South Africa-India series deep in IPL auction’s shadow

It isn’t often that a men’s T20I series is a dress rehearsal for a mere franchise tournament’s player auction, but there is nothing mere about the IPL. With the auction for next year’s tournament looming on November 24 and 25, several of those involved in the rubber between South Africa and India will feel the heat of the IPL spotlight.

A good performance in the four games – the first of them at Kingsmead on Friday, the last at the Wanderers next Friday – could make some of them rich. Conversely, should they not live up to expectation they might end up without a deal and thus have significantly less money in the bank.

Of South Africa’s squad of 16, including Lutho Sipamla, who isn’t in the mix for the first two matches, only Heinrich Klaasen has been retained; by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Just two of the remaining 14 – Mihlali Mpongwana and Andile Simelane – are not up for auction.

Eleven of India’s 15 have been retained. The exceptions are Jitesh Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak and Avesh Khan, who have all made themselves available to be bought.

The full list numbers 1,574 players. There are 1,165 Indians and 409 foreigners from 16 countries. Ninety-one of them are South Africans, more than from any other country besides India.

Not that the 16 players from both teams who will be on IPL audition during the series will have the franchise owners’ attention to themselves. During the same eight days that South Africa and India are playing each other, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, England, Australia and the Netherlands will be in action as well. So are Pakistan, Oman, Indonesia and Myanmar, but none of their players are in the auction.

The fact that the series pits this year’s T20 World Cup finalists against each other is deep in the shadows of the overarching IPL story. So any notion that the South Africans will be out to make amends for the seven-run loss they suffered in that match is hopelessly naive.

It’s also difficult to sketch a relevant narrative about the rubber considering the next World Cup in the format isn’t until February and March 2026. Unless that narrative is, as it is with the IPL, about money – CSA will earn about USD8.6-million in broadcast revenue from each of the four games.

An ancient proverb about cricket is that it is a team game for individuals. That remains true, but there is a twist in this instance. From this Friday to the next in South Africa, it will be nothing more no less than a game for 16 individuals trying to excel not for a team but for the signature of the owners of one of 10 franchises on a paycheque.

But there is indeed another reason the series matters. We’ve all heard that cricket is undergoing a revolution. This is a significant skirmish in that ongoing struggle towards a more realistic future.

For the first two games :

When: November 8 and 10, 2024; 5pm and 4pm Local Time (8.30pm and 7.30pm IST)

Where: Kingsmead, Durban and St George’s Park, Gqeberha

What to expect: These are South Africa’s slowest pitches, but that doesn’t mean they will be subcontinental. Although Durban has an unhappy habit of raining on cricket matches, the forecast says that shouldn’t happen on Friday. There’s a slight chance of showers in Gqeberha on Sunday.

Team news:

South Africa:

For the first time since the T20 World Cup in June, South Africa will be able to field seven of the XI who took them to the final of that tournament. But not Quinton de Kock, who’s gone fishing, and Kagiso Rabada, who’s been rested. Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi are available, but were not selected.

Possible XI: Reeza Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Gerald Coetzee, Nqaba Peter, Ottneil Baartman

India:

Ramandeep Singh and Vijaykumar Vyshak are in an India squad for the first time. Yash Dayal has been in the Test squad, but remains uncapped. Riyan Parag is out with what the BCCI described as a “chronic right shoulder injury”. Shivam Dube and Mayank Yadav are also nursing problems, but theirs haven’t been detailed.

Possible XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Avesh Khan, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh

What they said:

“I don’t think it’s the focus. But we all know, with things like an auction and especially for a big tournament like the IPL, a lot of things can fall into place for players. And we’re fortunate that we’re playing a series against them pretty much just before the auction happens.” – Aiden Markram plays open cards about the series’ bigger picture.

“The approach will be the same as what we have been doing in the last few years; the brand of cricket we played during the T20 World Cup, also in the last two or three bilateral series and what we played during the IPL.” – Suryakumar Yadav, secure in his retention by Mumbai Indians, lays a different set of cards on the table.