Predicting the top 5 buys of the IPL 2024 auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 auction is currently taking place at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. There is plenty of excitement over the top buys at the auction.

A total of 332 players had been shortlisted to go under the hammer, down from the initial list of 1,166 players. From the final list of players who are up for grabs at the IPL 2024 auction, 214 are Indian, while 119 are overseas cricketers, of which two belong to associate nations. From the 300-plus players, a maximum of 77 cricketers can be purchased by the franchises, with up to 30 slots available for overseas players.

The highest reserve price for the auction has been set as ₹2 crore with 23 players registering themselves in this category. There are 13 players with a base price of ₹1.5 crore, while 14 players are part of the ₹1 crore bracket.

There is plenty of excitement over who will walk away with hefty salaries. On that note, we predict the top five buys of the Indian Premier League 2024 auction.

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#5 Azmatullah Omarzai (₹5-6 crore)

Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai during the 2023 World Cup. (Pic: Getty Images)

Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai is a dark horse among players who might walk away with big pay packages. The youngster has put his name in the auction in the ₹50 lakh category, but expect him to get some impressive bids.

The 23-year-old had an excellent 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, hammering 353 runs in eight innings at an average of 70.60 and a strike rate of 97.78 with three half-centuries. It would be fair to say that Omarzai had a big role to play in Afghanistan’s outstanding World Cup campaign.

What stood out about Omarzai was the fearlessness with which he took on some of the top bowlers in world cricket. He is also a useful medium pacer, who claimed seven wickets at an economy rate of 7.10. Omarzai could be a surprise big hit at the auction.

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#4 Harry Brook (₹6-7 crore)

England batter Harry Brook (Pic: AP)

England’s aggressive batter Harry Brook had a disastrous IPL 2023 campaign for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Purchased for ₹13.25 crore amid much fanfare, he failed to live up to expectations and managed only 190 runs in matches - 100 of those runs came in one game. Brook made more news for his bizarre comments than his batting.

It was no surprise that the right-handed batter was released by SRH ahead of the auction. However, there is enough reason to believe that he will be in demand again.

Brook is an exceptional talent, who can blow away bowling attacks. IPL franchises would believe that he would be wiser and a lot more mature as compared to last season.

As such, he could be in demand at the auction yet again.

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#3 Rachin Ravindra (₹8-9 crore)

New Zealand’s batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra (Pic: Getty Images)

New Zealand’s batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra was one of the big success stories of the 2023 ODI World Cup.

The 24-year-old left-handed batter slammed 578 runs in 10 innings at an average of 64.22 and a strike rate of 106.44 with three hundreds and two fifties to his name.

Despite his relative lack of experience on the big stage, Ravindra looked in complete command out in the middle. His dazzling batting exploits would have caught the fancy of all IPL franchises.

Although the youngster has set his base price at ₹50 lakh for the IPL 2024 auction, expect him to start a bidding war.

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#2 Wanindu Hasaranga (₹10-11 crore)

Sri Lanka’s bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga (Pic: Getty Images)

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made the surprise move to release Wanindu Hasaranga ahead of the IPL 2024 auction. The seasoned Sri Lankan cricketer has an impressive IPL record, having claimed 35 wickets in 26 matches at an average of 21.37 and an economy rate of 8.13.

Hasaranga is one of the top bowlers in world cricket when it comes to the T20 format, with several batters still finding it tough to pick his variations. The 26-year-old is a match-winner with the ball without a doubt and is also a handy lower-order batter.

Hasaranga has set his base price at ₹1.5 crore for the IPL 2024 auction. It will be a surprise if he is not among the biggest buys on Tuesday in Dubai.

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#1 Travis Head (₹12-14 crore)

Australia’s World Cup hero Travis Head (Pic: Getty Images)

It could be a close tussle between Hasaranga and Australia’s 2023 World Cup hero Travis Head about being the most expensive purchase at the IPL 2024 auction.

Head missed Australia’s initial league games in the World Cup due to a fracture in his hand. He was, however, the team’s standout performer in the knockouts, winning the Player of the Match in the semi-final and the final.

Head is a destructive hitter of the cricket ball irrespective of the format. World cricket has seen his best over the last couple of seasons and the southpaw’s confidence seems to be at an all-time high.

The Aussie seems to possess that X factor and can make things happen - be it with bat, ball, and in the field. He might just pip Hasaranga and some others to walk away as the costliest buy at the IPL 2024 auction.