3 players from ₹1.5 crore bracket who might go unsold at IPL 2024 auction

The 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) auction will be held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on December 19. A total of 333 cricketers are set to go under the gavel after the earlier list of 1,166 players was pruned down.

Of the 333 players who have been shortlisted for the auction, 214 are Indian cricketers and 119 are overseas players, from which two players are from associate nations. There are 116 capped and 215 uncapped players in the auction list apart from the two from associate nations. A maximum of 77 slots can be filled up by the franchises, 30 of them being overseas slots.

While 23 players have registered their names in the highest base price of ₹2 crore, there are 13 cricketers in the auction list with a base price of ₹1.5 crore.

In this feature, we look at three players from the ₹1.5 crore bracket who might go unsold.

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#1 Tymal Mills

England left-arm pacer Tymal Mills. (Pic: iplt20.com)

England left-arm pacer Tymal Mills is among those who have registered their names in the ₹1.5 crore bracket for the IPL 2024 auction. However, he is unlikely to be in much demand among franchises. The 31-year-old has had his issues with injuries and his consistency with the ball has also been a question mark.

Mills has played 10 matches in his IPL career, claiming 11 wickets at an average of 31.18 and a very high economy rate of 9.85. He was surprisingly purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for ₹12 crore at the IPL 2017 auction. The left-arm seamer struggled, managing only five wickets in five matches at an economy rate of 8.57.

He subsequently played five matches for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 2022 season, claiming six scalps at an economy rate of 11.18, before being ruled out due to an ankle injury.

Mills has a good T20 record, having picked up 232 wickets in 194 games, but it will come as a surprise if he is sold to any of the IPL franchises at the 2024 auction.

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#2 Tom Curran

Tom Curran in action during the BBL. (Pic: Getty Images)

Another player from England, all-rounder Tom Curran, is also unlikely to be in demand at the IPL 2024 auction.

With the Impact Player rule in place, franchises are likely to ignore players who can contribute a bit with both bat and ball and focus on cricketers who are extremely strong in either of the two departments.

Curran is a right-arm pacer and a lower-order hitter. He has played only 13 IPL matches so far, claiming 13 wickets at an economy rate of 10.84 and scoring 127 runs at a strike rate of 118.69. His inconsistency with the ball has been a major issue in the T20 league, with batters being able to take him on at the death.

Curran has represented Kolkata Knight Riders (2018), Rajasthan Royals (2020), and Delhi Capitals (2021) in the IPL, but has never quite set the stage on fire.

With only 30 overseas slots up for grabs at the 2024 auction in Dubai, the bowling all-rounder is unlikely to get picked by any of the franchises.

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#3 Chris Jordan

Chris Jordan has a disappointing record in the IPL. (Pic: iplt20.com)

The third name in the list is also from England - death overs specialist Chris Jordan. The 35-year-old has a fantastic T20 record. In 329 matches, he has picked up 342 scalps at an average of 27.47. He has also chipped in with 1864 runs at a strike rate of 128.55. However, he has struggled badly in the IPL over the years despite his expertise in the T20 format.

The right-arm pacer has played 34 matches in the IPL, claiming 30 wickets at an average of 35.67 and a very high economy rate of 9.61. On several occasions, he has proved very expensive at the death. Jordan hasn’t contributed much with the bat as well, scoring 81 runs at a strike rate of 105.19.

The England pacer represented RCB in the 2016 season, claiming 11 wickets in nine matches. Jordan has failed to replicate the performance in subsequent editions. He joined MI as a replacement player for IPL 2023 but managed only three scalps in six matches at an average of 79 and an economy rate of 10.77.