Joe Root lines up for first IPL auction

NEW DELHI: England Test skipper and star batsman Joe Root is among 282 foreign players looking to play in this year’s big-paying Indian Premier League, the cricket board announced Saturday.

The player auction for the 11th IPL Twenty20 tournament is set for January 27-28 in Bangalore, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

Some 1,122 players will be on the auction block for the eight teams to bid for.

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“The list that has been sent out to the eight IPL franchises has 281 capped players, 838 uncapped players, including 778 Indians and three players from the associate nations,” said a BCCI release.

It predicted “a fierce bidding war” for Indian stars Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, with spinners Ravichandran Ashwin, Harbhajjan Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Kuldeep Yadav and openers Lokesh Rahul and Murali Vijay also going under the hammer.

Foreign stars will include Root, Ben Stokes, Chris Gayle, Chris Lynn, Eoin Morgan and Australian pace bowlers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. Fresh after his Ashes heroics, Starc will remain an attractive buy with his ability to deliver the ball at a fiery pace.

While Root is a new IPL entrant, England stars like Stokes and limited-overs captain Morgan will be in running to hit the jackpot.

England allrounder Stokes, who missed the Ashes after being suspended for a brawl, was signed for a record $2.16m by Rising Pune Supergiant last year. And as the franchises prepare for the mega two-day auction, Stokes will still be at the top of most team’s wishlist. The Englishman lived up to his hefty price-tag by helping Pune to the final, which they lost to Mumbai Indians, as he earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award in his maiden season.

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South African stars Hashim Amla, who hit two centuries for Kings XI Punjab last season, Faf du Plessis and Morne Morkel will also be expecting high bids.

India captain Virat Kohli will pick up the IPL’s largest-ever salary — $2.7 million — in this year’s tournament after his team Royal Challengers Bangalore retained the star player.