IPL auction in Dubai today: 6 international players to watch for

The Indian Premier League 14 (IPL) mini-auction has commenced and several renowned international players are set to appear during the event in Dubai.

There will be some eye-catching picks during the auction as all ten franchises look to fill the overall 77 slots that are available. Some of the top overseas players who are likely to steal the limelight during the auction hail from top cricketing nations like New Zealand, England, Australia and South Africa.

1. Travis Head

Australia's 29-year-old opener Travis Head is one of the names who has established himself as one of the biggest cricketing stars in 2023.

He is known to play big knocks for his team when it matters most. He scored a match-winning knock of 163 off 174 balls in the World Test Championship final against India earlier this year.

He once again haunted India in the World Cup final, he took on the opposition bowlers and scored a 137 to guide Australia to their record-extending sixth title.

In T20I, Head has played 23 matches and scored 554 runs at an average of 29.1. Travis has had experience of playing in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Delhi Capitals (DC). Overall, the left-handed batter has scored 205 runs in 10 matches at an average of 29.29 and a strike rate of 138.51.

2. Harry Brook

The second player who is likely to walk away with a hefty price tag is English youngster Harry Brook. The right-handed batter has become the hottest prospect in the world of cricket following his consistent performances for the Three Lions across the three formats.

In 2022, he announced himself to the world during England's tour to Pakistan. During England's victory in Multan in the second Test, Brook played an eye-catching knock of 108 in the second innings which proved crucial in England's 28-run victory.

Over the year, he has established himself as one of the most recognized faces in the world of cricket but T20I is a format in which he is yet to prove his prowess.

In 24 innings, Brook has amassed 531 runs at an average of 27.9 and a strike rate of 145.1. After his consistent performances for England, Sunrisers Hyderabad decided to cash in on the youngster and acquired his services for a whopping sum of Rs 13.25 crore.

However, he failed to justify his price tag as he scored just 190 runs in 11 matches at an average of 21.1 in IPL 2023. He was released by SRH and will once again appear in the auction. Teams will be looking to add the youngster to their roster to get the dynamism that the youngster offers.

3. Gerald Coetzee

In the ODI World Cup 2023, Coetzee bagged 20 wickets. The Proteas speedster overtook the 'Player of the Tournament' of the 1999 World Cup Lance Klusener who had 17 wickets by his name.

In the shortest format of cricket, Coetzee is yet to prove himself as he has just played four matches and scored 25 runs at an average of 8.33. He has also scalped six wickets with an economy of 10.5.

4. Rachin Ravindra

Coming to Rachin, the Kiwi is more dominant with the bat in comparison to the ball. The Kiwi youngster was the fourth-highest run scorer in the ODI World Cup 2023; he scored 578 runs with a strike rate of 106.44 after playing 10 matches. Meanwhile, Ravindra also picked up five wickets in nine innings and proved himself to be an effective wicket-taker as well.

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