IPL 2020: Final auction list trimmed down from 971 to 332 players

The IPL management has whittled down a list of 971 registered players to just 332, and sent the final list to the eight franchises on Wednesday.

total of 332 players have been shortlisted for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to be held in Kolkata on December 19.

The IPL management has whittled down a list of 971 registered players, and sent the final list to the eight franchises on Wednesday.

One of the franchise heads confirmed that the list features 19 capped Indian players, along with 24 new entrants -- including Kesrick Williams, Mushfiqur Rahim and Adam Zampa.

Among the Indians, Robin Uthappa has the highest base price of Rs 1.5 crore, while Jaydev Unadkat -- who was the highest buy for the last two seasons -- has set himself a base price of Rs 1 crore.

This being a relatively smaller auction, a total of 73 slots will be filled by the eight franchises, of which 29 have to be overseas players.

Bidding war

And some experts, who have been following the trend for years now, believe that Glenn Maxwell -- who took a break from cricket due to mental health issues -- at a base price of Rs 2 crore, could attract big bids along with the likes of Eoin Morgan and Pat Cummins.

Jason Roy, Chris Lynn and Aaron Finch too could fetch big money. Lynn, who had a good run with Kolkata Knight Riders in the past, has proven his mettle in the shortest format across the leagues, and he could find many takers.

The players have been divided according to categories and the capped players will go under the hammer first, followed by the uncapped players. The auction is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm.

Can Sun Risers cope up without David Warner?

Into their sixth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) look a formidable unit after the 2018 IPL auction, despite having lost their banned skipper David Warner due to a ball-tampering scandal.

Warner, who admitted to pre-meditated ball tampering in the Cape Town Test against South Africa, was handed a 12-month ban by Cricket Australia and subsequently, the BCCI barred him from participating in the upcoming edition of the IPL, starting April 7. The absence of Warner, the highest run-getter in the 2017 edition, has no doubt come as a setback for the 2016 IPL champions and the onus is now on New Zealander Kane Williamson to steer the side to their second title. Despite warming the bench for a major part of the last edition, Williamson, with his experience of leading his national side, will need to instil the confidence in the side in the company of former skipper and opener Shikhar Dhawan, who also will be expected to shoulder more responsibility at the top of the order.

Among the two names to be retained by the Sunrisers before the auction along with Warner, is rightfully paceman Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the top wicket-taker in both the 2016 and 2017 editions. Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan too is expected to tweak some magic again.

English power-hitter Alex Hales, who was named as Warner's replacement will be valuable at the top of the order with Dhawan while the inclusion of wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha and Manish Pandey, will bolster the middle order. Saha, who recently scored a century off 20 balls in club cricket, has the potential to turn around matches in a matter of few deliveries, while the lower order comprising all-rounders Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite and Shakib Al Hasan can be handy options with the bat.

The support staff consisting of Tom Moody, V.V.S.Laxman, Muttiah Muralitharan also adds to their strength.

Squad: Kane Williamson (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan Arman, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Sandeep Sharma, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Billy Stanlake, Siddharth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Shreevats Goswami, Basil Thampi, T. Natarajan, Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui, Sachin Baby, Tanmay Agarwal.

Hard Hitting Klaasen comes to Rajasthan Royals for Banned Steve Smith

The countdown has begun for the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier league and with only a handful of days left, franchises are making last-minute additions to their squads.

Returning after a two-year ban, Rajasthan Royals are slated to begin their IPL campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 9. After Steve Smith was ruled out of the 11th edition following the ball-tampering scandal, South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen has been named as his replacement. Smith was due to lead the Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming edition of the T20I lucrative league, but he was banned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after being imposed a 12-month suspension by the Cricket Australia for his involvement in ball-tampering scandal that took place during the four-match Test series against South Africa.

Considered as one of the few South African players to have managed to cope with Indian spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, Klaseen has been bought at his base price of Rs 50 lakh after being went unsold at the IPL Players Auction that took place in Bengaluru in January, ESPNcricinfo reported. Klaseen, who made his international debut for South Africa against Indian in February, has a strike rate of 146 after 44 innings in the shortest format of the game.

The updated squad of Rajasthan Royals is as follows: Ajinkya Rahane (capt), D'Arcy Short, Rahul Tripathi, Aryaman Birla, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Prashant Chopra, Heinrich Klaasen, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, K Gowtham, Jatin Saxena, Mahipal Lomror, Zahir Khan, Shreyas Gopal, Midhun S, Ankit Sharma, Anureet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dushmantha Chameera, Ben Laughlin

IPL 2018: KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS, RAJASTHAN ROYAL OPEN TO TIME CHANGE, BCCI MAY CONSIDER

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to take a favorable call on the proposed changes to the timings of the matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Some franchises have seen merit in the idea, supposedly mooted by Star, and are understood to have conveyed this to the regulators. Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals have made it clear that they are comfortable with the change of timings, if not necessarily for the overlap of the matches.

