Nineteen English players put themselves forward, including Alex Hales and Pat Brown
Tuesday 18 December 2018 16:17, UK
Nineteen English players, including Sam Curran and late entrant Eoin Morgan, have put themselves forward for Tuesday's IPL auction at which the eight franchises will fill out their squads for the 2019 season.
A total of 351 players have been shortlisted, with the bidding war in Jaipur set to see a maximum of 70 players signed - 50 Indian cricketers and 20 overseas stars.
As the decision makers ponder their moves, here are some of the high-profile and lesser-known players who could be snapped up for next spring's tournament...
SAM CURRAN (England)
Base price - 2 crore
The all-rounder has become an integral part of England's Test team since making his debut against Pakistan in May - Curran has played seven matches in the format and England have won all of them. The 20-year-old remains on the fringes of the ODI side but that could be to his benefit in the auction, with the Surrey youngster looking increasingly likely to be available for the whole competition, something those picked in various World Cup squads will not. Curran is one of 10 players with the highest reserve price - international team-mates Morgan and Chris Woakes are among the others- but his ability to pick up wickets early on with swing and smash sixes down the order with the bat makes him an attractive proposition. Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore are reportedly keen.
BRENDON McCULLUM (New Zealand)
Base price - 2 crore
The World Cup will certainly not be a factor for McCullum, who retired from international duty with the Black Caps in 2016. The 37-year-old failed to ignite for RCB in last season's IPL, managing just 127 runs in six innings with a top score of 43, but if a franchise is looking for some top-order oomph, they could do a lot worse than pick a man with two IPL tons to his name, including the very first when he lashed an unbeaten 158 for Kolkata against RCB in 2008. Add in McCullum's gun fielding and his noted cricket brain, and he is unlikely to be short of admirers. The same could be said of countryman Corey Anderson, who, like Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga, Australia's Shaun Marsh and D'Arcy Short and South Africa's Colin Ingram, also has the maximum base price of 2 crore.
JONNY BAIRSTOW AND ALEX HALES (England)
Base price (1.5 crore)
Bairstow, and the man he is currently keeping out of England's ODI side, Hales, are more than capable of providing top-order oomph, as they proved a few weeks ago in the T10 League in the UAE - Bairstow breaking the record score before Hales trumped him a day later! Bairstow is yet to experience the IPL but has surely boosted his chances of a deal after striking four ODI tons in 2018, with only Kohli and Rohit Sharma topping his tally of 1,025 runs. Hales was limited to six games for 2018 runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad last term, though did sparkle briefly in back-to-back knocks of 45. Fellow Englishmen Luke Wright and Liam Dawson are also priced at 1.5 crore, with Wright looking to land an IPL contract for the first time since 2013 when he played for the now-defunct Pune Warriors.
MORNE MORKEL AND DALE STEYN (South Africa)
Base price (1.5 crore)
Veteran South Africa seamers Morkel and Steyn are also hoping the gavel falls in their favour and it may well do if franchises feel they are short of a wicket-taker. Morkel managed 59 of them in 10 matches in the County Championship last season to help Surrey to a long-awaited title, while Steyn has shown he retains plenty of his old pace and menace since returning to the international scene this year, form he has continued for Cape Town Blitz in the inaugural Mzansi Super League. As for other seamers who may garner interest, look out for India's Mohammed Shami, as well as England's Chris Jordan, Mark Wood and Steve Finn, Australia's James Pattinson and New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson, who are all priced at 1 crore. But what about a potential bargain from Worcestershire?
PAT BROWN (England)
Base price (40 lakhs)
The leading wicket-taker in the 2018 Vitality Blast could be an absolute steal at 40 lakhs! Brown bagged 31 T20 scalps this summer - the second most ever in an English county season - to help his team to the title, frequently baffling batsmen with his knuckle ball. The 20-year-old will experience franchise cricket in Bangladesh early next year having been signed by Sylhet Sixers and an IPL side could swoop, too, if they have a few extra pennies knocking around. Big-game temperament should not be an issue either - Brown claimed 4-21 in the Blast semi-final against Lancashire, including three in a one-run 19th over, and then 0-15 in the final against Sussex when his four overs featured a whopping 13 dot balls out of 24.
SHIMRON HETMYER (Windies)
Base price (50 lakhs)
The IPL is no stranger to powerful Caribbean batsmen - think Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, who each blazed 11 sixes in one innings during the 2018 tournament for Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively. Hetmyer, 21, is also a prodigious boundary hitter, something Indian fans know all too well following his ODI century against their side in Guwahati in October. The Guyanese left-hander followed that up with seven sixes in a 64-ball 94 in Visakhapatnam three days later to help Windies earn a thrilling tie as he bossed India's spinners. Having also impressed for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, he looks odds on to land an IPL deal. Keep an eye on his fellow West Indian Oshane Thomas, too - the young Jamaican quick has pace to burn.
Other English interest:
Joe Denly (1 crore)
Tymal Mills (75 lakhs)
Harry Gurney (75 lakhs)
Liam Livingstone (50 lakhs)
Samit Patel (50 lakhs)
Lewis Gregory (40 lakhs)
Laurie Evans (40 lakhs)
Jamie Overton (40 lakhs)
Follow Tuesday's IPL auction across Sky Sports' digital platforms.
