IPL auction 2024: The auction for the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League stands just a sleep away as all 10 teams are waiting in anticipation for the bidding war to begin. All the 10 franchises would be at work when the new auctioneer - Mallika Sagar takes the gavel in her hands and calls out the names of some of the biggest players in the world.
While many expect most of the Aussies to go big in the bidding war, former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach made a bold prediction of a T20 World Cup winner going unsold at the auction. While making his five predictions ahead of the bidding war, Moody stated that the former Aussie captain and a T20 World Cup winner in 2021 Steve Smith will go unsold on December 19. "I don't think Steve Smith will get picked up in the auction this year," Moody said to ESPNCricinfo.
'Mitchell Starc to break all-time record in auction': Moody
The 58-year-old made his second prediction and stated that fast bowler Mitchell Starc will break the all-time record in an IPL auction and will be the most expensive player. "Secondly, I think Mitchell Starc will break the all-time auction record of INR 18.50 Crore which is held by Sam Curran. I think he will go beyond that," he added.
He further predicted that Chennai Super Kings would pick Shahrukh Khan at the bidding war and his price would be similar to what he was paid at the Punjab Kings. "The third one is that Shahrukh Khan will be picked up by CSK and he won't be too far from what he was released at around INR 9 Crore. My fourth prediction is that I think Gujarat will have the largest purse with them after the auction ends," he added.
Moody made his final prediction stating that the successful World Cup stars would be one of the most sought-after players. "And finally as the World Cup was recently held in India will have a big influence on those who had a successful campaign," he predicted.
