5 BBL players who can start bidding war in IPL 2021 auction

In terms of quality, the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Big Bash League (BBL), are among the two finest T20 leagues in the world. Both the tournaments have a resoundingly large fanbase and are responsible for unearthing some of the finest players in the current international circuit.

But another big reason as to why these tournaments have found as much success as they have is that they’ve often interacted with each other. What does that mean? Well, while there hasn’t been a BBL XI vs IPL XI exhibition match (yet), the scouting talents across these events are on the lookout for performers from the other tourney.

Subsequently, players who do well in the IPL often get rewarded BBL contracts. And vice-versa. So keeping in mind the auction that’s soon coming for the 2021 IPL, here’s an analysis of 5 players from the ongoing BBL who can cause a bidding war in the IPL 2021 auctions.

1. Dawid Malan

It’s quite surprising to realize that Dawid Malan, currently the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world, has never been associated with any IPL franchise. The last couple of years have seen the England southpaw dominate bowling attacks all across the globe with his charismatic batsmanship.

A veteran of 216 T20 matches, Malan has aggregated 5981 runs in the shortest format at an impressive average of 33.79. His career strike-rate of 129.26 is also quite laudable for someone who typically bats in the top-order. Overall, he has 5 T20 centuries to his name including one in the international arena that came against New Zealand in 2019.

The BBL 2020-21 season hasn’t really seen that much of Malan yet; he had to sit out of the early phase of the Hobart Hurricanes’ campaign owing to quarantine restrictions. In his three appearances, Malan scored 129 runs.

With a specialist top-order batsman such as himself, it’s going to be a tricky proposition to accommodate him in the playing XI on a regular basis- especially factoring that he is 33-years old. Nevertheless, teams like Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab, and Chennai Super Kings- who really struggled to find a solid overseas batter this time around- could be quite willing to break the bank on someone as reputable as Malan.

2. Alex Hales

In recent times, the international arena hasn’t been quite as affluent to Alex Hales as he would’ve preferred. Ever since he got axed in 2019 due to disciplinary reasons, the hard-hitting English opener hasn’t quite been able to reconcile with the national set-up.

Consequently, Alex has switched over to playing all across the globe as a T20 freelancer. And he has found quite a bit of success in that role too: in 277 T20s, the Nottinghamshire top-order-bat has accumulated 7581 runs, scoring at a fiery rate of 143.87. His strong showing even translated into direct success last year, when he essayed a significant role in the Karachi Kings maiden PSL title win.

As for the ongoing BBL season; it took a while, but Hales seems to have finally found his mojo for the Sydney Thunder. His scores from his last three outings read 45 (19), 71 (29), and 35 (21)- each of those knocks coming in winning causes.

Unlike Malan, though, Hales has precedence of playing in the IPL. He played a few games for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2018 season but couldn’t make much of an impact. However, his stocks in the shortest format have gone up ever since. That makes him a hot prospect for teams in need of a consistent opener, like Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Chennai Super Kings.

3. Jhye Richardson

Jhye Richardson, the upcoming Australian right-arm-quick, has often been heralded as one of their best fast-bowlers from the upcoming lot of players. Sadly, though, an injury-prone physical frame has held back his career from blossoming into its true, fiery form.

Until now, Jhye has made 50 T20 appearances across the national and domestic teams. He has scalped 58-wickets @ 7.80 RPO, striking close to once in every three overs.

Jhye has been a faithful member of his Western Australia home-based BBL franchise, Perth Scorchers, since 2015. He has picked up 49 wickets for them at an average of 22.90. In the ongoing season, he is ranked fifth on the wicket-takers list with 8-scalps. In his most recent appearance, he bowled a spell of 3/19 against the Adelaide Strikers, that fetched Perth their first win of the season.

The 24-year-old pacer’s primary utility lies in providing key breakthroughs in the powerplay overs. His disciplined, line-and-length oriented style of fast-bowling could be a major asset to teams like Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Rajasthan, who are in genuine need of a strong opening bowler. Thus, making Jhye a potential candidate for stirring a bidding war on the auction table.

4. Tanveer Sangha

Tanveer Sangha, the 19-year-old Australian wrist-spinner, hasn’t even played enough matches to quantify his journey as a ‘budding career’! But in the limited number of chances he has got, Tanveer has shown enough promise to be labelled as one of the next ‘Big Things’ in world cricket.

It was in last year’s under-19 World Cup where Tanveer made a bold opening move. In 6-games, the Sydney-born leggie accounted for 15-victims (2 four-fers included) at an astounding average of 11. He finished fourth on the wicket-takers’ chart.

The ongoing Big Bash League season saw Tanveer make his debut with the Sydney Thunder. And unsurprisingly, the young-Turk has been quite the star-attraction so far; ranked second on the bowlers’ list with 10 scalps to his name.

Clearly, there’s quite an impressive resume for Tanveer to make a case for his selection ahead of the next IPL. And when you account for the fact that Shane Bond, his coach at Sydney Thunder, is also associated with the Mumbai Indians- a team glaringly short on renowned spin-bowling names- there’s a strong likelihood that Tanveer will fetch some big bucks in the upcoming IPL season.

5. Riley Meredith

24-year-old Tasmania pacer Riley Meredith has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit. His ability to bowl consistently at 140 KMPH, coupled with his utility as someone who can bowl at any stage of the innings, makes him a highly valued player.

Most, if not all of Riley’s T20 appearances have come in the BBL for the Hobart Hurricanes. Since he debuted in 2017-18 season, Riley has established himself as one of Hurricanes’ most dependable players. His overall career stats read 39 wickets from 28 games, including a career-best of 4/21.

Riley’s form has been a major factor behind the Hurricanes’ strong showing this season. In 7 games, he has accounted for 12 scalps at just over 7 runs-per-over. His strike rate (13.80) and average (16.50) have been quite impressive too.

Ahead of the next IPL, there are several factors working in Riley’s favor; arguably the biggest one being that Hobart’s coach, Adam Griffith, is associated with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. But even Bangalore aside, teams like Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata- who’ve often tried to bolster their bowling-attacks with international names- could have their wallets dead-set on Meredith.