21 Dec 2010

3 BlackCaps in IPL top bracket

6:06 pm on 21 December 2010

BlackCaps Daniel Vettori, Brendan McCullum and Ross Taylor have been included in the highest reserve price of 400 thousand US dollars for next month's IPL cricket auction in India.

There are 21 names in the top bracket, including the West Indian great Brian Lara who hasn't actively been involved in cricket for almost 4 years.

IPL newcomers include Englishmen Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Michael Yardy and Luke Wright, who were all part of England's 2010 World Twenty20 winning side.

Almost as interesting as the names who have made it to the auction list of 416, are the players who haven't.

The most notable absentees - in addition to Pakistan's cricketers, who continue to get the IPL cold shoulder - are some of Australia's biggest current players... Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson.

Previous IPL auctions have shown that base prices are not indicative of the final amount for which the franchise will buy the player.