New Delhi: England Ben Stokes, Australia Mitchell Starc and West Indies Veterans Big-Hitter Chris Gayle is among the missing stars from the upcoming auction for the Indian Premier League, Media said Saturday Saturday.
More than 1,200 Cricketers from India and 18 countries around the world have registered to go under the hammer in Bangalore on February 12 and 13 for the 15th edition of the most profitable cricket tournament in the world.
Other important absences from the long list of players in the offer pool for IPL – are expected to begin in April depending on the Covid situation in India – is the British trio of Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran, the report said.
Stokes and Woakes both participated in the tour of the recent disaster ash in Australia.
Captain Joe Root – who has never played at IPL – also sitting outside auction even though Fast bowler Mark Wood is on the list along with Australian stars David Warner and Pat Cummins, the report said.
Ten teams will bid and participate in IPL this year after the addition of two new franchises, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.
The control council for cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday discussed the logistics and Covid situation that emerged with the owner of the IPL franchise before announcing that his showcase event would begin in the last week of March and ran until the end of May.
With Covid cases up in India, BCCI has not confirmed the timeline for the latest edition of the IPL.
“The majority of team owners expressed their desire that the tournament was held in India,” said Honorary Secretary BCCI Jay Shah in a statement.
Shah added that BCCI “will not leave the stone missed in ensuring that the IPL remains in India …
and will simultaneously work on plan B since the Covid-19 situation with a new variant remains fluid”.
The last edition of the IPL began in India but was suspended in May 2021 as a case soaring and finished in the year in the United Arab Emirates, with Chennai Super Kings appeared as a champion.
The opening mixture India Kl Rahul will be captain of Lucknow after he was signed as a common paid player together, for 170 million rupees ($ 2.3 million), in the history of the tournament.
The former Indian captain Virat Kohli was signed for the same number in 2018 by the Royal Challengers franchise Bangalore.
“I was very impressed with KL not just the ability to hit and caught, but his leadership skills,” the owner of the Lucknow team Sanjiv Goenka told Star Sports.
Ahmedabad, which was purchased by the global private Equity Giants CVC Capital, announced the Indian Hardik Pandya All-Rounder as the captain of the new team.
The franchise also signed the Afghan Star Leg-Spinner Rashid Khan for 150 million rupees ($ 2.1 million) and the young Dough Indian Shubman Gill for 80 million rupees.
Gary Kirsten, a former dough and South African mentor for the Ahmedabad franchise, said that it was an opportunity for the hardik as “a young and new captain”.
“I think he would be truly motivated to enter and make a plan and show what he was able to level this game as a leader,” said Kirsten.