A shortlist of 292 cricketers was announced on Thursday ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 player auction with six players in the top bracket. (More Cricket News)
The auction will be held on February 18 in Chennai.
Revealing the list, the BCCI in a statement said that "INR 2 crore is the highest reserve price and two Indian players – Harbhajan Singh and Kedar Jadhav – and eight overseas players – Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Shakib Al Hasan, Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Liam Plunkett, Jason Roy & Mark Wood have chosen to be slotted in the highest bracket.
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Harbhajan Singh - The veteran India spinner is a serial winner, having played for Mumbai Indian and Chennai Super Kings. He has played 160 times in IPL. The 40-year-old can still a force to reckon with in T20. He was released by CSK ahead of the 2021 season.
Kedar Jadhav - Another player released by former champions, CSK. The 35-year-old has so far featured in 87 matches, representing Delhi Capitals, erstwhile Kochi Tuskers Kerala, Royal Challengers Bangalore and CSK.
Glenn Maxwell - The Aussie 'Big Show' is still a big draw in T20 cricket despite his indifferent form in the IPL. The 32-year-old was released by Kings XI Punjab and previously played for Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. He's 82-match old in the IPL.
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ALSO READ: IPL 2021 Auction - Complete Breakdown
Steve Smith - His release by Rajasthan Royals was a surprise. Often regarded as one of the greatest in the history of cricket, Steve Smith will be a top pick in the 2021 auction. The 31-year-old previously represented erstwhile teams - Pune Warriors India and Rising Pune Supergiant. He has so far played 95 IPL matches.
Shakib Al Hasan - One of the world's top allrounders, Shakib Al Hasan will be expected to earn big money in the IPL 2021 auction. He's returning to action after serving a ban for failing to report a bookie approach during IPL. He was formerly with Kolkata Knight Riders and
Sunrisers Hyderabad. He's played 63 IPL matches so far.
Moeen Ali - England all-rounder was released by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Moeen Ali can be a value buy, as displayed during second India vs England Test in Chennai. A handy spinner and a more than able batsman. The 33-year-old has a played 19 matches for the RCB.
Sam Billings - The 29-year-old England wicketkeeper-batsman was with Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings. He has played 22 matches.
Liam Plunkett - The 35-year-old pacer is one of the five Englishman in the top-bracket. The England discard can still be a surprise package if one of the franchises opt to go him. He has played seven IPL matches.
Jason Roy - He sure is one of the most destructive batsmen, but remains an underachiever in the shortest format of the gams, and thus his limited opportunities in the IPL - only eight matches so far.
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Mark Wood - Mark Wood has seen ups and downs, but he has emerged as one of the most important players for England. The quick has so played only one match in the IPL, representing Chennai Super Kings in the 2018 season. And surprisingly went unsold in the auctions for the following seasons. It all can change this time.
In the second slab, are 12 players with a base price of INR 1.5 crore. But the list has no Indians. Hanuma Vihari and Umesh Yadav are the two Indian players in the third slab for cricketers with a base price of INR 1 crore.
