IPL 2018: Root to give Gayle, Bravo a run for money

KANE WILLIAMSON, COLIN MUNRO AND TOM LATHAM WILL ADD THEIR CHARM TO THE TWENTY20 LEAGUE.

NEWDELHI: Joe Root will be among the international batsmen who will be available to the eight IPL teams during the mega auction scheduled in Bangalore on January 27-28.

The England Test captain will be among 282 international players who have signed up for the auction. The BCCI released the list of 1,122 players who will go under the hammer. The usual mix of top T20 players from India and overseas will be available to the teams.

Australia and South Africa will have the largest overseas representation with 58 and 57 players, respectively. Sri Lanka and the West Indies will have 39 players each while New Zealand will have 30. Afghanistan will have 13 players, Bangladesh eight, Zimbabwe seven, USA two and Scotland one. The full list has 281 capped players, 838 uncapped players, including 778 Indians and three players from the Associate nations.

A fierce bidding war is expected to break out when Indian stars Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, off spinners R Ashwin and Harbhajan Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, mystery spinner Kuldeep Yadav and openers KL Rahul and M Vijay go under the hammer.

The franchises will leave no stone unturned when Chris Gayle, Ben Stokes, Chris Lynn, Eoin Morgan and pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins come up for bidding. Dwayne Bravo, Carlos Brathwaite, Evin Lewis and Jason Holder will add the Caribbean flavour to the league while Lasith Malinga will lead Sri Lanka’s entourage that includes Angelo Mathews, the exciting Niroshan Dickwella, and Thisara Perera.

Showing his full range of strokes will be Glenn Maxwell, all-rounder Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson, who bowled Mumbai Indians to their third title last season with his final over heroics.

Hashim Amla, who hit two centuries for Kings XI Punjab will be hoping for a high bid with compatriots Faf du Plessis, Quinton de Kock, David Miller and speedsters Morne Morkel and Kagiso Rabada.

Kiwis Kane Williamson, Colin Munro and Tom Latham will add their charm to the world’s mostfollowed Twenty20 league.