Australia all-rounder Cameron Green could become the IPL's most expensive player, but there is a hard cap on how much he will be paid.
Why could Cameron Green command a high price at the IPL auction?
The player auction ahead of the upcoming season will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. 350 players are on the shortlist, with 77 slots available across the 10 teams. Thirty-one of these places can be taken up by overseas cricketers, who number 115 on the auction list.
Among the biggest of these names is Australia all-rounder Cameron Green. In the absence of stars like Andre Russell and Glenn Maxwell, who are not part of the auction, Green is likely to be in the highest demand. The other overseas all-round options are relatively scarce; Wiaan Mulder, Liam Livingstone and Jason Holder are a few.
IPL mini-auctions often see prices skyrocketing for players, due to a combination of factors. One is the smaller player pool, meaning a single 'star' can be sought after by several teams. In addition, teams also have fewer slots to fill, so they can afford to put in high bids for just one or two players.
The current record for the most expensive player at an IPL auction is with India star Rishabh Pant, who moved to Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 crore last year. This auction, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders both have over INR 40 crore to spend, so a player like Green could well fetch a bid in excess of 25 or 30 crores.
But no matter how high the teams push for him, Green can only be paid a maximum of 18 crore (roughly 2 million USD).
The IPL's new rule limiting Cameron Green's earnings
Last year, the IPL sought to clamp down on a trend of overseas players skipping mega-auctions and registering only for mini-auctions where they could often command higher prices. The league made registration for the mega-auction prior to any given mini-auction mandatory, and also put a cap on the amount an overseas player could earn.
The new rule states that at any mini-auction, the maximum amount an overseas player can be paid is the highest bid for an Indian player at the previous mega-auction, or the highest retention amount from the previous mega-auction – whichever one is lower.
Last year, the highest bid for an Indian was 27 crore, for Pant. The highest retention amount was 18 crore, so that is the maximum Green can be paid for this year.
But the franchises cannot expect to pay only 18 crore to Green, in case the bidding ends at a higher price. If that happens, that entire amount will be deducted from the team's auction purse. Of that amount, 18 crore will go to Green and the excess will go to the BCCI, which the board say will be used for player welfare.
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