IPL auction 2024 predictions: Sam Curran’s record could be under threat. Who will be the blockbuster buy?

Ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, we aim to predict the big buys, which franchise will be spending the most and whether there will be a 20 crore bid.

Going by recency bias, which has dictated the participation of players in Indian Premier League (IPL) or any other T20 league across the globe, the IPL mini-auctions have increasingly become exciting, with the 2022 edition having witnessed some intense bidding wars among all the 10 franchises before as many as four players breached the INR 15 crore mark. Going by recency bias again, it was England all-rounder Sam Curran who had scripted history last year by becoming the most expensive player ever at an auction after Punjab Kings acquired him for a whopping 18.5 crore, just days after he claimed the Player of the Tournament award at the 2022 T20 World Cup. The factor will once again play a crucial role on Tuesday in Dubai with world cricket having recently witnessed the ODI World Cup in India.

Who will be the blockbuster buy at IPL 2024 Auction?

Ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, we aim to predict some of the big buys, which franchise will be spending the most and whether there will be a possibility of a 20 crore bid...

So, let's start from the top, who will be the most expensive player?

Mitchell Starc. Probably...absolutely? Well he has all the qualities - tall, left-arm pacer, who can bowl in all the phases of an innings, can swing the ball and cleverly vary his pace and is a handy batter in the lower order. The three-time World Cup winner, who will be making an IPL return after eight years with the aim to prepare for the T20 World Cup in June, has set his base price of INR 2 crore.

Any other players? Pat Cummins? All-rounders are always on high demand in an IPL auction. Look at Curran, Ben Stokes (16.25 crore) and Cameron Green (17.50 crore) in 2023. Cummins was there himself, back in 2020, when he was roped in for 15.50 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders. And the 30-year-old has been the talk of 2023 after leading Australia to WTC title win, retained the Ashes in England before beating India in India in the ODI World Cup final with a sensational spell.

Who else? Gerald Coetzee (Base price: INR 2 crore) maybe. World Cup's breakout star Rachin Ravindra (Base price: INR 50 lakh).

Any player who could bag a surprise pay package?

Watch out for one between Harshal Patel and Shardul Thakur, both of whom have a base price of INR 2 crore. Why? Because they are both Indian fast-bowling all-rounders, which is a rare commodity, and thus will be in increasing demand at the auction. While both have a tendency to leak runs, it is their experience of bowling in Indian conditions and grip over bringing out variations along with their ability to tonk sixes lower down the order that makes them players to watch out for at the auction. Thakur is more of a middle-over enforcer, while Harshal, who had claimed the Purple Cap in 2021, is a death-over specialist. But with both being in the same set (2), the pay package will depend on who gets called out when.

Don't forget New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell, also part of the same set, but with a base price of INR 1 crore. And, India's very own Shahrukh Khan, naam to suna hi hoga. Part of set number 7, with a base price of INR 40 lakh, Shahrukh did not have an impressive domestic season for Tamil Nadu, but an Indian finisher, who can start going right from ball one, is a rarity. In the recent Tamil Nadu Premier League, he also picked up 17 wickets at less than seven runs at over in nine games with his off-spin variety.

Left-arm pacer Dilshan Madushanka could make this list as well, having spearheaded Sri Lankan attack in the ODI World Cup where he picked 21 wickets in nine games at an ecomomy rate of just 6.70

Now the big question, will we see a 20 crore bid in IPL 2024 auction?

Four teams will be entering the auction with a purse having north of INR 30 crores - Gujarat Titans (38.15), Sunrisers Hyderabad (34), Kolkata Knight Riders (32.7), and Chennai Super Kings (31.4). KKR have 12 slots to fill, so going 20 crore on one player is out of the question. Gujarat could look push their limit given they have a Hardik Pandya-size hole to fill. But they also have eight slots to cover. This implies, that only CSK and SRH, who have largely retained their core after having finished on the opposite side of the points table in last season, could be chasing that mark with both having the least number of positions to fill (6).

Which player could be a steal deal?

Mitchell from New Zealand. Probably even Travis Head, Australia's World Cup final hero. And Azmatullah Omarzai of Afghanistan - a middle-order batter who possess the skill to make an impact with thee new ball.

Which player could go unsold?

Steve Smith. Umesh Yadav as well. Even Josh Hazlewood, but that would only be because he will be reportedly available for IPL only from the first week of May.