IPL 2022 Auction: 3 Australian players with a base price of ₹1 crore are likely to go unsold

The big auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will take place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. Organisers have stated that a total of 1,214 players have registered for the player auction in 2022. The IPL governing committee will compile the final list of players for the mega auction once the franchises have returned their wish lists.

There are 896 Indian cricketers and 318 international players among the cricketers who have enrolled for the forthcoming auction. There are 270 capped players, 903 uncapped players, and 41 associate players on the list.

Australia, the T20 World Cup champions, has the most international cricketers on the list. South Africa (48), the West Indies (46) and Sri Lanka (36) are the countries with the most players who have donated their names. For the auction, a number of Australian cricketers have set a starting price of 1 crore. We take a look at three players who are likely to remain unsold.

Marnus Labuschagne

In the Test format, Marnus Labuschagne has been a noteworthy performance for Australia. After 23 tests, he has an average of approximately 57. He’s also played a few One-Day Internationals for his country and has a respectable record, averaging 39.41 in 13 games. He is not, however, a T20 player. In reality, Labuschagne has yet to compete in the format on an international level.

The 27-year-old made his T20 debut in 2017 but has only appeared in 25 matches since then, scoring 666 runs at 127.34 with four half-centuries.

Given his flexibility, Labuschagne has a good potential of being a match-winner in T20 cricket in the not-too-distant future. However, IPL clubs are unlikely to invest in Labuschagne this year. The sample size of his appearances in the format is insufficient to establish a conclusion.

D’Arcy Short

D’Arcy Short, the opening batsman for the Hobart Hurricanes, had a good season in the Big Bash League in 2021-22. In 15 matches, he scored 444 runs at an average of 37, including two fifties. However, he concluded the edition with a strike rate of 113.26, which was not particularly impressive. Given how important it is to score early in T20 cricket, IPL teams may be wary of bidding for Short.

Despite being a seasoned T20 player, the 31-year-old has only participated in the IPL once. During the 2018 season, he appeared in seven matches for Rajasthan, hitting 115 runs with a strike rate of 116.16 and taking one wicket. He doesn’t appear to have a chance to add to his IPL totals.

James Faulkner

Yes, Australia’s forgotten cricketer, James Faulkner, has entered the super auction with a starting price of 1 crore. The all-rounder was formerly an important part of Australia’s white-ball strategy. With three for 36 in Australia’s 2015 World Cup final victory against New Zealand, he was named Man of the Match. His slow cuts and clever variations made him lethal, and his big-hitting batting talents made him much more dangerous.

Faulkner’s brilliance has already been seen in the IPL. He has 59 wickets at a strike rate of 20.8 in 60 matches, including two five-wicket hauls in the 2013 season for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) against the same opponents – the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He was at the height of his abilities at the moment. Due to form and fitness difficulties, his fortunes have fallen dramatically since then.

Faulkner hasn’t done anything of note recently, so IPL clubs are unlikely to pay attention to him during the super auction.