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The cricketing world is buzzing ahead of the IPL 2024 Players' Auction, which takes place in Dubai today, December 19.
All eyes will be on the 10 franchises, who will battle it out to grab top-tier players as they aim to strengthen their squads ahead of next season.
Although this is a mini auction, the teams are expected to splurge cash on top players like Pat Cummins, Harry Brook and Mitchell Starc among others.
The IPL 2024 auction will feature 333 cricketers -- 214 Indians and 119 overseas players. A maximum of 77 slots are available with the 10 teams with 30 of them for overseas players.
23 players have been slotted in the top bracket with a base price of Rs 2 crore (Rs 20 million), while 13 have a reserve price of Rs 1.5 crore (Rs 15 million).
The five stars who could steal the show at the IPL 2024 auction:
Pat Cummins
Base Price: Rs 2 crore.
Cummins, who missed this year's IPL to focus on international committments, is making a much-anticipated return.
The most expensive buy at the IPL 2020 Auction, the Aussie was hired by the Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs 15.5 crores (Rs 155 million), is once again expected to trigger a bidding war.
The 30-year-old Australian Test and ODI captain, who has played for Delhi Capitals and KKR, has picked up 45 wickets in 42 IPL games, while scoring 379 runs a strike rate of 152.
Harry Brook
Base Price: Rs 2 crore
Brook was released ahead of the auction after being bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 13.25 crore (Rs 132.5 million) as he managed just 190 runs in 11 games last season.
But his sensational cameo against the West Indies in the third T20I on Saturday would certainly boost his stock at the auction.
Needing 21 runs from the final over for victory, Brook smashed Andre Russell for 4, 6, 6, 2, 6 as England chase down 223 in their 20 overs.
Mitchell Starc
Base Price: Rs 2 crore
Starc is finally back in the IPL.
His last appearance in the IPL came eight years ago, when he played two seasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014 and 2015, picking up 34 wickets from 27 matches.
He was bought by KKR for Rs 9.4 crore (Rs 94 million) in the IPL 2018 season, but he could not play a single game in that tournament because of injury.
Starc, who was part of Australia's World Cup winning team, is expected to fetch a high price at this year's auction with several teams looking for an experienced overseas pace bowler.
Shahrukh Khan
Base Price: Rs 40 lakh (Rs 4 million)
Tamil Nadu's big-hitting all-rounder is tipped to end up as the highest-paid upcapped player at the IPL auction.
Shahrukh, who was bought by Rs 9 crore (Rs 90 million) by Punjab Kings at the IPL 2022 auction, scored 156 runs in 14 games at a strike rate of 165 last season but was surprisingly released by his team.
His ability to score quickly in the end overs and bowl a few overs of part-time spin will definitely put him on the wishlist of every team.
Shardul Thakur
Base Price: Rs 2 crore
It came as a surprise when Shardul Thakur, a regular member of the Indian team across formats, was released by KKR ahead of the auction.
KKR had bought Thakur for Rs 10.75 crore (Rs 107.5 million) in the trading window ahead of last season but he failed to live up to expectations, taking seven wickets in 11 games at an economy rate of more than 10, while scoring 113 runs.
Any team would be keen to have an all-rounder of the quality of Thakur in its line-up.
Thakur is a handy pacer in Indian conditions and he is quite destructive with the bat when he gets going.
IPL Auction 2024 -- When and Where to Watch: The IPL 2024 Auction will begin at 1 pm IST. It will be telecast on the Star Sports channels. The live telecast will be streamed on the Jio Cinema app.