The Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council has finalised the player list for the upcoming mini-auction, which is set to take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16. A total of 350 players have been shortlisted and will go under the hammer as the ten franchises look to strengthen their squads for the next edition of the tournament.
In an interesting development, Nikhil Chaudhary, who currently plays domestic cricket in Australia, has been listed as an uncapped Indian all-rounder, leaving many fans
puzzled. Chaudhary appears in the uncapped all-rounders’ fifth set in the auction roster and has set his base price at INR 40 lakh. His state association continues to be listed as the Punjab Cricket Association.
Chaudhary made his List A and T20 debuts for Punjab back in 2017, eight years ago, before eventually shifting his cricketing career to Australia. The 29-year-old has been an active part of domestic competitions there, including the Big Bash League (BBL). He represented the Hobart Hurricanes in Australia’s premier T20 tournament and has already featured in 20 matches, scoring 386 runs and picking up nine wickets. In red-ball cricket, Chaudhary has been representing Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield over the last few seasons.
Notably, he is only the second Indian-origin player to compete in the BBL after Unmukt Chand. Having moved to Australia in 2020, Chaudhary has been eligible to participate in overseas leagues because the BCCI restricts active Indian players from doing so unless they retire from all forms of Indian cricket.
As for the auction dynamics, franchises will compete for 77 available slots, including 31 positions allocated for overseas players. The highest reserve price stands at INR 2 crore, with 40 players having entered the auction under this bracket.
Initially, 1390 players had registered for the mini-auction, out of which only 350 were shortlisted. Among these, 240 are Indian and 110 are overseas players. The pool also features 224 uncapped Indian cricketers and 14 uncapped overseas entrants. Earlier this year, the ten franchises had already announced their lists of retained players, shaping the foundation for the upcoming auction.
