A sneak peek into the IPL auction 2012

After the farce extended from a sour England tour to a humiliating tour of Australia, we’d rather shift our focus to the cricket extravaganza : The IPL – 5. The auction for this season is just around the corner and with nearly 144 players in the auction; everybody wants to know– which player will end up in which team. The players to be auctioned will include players from the dissolved Kochi Tuskers Kerala, 13 players from England, 19 from South Africa and others from Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia and West Indies. All-rounder Azhar Mahmood is the only Pakistani player in the auction, but is slated as an English cricketer.

Only the South African and New Zealand players will be available for the entire length of the tournament. The English and Australian players would be available for 5 out of 8 weeks; the West Indians will be available for the least – 3 weeks and the Lankans 7 out of the 8.

Almost all franchisees have $2 million in their kitty, except for RCB and Pune Warriors are going into the auction with some amount spent on the retention of Chris Gayle and Sourav Ganguly respectively. The others however have all their funds intact to pick from a variety of talent.

Let’s have a look at who we think a few sure-picks would be.

Brendon McCullum – A lot of teams in the IPL could do with an aggressive wicket-keeper batsman like McCullum, for whom the dissolution of KTK could be a boon. He holds the highest score in T20 cricket with the century he scored in the opening game of the IPL in 2008.

Doug Bracewell – Having steered New Zealand to beat Australia in the Hobart Test a couple of months ago with a 6-wicket haul, Bracewell seems one of those safe bets with his ability to pick wickets at timely stages.

Muttiah Muralitharan – Being Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler over the years, he brings all his experience into play that can be an asset to any team. Since he has now retired and is free from international commitments, he will be available for the entire season as well.

Mahela Jayawardene – Having loads of experience in his kitty, the re-appointed Sri Lankan captain could have a lot to offer to any team along with his exceptional batting skills that has been supporting Sri Lankan cricket for so many years now.

Vernon Philander – The pace sensation with his performances against Australia and Sri Lanka in the recent home series has showed enough potential and skill that could result in the bid for him being a good battle between the franchisees. He was also quite a success for the Cape Cobras during the Champions League.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe – Considered being the best limited overs bowler in South Africa, Tsotsobe with his miserly run-giving could be a match-turner.

James Anderson – Anderson has been the leader of the intimidating English bowling attack for many years now. With his ability to swing the ball and pick wickets early, he could be a handy buy.

Matt Prior – Apart from being a credible wicket-keeper, Matt Prior has batted England out of trouble on numerous occasions. Posing the batting skills he has apart from his wicket keeping ones. He becomes another good pick for the teams who don’t have a full-time keeper batsman.

Ian Bell – Despite his failure against Pakistan in the recent series, he was arguably the best batsman in 2011, which might work in his favour. His stroke play and ability to score runs consistently makes him a useful pick.

Graeme Swann – The wily off spinner who is known for his intelligent gameplay goes about his job without anyone even realizing it. Along with that, his pinch hitting capabilities makes him a useful pick.

Owais Shah – Owais Shah’s successful stint with the Hobart Hurricanes should definitely result in him getting picked for a good price in the IPL keeping in mind the impeccable form he displayed Down Under.

Sunil Narine – After having been a sensation in the Champions League, Narine was launched in the series against India where he was a hit with his covert leggies, which the franchisees owners would have make note of.

Ravi Rampaul – Well-known for his stroppy bounce, Rampaul has done well in the subcontinent during the tour of West Indies and earlier for Trinidad and Tobago in the Champions League T20. He is also recognized for dismissing Tendulkar quite constantly.

Darren Bravo – Said to be the replica of Brian Lara, he has showcased his incredible batting talent in India earlier during the West Indies series against India which can add to his profile. He surely is one the franchisees must have thought about.

Peter Siddle – Siddle’s attitude to give a 100% at any time of the day added to that, his spectacular performance against India in the on-going series must have attracted quite a few buyers. The Australian paceman could turn out to be an asset to any team backed by his current form.

Mitchell Johnson – Johnson is one of the few to have fared well in the subcontinent with the ball apart from which his handiness with the bat makes him a good pick for the franchisees.

R.P Singh – He played an important role in the 2nd season when the Deccan Chargers won the IPL. With heaps of T20 experience and by far the highest wicket taker in the IPL with 52 wickets, the fast bowler surely would be amongst the picks in the auction.

Ravindra Jadeja –Being a useful all-rounder, Jadeja is on the minds of many owners if the fly on the wall reports right. Handy with his left-hand spin and based on his current form, it would only do him good at the auction.

Kevin O’Brien – After his 50-ball century in the World Cup against England in the subcontinent, the Irishman would definitely be amongst the top picks in the auction having publicized how ruthless he can be.