IPL AUCTION ANALYSIS
Follow UsIn comparison to the list of Indian all-rounders, the set of overseas all-rounders is pretty straightforward. There are a total of 82 overseas all-rounders in the list out of which a mere seven have either not played a T20 since 2020 or have not batted or bowled. None of these players are renowned enough for a separate analysis.
Let us see how the remaining 75 stack up:
Similar to what we did for the India all-rounders, we have depicted all the 75 names here based on how many balls they face on an average versus how many do they bowl. This helps us identify the batting all-rounders (those above the 45-degree black line), the bowling all-rounders (the ones below it), and the genuine all-rounders (on or close to the 45-degree black line)
Below is the split of the players across these categories:
Let us look at the gems, the genuine all-rounders first.
Genuine All-Rounders
These are the ones who can make it to a side based on either batting or bowling. Just like what we did for the Indian all-rounders, we have counted every player whose difference between the balls bowled and balls faced is six or below in this category.
This is how the 21 players in this category stack up on two of the most important facets for an all-rounder in T20s: Batting Strike Rate and Bowling Economy. The two black lines running through chart denotes the median value of the strike rate and economy of all the 75 overseas all-rounders we have analyzed. Hence, the ones in the first quadrant (top-right) are the cream of the crop that are better than others on both aspects.
The first name worthy of mention in this category is Liam Livingstone. It would be hard to find a more apt player to fall in the all-rounder bucket. He has batted almost everywhere in a line-up with success and can bowl off-spin as well as leg-spin to suit the ideal match-up. A thoroughbred, Livingstone has found success in T20 leagues across the globe as well the T20Is for England. His IPL numbers have been average but that is more of a factor of lack of opportunities with Rajasthan Royals. He will be on the radar of almost every team.
Anaru Kitchen and Matthew Short have played all their T20s in one country (New Zealand and Australia respectively). So their numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt. Afghanistan’s Karim Janat is a genuine pace-bowling power-hitter. But he was expensive against good batters in the latest T20 World Cup.
Sunrisers Hyderabad did not utilize Mohammad Nabi’s batting potential but his off-spin is more than handy. He is no prisoner to match-ups and is a decent bowler to right-handed batters as well. However, his batting prowess has been on a dip in recent edition of the Big Bash League and the Pakistan Super League. Moreover, aged 37, the franchise might not look him as a long-term bet.
Roston Chase’s T20 economy of 6.07 since 2020 is exceptional but this is largely a product of him playing on the friendly-wickets in the Caribbean Premier League. He is not among the big-hitters and that will hurt his prospects.
Age is not on the side of David Wiese as well, though he did his reputation no harm in the recent T20 World Cup while playing for Namibia. Two players who are pretty expensive as bowlers but are astonishing power-hitters are Tim David and Ben Cutting. The latter is by now an IPL veteran and might garner traction in the 10-team league. As for David, only sky is the limit with age on his side and now proven credentials in the PSL as well.
Batting All-Rounders
Moving to the batting all-rounders next. There are eight such players who qualify in this bracket. None would be more sought-after than the man of the match in the T20 World Cup final, Mitchell Marsh.
A batter capable of being slotted anywhere between positions three to five, Marsh would be a big win for every franchise if bought. Currently in his prime, Marsh can be handier than a lot of other traditional overseas batters the franchises have tried to fit in their sides. With the ball, Marsh can easily be the sixth-bowling cushion teams search for. His fitness issues in the past can however dent his final price a bit.
Another Aussie, Moises Henriques, was part of the Punjab Kings last season. Though he has quite a few things going against him. At 35, he is not a long-term investment. Moreover, he has not being bowling a lot recently (20 overs in 12 innings since 2020). With the bat, he is more of an accumulator than a power-hitter. On numbers, Henriques seems more of a back-up option.
The Kiwi outcast Colin Munro has listed himself as an all-rounder, though he has bowled a total of nine overs since 2020. As an opener, he is competing for the spot where franchises would be spoilt for choice. However, he will be a decent option at the base price.
Bowling All-Rounders
There are a total of 46 players here. A few like Jofra Archer and Pat Cummins are more renowned for their bowling and are thus analyzed in that category. Though we must mention that Cummins proved more impactful for Kolkata with the bat than with the ball. He is qualified enough to make decent number seven for any side.
Starting with the pacers first, let’s talk about James Faulkner and David Willey. Since he has been around for a while, it can come as a surprise that Faulkner is only 31. Given how well he has done on both facets of the game in the PSL, it will be unwise if franchises overlook him completely. Willey is a similar option but the red-flag with him is that all his T20s since 2020 have been in England. He has only recently playing abroad in the recent PSL but has not batted so far.
Jason Holder was an injury replacement for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2020. And now the question begs as to why wasn’t he retained. A guaranteed four-over bowler, albeit mostly in the middle-overs and a batter who can control the innings and hit sixes at whim, Holder is going to be among the hottest properties in the auction.
Speaking for Cricket.com, Daren Sammy described Odean Smith as the best new sensation in the Caribbean. After nearly upsetting England with phenomenal backend hitting, he threatened to do the same to India. Not to forget he got gun Indian batters out with his deceiving pace as well. Smith will be on the radar of many sides.
So will be Marco Jansen who has already played for Mumbai and was the best bowler during India’s recent tour of South Africa. Though it was with the red-ball, Jansen showed that even at 21, he is as capable as many who have been on the road for a while. Wes Agar and Dominic Drakes are exciting talents but they too have a caveat of playing most or all their T20s in their home country (Australia and West Indies respectively).
It will also be interesting to see if at 38, Dwayne Bravo still garners some attention.
Moving to the spinners, Wanindu Hasaranga should find a place as a spinner alone. His batting potential is a complete add-on. The same is somewhat true for Akeal Hosein. They demanded an analysis as spinners alone.
Shakib Al Hasan’s batting numbers have taken a hit due to playing at appalling pitches in Bangladesh. However, even on the best of wickets, he is more of an anchor, a role teams do not look for overseas. Though his potential with the ball remains unparalleled. Mitchell Santner has played only two IPL games since 2020. It is difficult to assess him since playing on good wickets and short boundaries have inflated his batting numbers. With the ball, he is often miser and hence a good defensive option.
