IPL 2018 Auction: 5 Australian star players to watch out for

Australians have always been the center of attraction in the cash-rich T20 league. Though India has a history of bitter relations with the Aussies in the international cricket arena, IPL has a different story altogether. Not only they share a great bond with Indians in the IPL, they have the highest fan following among foreign players.

Adam Gilchrist, Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Matthew Hayden are some great Aussies to have played in the IPL and earned a great fan following from India. In fact, Aussies have ruled the IPL over the seasons when it comes to scoring runs. Five of the 10 orange caps in the last decade have been won by Australians.

David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc are some other names who have entertained fans over the seasons. With Warner and Smith already retained by their respective franchises, other Australians missed the list and are out there in the auction pool awaiting a big pay-day next weekend.

Here is a list of few Australian players who are all set to break the banks of the franchises.

#5 Glenn Maxwell

Glenn Maxwell is back in his grooves in the ongoing season of the Big Bash League. Playing for Melbourne Stars, Maxwell has scored 215 runs in 8 matches at a phenomenal strike rate of 146.25.

Maxwell has been Kings XI Punjab marquee player ever since he was bought by the franchise in the 2014 edition of the league. He scored 552 runs from 16 matches in the 2014 edition and marched his team into the final of the tournament. But he has been off color after that outstanding season.

Looking over his performance in the past few seasons, Kings XI Punjab has let him go into the auction pool but they will be keen to use the Right to Match card to retain their prized possession who looks in-form at the moment.

#4 Pat Cummins

Australia's leading fast bowler Pat Cummins is one of the players who can break banks of the franchise in the auction. He had an exceptional Ashes season where he ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the series. He cliched 23 wickets in the 5 matches one more than his counterpart Mitchell Starc.

His pace has been one of the biggest factors that the IPL teams may be keeping an eye on. Cummins has been consistently bowling close to 150 kmph in the Australian home season. Playing for Delhi Daredevils in the last edition, he took 15 wickets in the 12 matches that he played at an economy of 8.07. Delhi team owners must certainly be looking to retain him using Right to Match card in the auction.

#3 Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc is one of the most feared bowlers of the current generation. He is the only Australian apart from Glenn Maxwell to be put on the marquee list of players in the auction. Starc had an outstanding Ashes series where he ended up taking 22 wickets from 4 matches, just one wicket short of Pat Cummins who became the leading wicket-taker.

Starc missed the 2016 edition of the IPL owing to an injury. He signed off from the Royal Challenger Bangalore team before the last edition of the IPL to focus on his preparations for the Champions Trophy.

He was bought by RCB in the 2014 edition where he ended up taking 14 wickets from 14 matches. In the following season, his performance improved and he took 20 wickets from 13 matches at an impressive economy of just 6.76. Looking towards his performance in the Ashes and the ongoing ODI series, Starc will definitely be a player in-demand in the auction.

#2 Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch Australia's limited over opener who is currently playing in the ongoing ODI series against England is in phenomenal form. Riding on the back of two back to back tons in the first two matches of the series, the Australian is high on confidence.

He scored 107 runs off 119 balls in the first ODI and 106 off 114 balls in the following ODI. Unfortunately, his centuries went in vain as Australia lost both the matches against England.

Earlier playing for Melbourne Renegades in the ongoing Big Bash League he managed to score just 108 runs from 6 outings that included a fifty. Even after a below-par performance, he was drafted into the ODI squad where he is leaving no stone unturned and ensuring a big pay-day for him in the auction next weekend.

#1 D'Arcy Short

BBL batting sensation D'Arcy Short has been one of the greatest crowd pullers in the ongoing season of the tournament. Playing for Hobart Hurricanes, Short is the leading run scorer in the ongoing season having scored 504 runs in 9 matches at an astonishing strike rate of 148.23.

The Big Bash League star has hit a century and three fifties in the tournament. Short missed the century mark twice in the season missing it by 3 runs against Sydney Thunder and by 4 runs against Adelaide Strikers but converted his fifty into a hundred against Brisbane Heat where he ended up scoring 122 runs from 69 balls and returned not out. He is going into the auction with a base price of Rs. 20 lakhs but will surely carry home an amount much higher.