The Indian Premier League auction for the sixth edition, to be held at Chennai on Sunday, is expected to be a low-key affair, says a report in Hindustan Times, adding that experts predict it could end up as the shortest IPL auction conducted so far.
“The main interest is around Australia Test captain Michael Clarke, with the new Hyderabad-based franchise, Sunrisers, tipped to go all out for him. Despite his poor record in T20 cricket, the Australian star can expect a windfall as his name is expected to trigger a serious bidding war. Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab are the other two teams who have enough money in the kitty to compete with Sunrisers but both are not known to go for big-ticket players,” says the report, adding that Sunrisers have a remaining salary cap of $7m, Kings XI around $6.8m and Royals around $7.7m.
“Also, Jaipur and Mohali-based teams have a settled combination while Sunrisers need a back-up option for captaining their side. Their first-choice captain Kumar Sangakkara is out of action due to a fractured finger. Also, they are in desperate need of beefing up their batting. Apart from Clarke, Ricky Ponting's fate will also be keenly awaited. But for different reasons. With a base price, $400,000, equal to Clarke, Ponting may face the embarrassment of going unsold,” adds the report.
Meanwhile a report in Mail Today say that with the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to kick off on April 3, the nine franchises in fray would like to put the finishing touches to the squads that will represent them in the twenty20 tournament. However, ITC Grand Chola in Chennai is not expected to see a lot of action on Sunday as franchises have the broad framework of their sides in place and are only looking to fill spots where they are deficient.
Some of the franchises have come out in the open about the strategy they will look to employ. For example, two-time champions and perennial favourites Chennai Super Kings will not look for any foreign players. "We want to develop our relations with the same players as they have understood the needs of the team and the management. The fans expect consistency from the players and performance and we need to deliver that," coach Stephen Fleming said.
The former New Zealand skipper will be looking for a good Indian bowler at the auction. "We did not have a local bowling leader. We are trying to rectify that for the coming season. We are looking for young bowlers are will fit in to our thinking," he said.
Meanwhile according to a report in Deccan Chronicle, two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings are looking to add more firepower to their bowling attack when 101 players go under hammer for Season 6 auction to be held in the city on Sunday.
Coach Stephen Fleming said the franchise wants to balance the side by roping in Indian pacers. “We need to improve the seam bowling department, especially the local bowlers. With the help of Andy Bichel (bowling coach), we are looking at identifying and developing a pool of bowlers,” said Fleming.
In the current 23-player squad, Super Kings have no Indian pacers. As R.P. Singh, Manpreet Gony, Sudeep Tyagi and Pankaj Singh are up for grabs, it will be interesting to see whether India discard R.P. Singh gets a look in or Gony and Tyagi, who were once part of the Chennai squad, get picked up again.
Sunrisers may go all out for Michael Clarke in IPL auction on Sunday
The Indian Premier League auction for the sixth edition, to be held at Chennai on Sunday, is expected to be a low-key affair, says a report in Hindustan Times, adding that experts predict it could end up as the shortest IPL auction conducted so far.
“The main interest is around Australia Test captain Michael Clarke, with the new Hyderabad-based franchise, Sunrisers, tipped to go all out for him. Despite his poor record in T20 cricket, the Australian star can expect a windfall as his name is expected to trigger a serious bidding war. Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab are the other two teams who have enough money in the kitty to compete with Sunrisers but both are not known to go for big-ticket players,” says the report, adding that Sunrisers have a remaining salary cap of $7m, Kings XI around $6.8m and Royals around $7.7m.
“Also, Jaipur and Mohali-based teams have a settled combination while Sunrisers need a back-up option for captaining their side. Their first-choice captain Kumar Sangakkara is out of action due to a fractured finger. Also, they are in desperate need of beefing up their batting. Apart from Clarke, Ricky Ponting's fate will also be keenly awaited. But for different reasons. With a base price, $400,000, equal to Clarke, Ponting may face the embarrassment of going unsold,” adds the report.
Meanwhile a report in Mail Today say that with the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) set to kick off on April 3, the nine franchises in fray would like to put the finishing touches to the squads that will represent them in the twenty20 tournament, says a report in Mail Today, adding that however, ITC Grand Chola in Chennai is not expected to see a lot of action on Sunday as franchises have the broad framework of their sides in place and are only looking to fill spots where they are deficient.
Some of the franchises have come out in the open about the strategy they will look to employ. For example, two-time champions and perennial favourites Chennai Super Kings will not look for any foreign players. "We want to develop our relations with the same players as they have understood the needs of the team and the management. The fans expect consistency from the players and performance and we need to deliver that," coach Stephen Fleming said.
The former New Zealand skipper will be looking for a good Indian bowler at the auction. "We did not have a local bowling leader. We are trying to rectify that for the coming season. We are looking for young bowlers are will fit in to our thinking," he said.
Meanwhile according to a report in Deccan Chronicle, two-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings are looking to add more firepower to their bowling attack when 101 players go under hammer for Season 6 auction to be held in the city on Sunday.
Coach Stephen Fleming said the franchise wants to balance the side by roping in Indian pacers. “We need to improve the seam bowling department, especially the local bowlers. With the help of Andy Bichel (bowling coach), we are looking at identifying and developing a pool of bowlers,” said Fleming.
In the current 23-player squad, Super Kings have no Indian pacers. As R.P. Singh, Manpreet Gony, Sudeep Tyagi and Pankaj Singh are up for grabs, it will be interesting to see whether India discard R.P. Singh gets a look in or Gony and Tyagi, who were once part of the Chennai squad, get picked up again.
