December 19.

Of the 23 players in the highest pay bracket, 20 are overseas cricketers while three are Indians including Harshal Patel and Umesh Yadav.

The roster for the IPL 2024 Player Auction, which was unveiled by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Honorary Secretary Jay Shah on Monday, features 333 players, who are scheduled to go under the gavel at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

Out of 333 players that have put up their names for the auction, 214 are Indians and 119 are overseas players. Of the overseas players, two are players from associate nations.

The list includes a total of 116 capped players, while uncapped players are 215 as they will be competing for a maximum of 77 slots that are now available with up to 30 being slotted for overseas players.

While 23 players are in the highest reserve price of INR 2 crore, 13 players are in the auction list with a base price of INR 1.5 crore.

The list includes IPL regulars like Rovman Powell, Lockie Ferguson, Josh Hazlewood, Alzarri Joseph, Chetan Sakariya, Mitchell Starc, former India pacers Umesh Yadav and Jaydev Unadkat, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey.

Young sensations, Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand and Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, stars of the recently concluded Men’s ODI World Cup 2023, have opted for the Rs 50 lakh bracket.

The BCCI also clarified that a total of 173 players, including 50 foreigners, have been retained by the 10 franchises for the 2024 edition, spending Rs 737.05 crore in all.

Most of the franchises have retained between 19 to 17 players while Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have retained 13 players and have 12 slots available which they need to fill through the auction. They have a total salary cap of 38.15 crore, the highest among all teams.

Delhi Capitals have retained 16 cricketers including four overseas players and have nine slots available with a total of Rs 28.95 crore,

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who have retained 19 players, need to fill six more slots and have the second-highest salary cap of Rs 34 crore available.

In all, the franchises have a total available salary cap of Rs 262.95 to spend in the auction.

Meanwhile, the top absentees from those that have opted to be part of the auction include, England pacer Jofra Archer, who is recuperating from an injury, England Test captain Ben Stokes and his predecessor Joe Root.

–IANS