IPL auction: Stokes, Ashwin among 16 marquee players

Troubled England all-rounder Ben Stokes and Indian offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin are among the 16 marquee players for the upcoming IPL (Indian Premier League) Players’ Auction in Bengaluru on January 27 and 28.

Australian speedster Mitchell Starc and England captain Joe Root are also among the top foreigners who will be under the hammer in the auction.

Root’s entry in the marquee list is an indication that England and Wales Cricket Board has finally understood what their players want.

Stokes was cleared to play for England again on Wednesday despite being charged with affray. He was earlier suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) from international duty for his involvement in an incident outside a nightclub in September that reportedly left a man with a fractured eye socket.

While more than 1,000 players had registered for the auctions, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has pruned the list to 578 players.

The players have been bracketed into 8 distinct slabs as per their profiles. The slabs for internationals (Indian and foreign) are ~2 billion, ~15 million, ~1 billion, ~7.5 million, and ~5 million, respectively, while uncapped players are basepriced at ~4 million, ~3 million, and ~2 million, respectively.

“A lot of strategising and number-crunching is involved before a cricketer is picked at the IPL player auction. The dynamic nature of the auction makes it unpredictable and exciting,” IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla said. “The eight franchises have given us an indication of what their core would be with their Player Retentions and IPL 2018 Player Auction will be an important step towards the creation of a successful team. The marquee list is full of star players, but I am also looking forward to the uncapped Indian players who have proved their mettle in the earlier editions of the VIVO IPL and are sure to attract high bids.”

Among the 16 marquee players bracketed into M1 and M2 (marquee list) categories, current India players Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane are in the top marquee list along with Stokes, who is again expected to trigger a bidding war.

Currently the world’s premier fast bowler Mitchell Starc and T20 match-winner Chris Gayle are also in the M1 category. Some of the veteran internationals in the second tier of the marquee list (M2) are Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh.

With 13 Indian players in the ~2-billion bracket, after a long time franchises will get to choose from current India players. Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dinesh Karthik are in the top wishlist of the franchises along with Afghan sensation Rashid Khan Arman. South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada is in the ~15-million bracket while Brandon McCullum and Faf du Plessis are priced at ~2 billion and Chennai Super Kings have their Right to Match Cards.