Dawid Malan, the top-ranked batsman in international T20 rankings, will go under the hammer for the first time while Steve Smith and Shakib Al Hasan will return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction pool when the eight franchises get involved in the annual affair on February 18. The list includes 164 Indians and 128 overseas players, including three from associate members of the International Cricket Council. Malan, with a base price of ₹1.5 crore, has been drawn in the second set of players to be auctioned. While Malan is expected to be a hot pick this year, it will be interesting to see whether Smith (₹2 crore) and Shakib (₹2 crore) will draw interest from the franchises. While Smith has been released by Rajasthan Royals, allrounder Shakib has returned to competitive cricket after serving a suspension for breaching anti-corruption code.

Source: The Hindu February 11, 2021 17:56 UTC