“Look they are proposing to advance the games by 30 minutes — 3.30 pm for the afternoon games and 7.30 pm for night games. We see nothing wrong there. An early finish is in everyone’s interest. In-stadia public can go home early. It would be safe for them too. We will have an issue if there is an overlap of the games,” Venky Mysore, the CEO of the Shah Rukh Khan owned Kolkata franchise, told Mirror.

The original proposal was to start the evening games at 5.30pm and night matches at 7 pm but in the face of some opposition from certain teams, there seems to be some adjustments in the proposals. The teams have been explained that the viewership of the matches in the evening declines by 25 per cent in the last hour as the average match duration is three hours 24 minutes. The matches, more often than not, end after 11 pm. It is further argued that it would be difficult for in-stadia fans to find transport back home in places like Delhi, Kolkata and smaller cities like Jaipur.

Agrees Ranjit Balthakur of Rajasthan Royals. “We would prefer an early finish. In Jaipur, people tend to sleep early. If there are no doubleheaders, we are comfortable. In fact I have suggested that on weekends, instead of evening games, we can have breakfast games,” the CEO of the Jaipur team said.

The BCCI has not come out with its policy but an argument has also been made that players reach hotels only by 1 am after finishing the post-match formalities. Given the busy travel schedule during the league, the players often take flight early in the morning after a late arrival at the hotel. Early starts can lead to extra rest time for the players, it has been argued.

The biggest deciding factor yet could be the sponsors, who apparently don't get appropriate exposure during the post-match presentation. The presentations happen around 11.30 pm, by when viewers, both inside the ground and of television, won’t be there in big numbers.

The BCCI and IPL officials were not immediately available but the authorities seem to be sensitive to the view that there is transport discomfort after 11.30 pm.

There is a chance that the timings will be tweaked so that the matches end by 10.30 pm, not 11.30 pm.

Production bid delayed

Meanwhile, it has been learnt that the bidding date for the production services of the IPL and domestic games has been postponed by a week.

The BCCI has informed the concerned parties that the bidding will now happen on February 19, instead of February 12.

IPL 2018 auction: Five uncapped Indian players who can hit jackpot #IPL2018

IPL 2018 auction: Five uncapped Indian players who can hit jackpot #IPL2018

An Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is a stage where the word ‘surprise’ is an understatement. We have seen relatively lesser known and uncapped players getting snapped by teams at astounding prices and this year will be no different.

Here we take a look at five uncapped Indian players who can hit jackpot in this auction:

Krunal Pandya – Krunal has established himself as an utility player in this format and was one of the important members of the triumphant Mumbai Indians team. Hardik Pandya’s brother scored 243 runs at an average of 34.71 in the last edition and also took two wickets. It is highly likely that Mumbai Indians will use the right to match option for him.

Prithvi Shaw – Although Shaw was unsold in the previous auction, few will bet on a repeat of a similar result this weekend. The captain of the Indian under-19 cricket team is expected to be on the radar of all the teams and everyone has taken note of his sterling performances in the Ranji Trophy and the ongoing U-19 World Cup.


Deepak Hooda – The big-hitting Hooda has represented Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous editions. He is also an off-spinner and was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for an astounding Rs 4.2 crore in 2016. Having played 41 matches, the Baroda man is an experienced customer in this tournament.

Kamlesh Nagarkoti – This teenage tearaway has generated quite a buzz in the ongoing U-19 World Cup with his speed and as fast bowlers are always in high demand in the T20 format, it won’t be a surprise if franchises go all out for him in the auction. There’s a good chance that Rajasthan Royals will go for him in the auction as he will also give the team a local connect.

Rajneesh Gurbani – The find of the Ranji season, Rajneesh was one of the main reasons behind Vidarbha's fairytale run. He finished the season as the second-highest wicket-taker with 39 wickets. A proven swing bowler in Indian conditions would appeal to many franchises and having tasted blood with Vidarbha, his winning mentality will also help him settle down quickly in the slam bang format.

Chennai Super Kings have finalised on their Head Coach #IPL2018

Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 mega auction on January 27th and 28th in Bengaluru, reinstated franchise Chennai Super Kings have confirmed that they have appointed former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming as their head coach. Coming back from their banishment, CSK and Rajasthan Royals are already geared up to carry on the momentum from where they left. The dazzling tournament is on course for its 11th edition and with the franchises left with their choice of retainers, promises to be more exciting and electrifying.

