Capped Indian players will once again be in high demand as teams gear up for the Indian Premier League 2024 auction, set to be held at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on December 19.

IPL 2024 Auction: Full List of Retained and Released Players

With not a lot of capped Indian options available in the auction pool, there will certainly be a huge market for them in the 2024 mini-auction. A few capped Indian stars were released by their respective sides ahead of the retention deadline last month.

A grand total of 14 capped Indian players are available in a pool of 333 players at the IPL 2024 mini-auction. Of the 14 capped Indian stars, only three have registered themselves in a base price bracket for Rs 2 crore, namely Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Harshal Patel. The other 11 players have a base price of Rs 50 lakh.

We take a look at the capped Indian stars that could fetch the biggest bids and cause a stir at the mini-auction in Dubai.

INDIA CAPPED PLAYERS IN AUCTION

Rs 2 crore: Harshal Patel, Shardul Thakur, and Umesh Yadav.

Rs 50 lakh: Varun Aaron, KS Bharat, Siddarth Kaul, Shivam Mavi, Karun Nair, Manish Pandey, Chetan Sakariya, Barinder Sran, Jaydev Unadkat, Hanuma Vihari and Sandeep Warrier.

Shardul Thakur

Thakur was released by Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the retention deadline for IPL 2024. Thakur is an experienced campaigner in the IPL, notching up 86 appearances over eight seasons.

A fast-bowling all-rounder, Thakur has picked 89 wickets at an economy of 9.18 while having a strike rate of 18.83 in his IPL career. Thakur has also scored 286 runs at a strike rate of 140.20, while scoring a solitary half-century.

He could be a great option for teams looking for a fast-bowling all-rounder or an Indian pacer, like Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings, SunRisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings.

Harshal Patel

The right-arm pacer was let go by RCB ahead of the IPL 2024 mini-auction. Patel has been one of the top Indian pacers in IPL recently, claiming 111 wickets in 91 matches. He picked up 14 wickets in 13 matches last season, while peaking in the 2021 season, when he claimed 32 wickets in 15 matches while also winning the Purple Cap.

Adept at bowling in batting-friendly conditions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Patel could prove to be an astute signing for team looking for a fast-bowler. Available at a base price of Rs 2 crore, the Gujarat-born pacer could stir a bidding war in Dubai.

KS Bharat

The wicket-keeping batter will represent a rare commodity in the IPL 2024 auction, with not a lot of Indian wicket-keepers available in the pool. He is the only capped Indian wicket-keeper in the auction pool and will find a host of suitors on December 19.

Bharat was released by IPL 2023 finalists Gujarat Titans, having scored just eight runs in two matches last season. He has played 10 matches in his IPL career, scoring 199 runs at an average of 28.43, while striking at 122.09. Behind the stumps, Bharat has been involved in six dismissals, with five catches and one stumping.

Shivam Mavi

The young fast-bowler was released by GT ahead of the new season. The right-arm pacer has claimed 30 wickets in 32 matches, while scoring 51 runs. Mavi didn’t have the best of seasons last year, managing to claim five wickets in six matches.

However, he could provide teams with a young fast-bowling option that can generate 140 kmph pace regularly and can be molded into a world-beater. Teams like RCB, PBKS, CSK could be on a look-out for Mavi, while GT could attempt to get him back at a cheaper price.

Manish Pandey

The IPL long-timer was let go by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the retention deadline. Having played 170 matches over 16 seasons in the IPL, Pandey would bring a wealth of experience to any side that he joins.

Pandey has registered himself under the Rs 50 lakh bracket for the mini-auction but could fetch big bids with several teams looking for Indian middle-order batters. Pandey has scored 3808 runs at an average of 29.07, while striking at 120.97, hitting 22 fifties and a solitary hundred in his IPL career.

The IPL 2024 mini-auction will begin at 1 PM IST on December 19, with 10 teams looking to fill 77 spots from a pool of 333 players at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.