A 13-year-old has become the youngest player in IPL history, with two Australian superstars left without a team on the second day of bidding by the 10 India T20 franchises.
It was groundhog day for David Warner as he again went unsold, likely ending a lucrative and successful connection with the blockbuster T20 competition.
The explosive opener has scored 6,565 runs at a strike rate of 140 and an average above 40 in the IPL, but none of the teams were prepared to invest in the 38-year-old left-hander as the auction wound up with a lengthy second day’s bidding in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Steve Smith also went unsold.
Despite pairing with Ricky Ponting as Washington Freedom’s captain and coach to win Major League Cricket in the USA, Ponting was not keen on taking another punt on Smith.
But the headline act was a little-known 13-year-old named Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who was sold for 1.1 crore ($200,000) to Rajasthan Royals, where he will play under the watchful eye of India legend Rahul Dravid.
The youngster, who made his debut in India’s domestic Ranji Trophy at 12, hit a 58-ball hundred in the youth Test against Australia under-19s in October.
After the impressive innings of 104, which included 14 fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 167.74, Suryavanshi summed up his approach that should fit in well on the Twenty20 stage.
“My plan is always simple – if the ball is there to be hit, hit it. Don’t be in double mind,” the slashing left-hander said.
The biggest-earning Australian on day two was Tim David, with the big-hitting all-rounder joining Royal Challengers Bengaluru for $550,000.
Close behind was left-arm quick Spencer Johnson, who was a Ponting target, but Kings were outbid by Kolkata Knight Riders who offered $510,000.
Ponting did land WA all-rounder Aaron Hardie for $225,000 and, after missing out on Nathan Ellis (who went to Chennai Super Kings for $365,000), signed Xavier Bartlett, the top wicket-taker in BBL last summer, for $145,000.
Ponting had begun by signing the only one of the three Aussie keepers on the market to be sold.
Alex Carey may be Australia’s Test wicketkeeper but Inglis has the gloves in the white ball game and it showed as he went for $475,000.
Carey was next up after Inglis, with a $180,000 base price, but there were no bidders. Another gloveman, Josh Philippe, would later also go unsold.
There were also no bids for Jason Behrendorff, Matt Short and Lance Morris while other Australians who had put themselves forward did not even make the bidding stage.
The 2024 men’s IPL season will run from March 22 to May 26.
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AAP
