A staggering 1355 players have registered themselves for the upcoming IPL Auction on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. All 10 franchises will return to the bidding table to fill up key personnel gaps ahead of the new season. As many as 45 players have set their base price at ₹2 Crore including Australian ace Cameron Green. From India, only Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi, both out of favour India internationals, have set that mark.
The long list features overseas players from 14 countries, including the Netherlands, Scotland and the USA. BCCI will prune down the list with a December 5 deadline set for franchises to send their shortlisted names. Only 77 slots are available with franchises heading into the mini auction, with 31 of them overseas.
One of the biggest absentees would be Glenn Maxwell, who has opted out of the season. Maxwell featured for Punjab Kings last season, but has not registered for the IPL Auction this year. Steve Smith, who is captaining Australia in the Ashes, has put himself in the fray having opted out of recent seasons.
Maxwell's decision comes after long-time IPL servants Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali opted to play in the PSL this season. Andre Russell retired and joined KKR's coaching staff. Cameron Green thus is expected to be the most expensive player bought at the auction, given his ability to spot across multiple positions in the XI and bowl a few overs of pace.
Several overseas star who were released have listed themselves at the ₹2 Crore mark. That includes CSK trio - Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Matheesha Pathirana. Pathirana's Sri Lanka teammate Wanindu Hasaranga also enters at ₹2 Crore alongside the likes of Liam Livingstone, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Josh Inglis.
