Big names missing from IPL auction list as Covid-19 poses threat
AUSTRALIAN Test star Mitchell Starc, England’s Ben Stokes and veteran West Indies big-hitter Chris Gayle are among the stars missing from the upcoming auction for the Indian Premier League.
More than 1,200 cricketers from India and 18 countries across the world have registered to go under the hammer in Bangalore on February 12-13 for the 15th edition of the world’s most lucrative cricket tournament. Other notable absentees from the long list of players in the bidding pool for the IPL -- expected to begin in April depending on the Covid situation in India -- are the English trio of Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran.
Englan captain Joe Root, who has never played in the IPL, is also sitting out the auction although fast bowler Mark Wood is on the list along with Australian stars David Warner and Pat Cummins.
Ten teams will bid and participate in this year’s IPL after the addition of two new franchises, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday discussed logistics and the emerging Covid situation with IPL franchise owners before announcing that its showcase event will start in the last week of March and run until the end of May.
With Covid cases rising in India, the BCCI hadn’t yet confirmed a timeline for IPL’s latest edition.
“A majority of team owners expressed their wish that the tournament be held in India,” BCCI honorary secretary Jay Shah said in a statement.
Shah added that the BCCI “will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that IPL stays in India and will work on Plan B since the Covid-19 situation with new variants remains fluid”.
IPL’s last edition began in India but was suspended in May 2021 as cases soared.