"We want to retain the entire support staff, with Fleming as the coach and Hussey as the batting coach," CSK's newly appointed CEO, Kasi Viswanath was quoted as saying by Sportstar.

Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most consistently performing teams in IPL, and under the guidance of fallen legend MS Dhoni, CSK once again will flaunt its yellow brigade as they gear up for IPL 2018.

The mega cricketing event has already hogged the headlines with the Player Retention process and the list of players going under the hammer this season.

January 4 saw the team announcing their choice of retention, where CSK retained their captain since inception MS Dhoni, crucial contributor Suresh Raina and spinner Ravindra Jadeja.

With the aim to restore all the support staff, Super Kings have already appointed former Australian veteran Michael Hussey as their batting coach and Laxmipathy Balaji as the bowling mentor.

However, MS Dhoni has expressed, "But let's not get emotional. Other franchises would also try and get some of the old CSK players."

IPL 2019 in South Africa ??

IPL 2019 in South Africa ??

A decade after hosting the 2009 IPL, South Africa 

could be the destination for the T20 league 

once again.What's the story?

The Indian Premier League (IPL) could be heading 

for a new destination for its 12th edition next year. 

The T20 league is likely to be held in South Africa 

in 2019, with election dates in India expected 

to clash with the tournament dates next year.

In case you didn't know...

While the tournament is held in India every year, there 

have been instances in the past when the league had 

to be shifted out of the country for different reasons.

In 2009, South Africa had edged out England as the 

hosts of the tournament, with the tournament dates 

clashing with the general elections in India.

Deccan Chargers led by Australian Adam Gilchrist won the IPL 2009 held in South Africa

In 2014, the tournament was shifted out yet again, 

this time to UAE for the first two weeks, the reason 

being the Lok Sabha elections in April-May, the exact months

in which the league takes place.

The heart of the matter

While nothing has been decided as of yet, 

a report in The Times of India says that 

the BCCI is already discussing possibilities

 to move the tournament out of India next year,

with extensive elections scheduled to take 

place across the country.

Cricket South Africa, already reeling under the

effects of the postponement of their own brainchild, 

the Global T20 League, could use IPL as a means 

to showcase their hosting prowess, just 

like they did in 2009.

What's next?

While there is still time for the BCCI to 

fix the schedule for next year, all eyes 

will shift to the IPL's 11th season, 

set to be held from April 4 to May 27 

this year. Fresh auctions towards 

the end of January are adding to 

the interest in this season of the league.

Author's take

IPL 2019 is set to pose a headache for 

the BCCI: firstly, the 2019 World Cup 

is already slotted to take place from 

May end to mid-July, and according to 

the Lodha recommendations, a 15-day 

window has to be maintained between 

the 50-over tournament and the IPL.

Also, South Africa, the replacement 

hosts, have their own elections in 

2019, which could give another 

reason for the IPL to be moved 

ahead to a March-April scheduling.

By : Sportskeeda 

Captain Warner smashes Sun Risers into IPL playoffs

Gujarat Lions whimpered rather than roared in their final Indian Premier League match on Saturday, producing the worst collapse in the competition's history, before David Warner and Vijay Shankar clubbed Sunrisers Hyderabad into the playoffs.

The Lions will make way next season when Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are readmitted to the tournament following two-year suspensions.

Gujarat will sadly be remembered for the wrong reasons, having crashed from 111 without loss to 154 all out at Green Park.

Sunrisers skipper Warner strolled through the subsequent run chase, such as it was, with 69 not out off 52 balls faced, as his team recorded an easy eight-wicket victory, secured with 11 balls remaining in Kanpur.

He had a willing ally in Shankar, who notched 63 from 44, both men finding the boundary nine times each, to make sure of a spot in the top four.

Having been put in to bat, Dwayne Smith (54) and Ishan Kishan (61) added rapid runs for Gujarat early on, before the former departed lbw attempting to pull Rashid Khan (3-34).

The loss of Ishan, who top-edged Mohammed Siraj (4-32) to wicket-keeper Naman Ojha, two overs later sparked a landmark calamity for the home team.

Big guns Suresh Raina (2), Dinesh Karthik (0) and Aaron Finch (2) all followed in quick succession, as Gujarat slumped from 111-1 to 123-5 in the space of just seven balls. 

Ravindra Jadeja (20 not out) provided some token resistance and remained unbeaten at the crease, but saw potential partners come and go with barely a pause.

Pradeep Sangwan, Ankit Soni and Munaf Patel all made ducks, with James Faulkner (8) and Praveen Kumar (1) faring only slightly better.


That underwhelming return left Sunrisers with a simple task, the loss of Shikhar Dhawan (18) and Moises Henriques (4) in one Kumar (2-22) over doing little to delay the inevitable.