Marquee players to watch out for at the IPL auctions
What's the story
Franchises have already started drafting their plans with just a few more days left for the mega IPL auctions. With over 578 players to choose from, planning could be tricky. In the auction pool, there are several marquee foreign stars who will be up for grabs. Here is our list of the 5 players who could spark a bidding war.
Big boys
10 international stars among marquee players
The BCCI has named 16 marquee players for the auctions scheduled on the 27th and 28th of January. While six of them are Indian, the rest are established international cricketers. Ben Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Glenn Maxwell, Joe Root, Shakib Al Hasan, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo and Kane Williamson are the 10 foreign marquee players.
Ben Stokes
The number one all-rounder in the world
The England all-rounder, Ben Stokes has been at the centre of controversy ever since his arrest after a brawl outside a nightclub in Bristol. But that is unlikely to affect the cricketer's value at the auctions. The hottest pick during the last auctions, a fierce bidding war is likely to take place to land the English international.
Mitchell Starc
Lightning fast Starc
The spearhead of the Australian bowling attack, Mitchell Starc will be one of the most sought-after players and why not? If you can bowl at speeds clocking 160kph, who wouldn't want you. It's not just about the speed, since January 2017 Starc has picked up 24 wickets in 12 ODIs and 29 wickets in 7 Test matches
Chris Gayle
The king of T20 cricket
The Universe Boss needs no introduction. T20 cricket's most destructive batsman, the fastest centurion and top scorer Chris Gayle is on the shortlist of most franchises, but RCB definitely have the upper hand with the RTM card. Despite being 38, his recent performances in the Bangladesh Premier League have been eye-catching. However, he has had a poor run with the West Indies.
Kieron Pollard
The explosive West Indian
Kieron Pollard can change the game in minutes and is an asset to any aside considering his ability to slip in a few overs in the middle. A cog in the wheel of the Mumbai Indians side for years, it will come as no surprise if the Nita Ambani owned franchise use the RTM card to keep hold of the towering West Indian.
Joe Root
England's finest cricketer
The England captain has thrown his hat for the first time into the ring and is likely to have several suitors. One of the fab fours of international cricket, Root is in fine form amassing over 1000 runs in Test and ODI cricket over the last 12 months. The 27-year-old has already scored an unbeaten 91 and 46 in the ongoing ODI series.