Five Players with base price of 2 Crore who can start bidding war at IPL mini-auction 2024

With every passing season, the IPL is expanding into a bigger cricket tournament. It seems to be nothing different in the 2024 season, where the hype for the league has gone enormous. There are only a limited number of spots available for the players to be brought. Yet, a total of 1166 players from different parts of the globe registered their names for the auction of the season. To think that it is just a mini auction with not many slots up for grabs makes it an astonishing number. Many world-class players have registered their names to be picked in the auctions. 

No other season saw more number of players registering their names for a single edition of the auction table. Neither in the mega auctions nor in the mini auctions did the league see so many players being registered. Out of those 1166 players, only 590 players are set to go under the hammer. Many franchises would be looking forward to buying the players that are in demand and performed extremely well in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023. The pace bowlers are likely to be in huge demand. 

Here are the five players with a base price of 2 Crore who can start a bidding war at the IPL mini-auction 2024.

5. Gerald Coetzee

Gerald Coetzee was one of the most exciting bowlers to watch out for in the ODI World Cup 2023. The South African pacer was successful as a bowler in his maiden stint at the highest level, as he picked up a lot of wickets in the middle overs phase. In 8 innings in the tournament, Coetzee claimed 20 wickets at a bowling average of just 19.80, at a bowling strike rate of 19.05, at an economy rate of 6.23, including a 4-wicket haul. The South African pacer was the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. 

Coetzee showed incredible skills to claim wickets in the tournament. The youngster was one of the best pacers in the tournament, especially with his pace on full throttle. Coetzee bowled to the right lengths and got rewards. Even when South Africa seemed to be out of contention, the pacer brought them back by bowling brilliantly. The right-arm pacer was one of the reasons behind South Africa finishing the points table with 7 wins to their name in 9 appearances. He would surely be in demand in the IPL 2023. 

4. Josh Hazlewood

Josh Hazlewood has been one of the best bowlers in T20 cricket in the last 3 years. The Australian pacer has performed well in the BBL, IPL, and international cricket as well. In 2021, Hazlewood helped Australia to win their maiden T20 World Cup. In the same year, Hazlewood played a key role in CSK's fourth title win in the IPL. As a bowler, Hazlewood was good enough in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023. His performances went unnoticed, as he was more of an economical one, than a wicket-taking option. 

In 11 innings in the tournament, Hazlewood claimed 16 wickets at a bowling average of just 28.06, a bowling strike rate of 34.93, at an economy rate of 4.81, including a best bowling figure of 3/38. His economy rate of 4.81 was one of the best for the bowlers in the tournament. He stepped up when it mattered the most, as he bowled a brilliant spell in the semifinal against South Africa. Even in the final against India, he was brilliant with the ball, especially in the death overs, where batters found it difficult to score against him. 

3. Travis Head

Travis Head turned out to be a nightmare for the teams that faced him in the Knockout stage of the tournament. India and South Africa were both hammered for fun by the Australian batter, who just seemed to be on a different level altogether at the grand stage. Despite missing the first half of the tournament due to an injury, Head made a terrific comeback. In the semifinal, Head scored 62(47) with the bat and bowled well to claim 2/21 in his 5 overs against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

In the final, Head played an all-time great knock against India, as he scored 137(120) and took the important catch of Rohit Sharma. In both the semifinal and the final, Head was adjudged the Player of the Match. In 6 innings in the tournament, Head scored 329 runs at a batting average of 54.83, at a batting strike rate of 127.51, including 2 hundred and a fifty-plus score. With the ball, Head was useful, as he claimed 2 wickets in the semifinal against South Africa. Given his form and aggression, Head would be in demand in the IPL 2024.

2. Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins was known for his captaincy exploits in the ODI World Cup 2023. In the semifinal and the final of the tournament, Cummins opted to bowl first, knowing how well the conditions would behave. In the final of the tournament, Cummins bowled exceptionally well, using cutters and slower ones to perfection. In recent years, the star pacer has improved in his bowling. More importantly, Cummins has become someone who can genuinely bat at number 8, where some extra runs are required to be added. 

In 11 innings in the tournament, Cummins claimed 15 wickets at a bowling average of just 34.33, at a bowling strike rate of 35.80, at an economy rate of 5.75, including a best bowling figures of 3/51. In the IPL history, Cummins has the joint fastest 50 by a batter, along with KL Rahul. With the added profile of captaincy to his name, Cummins might be in more demand this time around. Given his bowling, batting, fielding, and leadership, one could expect him to be one of the costliest players in the auction on the 19th of December.

1. Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc had a phenomenal performance in the knockout stage of the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023. In the semifinal against South Africa, Starc was exceptional as he claimed 3/34 in his 10 overs. In the final against India, he claimed 3/55 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. Although his tournament was not that good overall, he stepped up for Australia when it mattered the most. For his skill sets and unique abilities to perform on a grand stage, Starc will always be in demand wherever he plays.

In 10 innings in the tournament, Starc claimed 16 wickets at a bowling average of just 33.00, a bowling strike rate of 32.62, at an economy rate of 6.06, including a best bowling figure of 3/34. The left-arm pacer can swing the ball away from the left-handers at a pace of over 140 kmph. With the old ball, stars can bowl Yorkers to get the better of the batters. whenever he registered his name for the IPL, he was costly in the auction. It would not be any different this time around, as teams need a quality pacer.