Which Aussies got overpaid in the IPL auction and BBL SuperCoach Must-Haves

Are the Aussies worth smashing the IPL price record for? Who is a must have for BBL SuperCoach?

The IPL Auction was overnight with some Aussie superstars going for some jaw-dropping prices, while another BBL Round 2 match provides a handy SuperCoach pick. Read on and listen to the Cricket Today Podcast, debating the Aussies in the IPL Auction and a Scorchers superstar star to pick in BBL SuperCoach.

CRAZY PRICES FOR AUSSIES IN IPL

• Mitchell Starc - $4.42m (Kolkata Knight Riders)
• Pat Cummins - $3.66m (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
• Spencer Johnson - $1.78m (Gujarat Titans)
• Travis Head - $1.22m (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
• Jhye Richardson - $892k (Delhi Capitals)
• Ashton Turner - $178k (Lucknow Super Giants)

Some of Australia’s best T20 players went for some huge prices in the IPL auction overnight, with Pat Cummins smashing the league’s record price, before Mitchell Starc shocked the world to demolish that price himself.

Pat Cummins celebrates taking a wicket for the Knight Riders in the IPL. Picture: Kolkata Knight Riders Official

IS STARC WORTH IT?

Cricket Today’s Liam ‘Stats Guy’ McAllion, Marcus Bazzano and Leo Mullaly debated whether the players listed above are worth the incredible amounts of money the IPL franchises paid, with all agreeing that Starc and Cummins are extremely lucky to be the top two, due to not being all-rounders.

“Obviously Mitch Starc is a gun, but he can be wayward at times and for that record price I would much rather an all-rounder who can do it all,” says Stats Guy.

The question remains: Starc can be wayward at times and isn’t likely worth the amazing price tag of $13,000 every time he bowls a bowl, especially when considering the extremely accurate and T20 consistency of a bowler like Josh Hazlewood, who went undrafted.

WAS TRAV-BALL SOMEHOW UNDERVALUED?

Cricket Today also looks at Travis Head being worth almost four times less than Starc, despite this having been the year of Travball, with Head taking over plenty of times with the bat while also providing a solid spin option. His unique skillset - and his match-winning abilities with the bat - means that $1.22M could have been a steal.

This all feels like some recency bias after the Aussie quicks dominated in the World Cup final against India and shows that Aussie tax is real, with out-of-form Heat bowler Spencer Johnson also getting a huge pay day.

Will they prove worth it in India in March?

Aaron Hardie of the Scorchers bats against the Renegades in the BBL. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

BBL SUPERCOACH - ROUND 2 MUST-HAVE

Aaron Hardie - $174,000

The leading BBL run scorer of last season still being nowhere near the most expensive player in BBL SuperCoach still seems unbelievable and makes Hardie a no-brainer to be selected in all sides.

Not only did Hardie average 41 runs last season, but he produced a wicket each of the five innings that he bowled and remains a gun fielder.

That means the Scorchers main man is a triple threat in the Big Bash and can improve on being the eighth best scorer in SuperCoach last season. Averaging 58 points last season and going up $72,000 in price, the Perth all-rounder is a must-have SuperCoach pick and will definitely be in line to get another Australian white ball call up soon.

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Originally published as Which Aussies got overpaid in the IPL auction and BBL SuperCoach Must-Haves