Cricket’s calendar is a mishmash. A month ago Australia stunned India to win the World Cup title in front of 90,000 fans in Ahmedabad.

On Sunday, in front of just 9000 compatriots in the Test summer opener in Perth, Australia crushed Pakistan with offspinner Nathan Lyon becoming just the eighth bowler to take 500 Test wickets.

There was also a shambolically scheduled T20I series between India and Australia shoehorned after the World Cup, where both heavyweight countries effectively played second-string line-ups.

Australia barely got a breather before the home Test summer, but some of their top players will be understandably taking note of the Indian Premier League’s auction held on December 19. The upcoming season will be played from late March through May in a two-month window which effectively shuts down the cricket calendar of the major countries.

For the first time the auction is being held overseas with Dubai staging the event with over $30 million set to be splurged on a maximum of 77 players – 30 players are allotted for overseas players.

This has been deemed as a mini auction and doesn’t quite have the heft of the mega editions. But there are exceptions. Last year Punjab Kings snapped up England allrounder Sam Curran for $2.26 million making him the most expensive player in IPL history.

It remains to be seen how much the players in this auction will fetch, but undoubtedly the most sought after will receive millions. Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc might end up being the top buy and he is in high demand having not played in the IPL since 2015. He has a base price of $200,000 with Starc having shown his mercurial ability with the ball during Australia’s first Test thrashing of Pakistan.

Starc, 33, had been one of the rare star players to shun the IPL in a bid to preserve his body and prolong his career. It’s a strategy that has worked well for him, but with Starc at the twilight of his career, and with Australia having a somewhat less taxing year ahead, he’s decided to grab the awaiting riches while he can.

Armed by a $6 billion media rights deal, the IPL attracts the top players from around the world in what is the premier tournament for a sport that had traditionally mostly enjoyed popularity at the international level.

The advent of the IPL in 2008 also powered mighty India into being cricket’s dominant force off the field and ever since cricket has seemingly been headed towards a road travelled by other sports where lucrative domestic leagues hold sway.

But it’s a tournament that’s best for lining the pockets of India’s all-powerful governing body and players from the sport’s heavyweight countries. Players, however, from smaller countries are mostly neglected while Pakistani players are barred amid the political tensions between the two warring countries.

The IPL has never really grown in popularity beyond India, but that might not really matter and it feels just a matter of time before it starts transcending the sport. A $30 billion investment from Saudi Arabia in the IPL could well be a game-changer and provide the type of mega deals that mean top players might switch allegiances from country to club.

It’s a thorny subject and something that the sport’s power brokers at the ICC seem helpless at doing anything about.

But all that potential uncertainty will be brushed away at the IPL’s gaudy auction where the cash flying around from 10 desperate franchises will be music to the ears of cricketers from around the globe.

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