Cricket: Trent Boult gets $470,000 in Indian Premier League auction

Trent Boult. Photo / Getty

Trent Boult led the way for New Zealand on the second day of the Indian Premier League auction in Bengaluru, but the country's overall involvement in the tournament looks set to diminish this season.

Boult went to the Ricky Ponting-coached Delhi Daredevils for $470,000, joining fellow Kiwis Brendon McCullum and Colin de Grandhomme (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Colin Munro (Daredevils).

Mitchell Santner was also picked up later in the auction, going to Stephen Fleming's Chennai Super Kings squad for $107,000, while Tim Southee made the most of a second chance, heading to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $214,000.

The trio were the only New Zealanders to earn a bid as the auction accelerated on day two. When the auction went to the second stage of bidding, the previously unsold players received a second opportunity to be selected. Southee, unsold on day one, cashed in on day two, but the other Kiwis weren't so lucky.

Martin Guptill and Ish Sodhi were unsold once again, while Corey Anderson, Tom Latham and Luke Ronchi all had their names put forward for a second chance, but received no interest.

Confusion can reign as to why decisions are made but, as the auction evolves in its 11th edition, more defined strategies are emerging.

New Zealand might have recently been the No.1 T20 side in the world but that garners little attention. That's understandable, given the small sample size each year. The majority of T20 cricket is played in franchise leagues.

Fans can ponder the merits of why Sodhi, the world's No.1 T20 bowler cannot get a gig, but this is India, a place which feels like spin bowling's ancestral home.

He was joint top of the wicket-taking charts at the 2016 World T20 in India with 10, then took 6-11 for the Adelaide Strikers against the Sydney Thunder last January in the Big Bash League. In eight T20Is on the subcontinent he has taken 15 wickets at an economy rate of 6.50 and strike rate of 12.

To these eyes, his T20 performances brim with vim and vigour, but put that decision into a local context. How would New Zealanders feel about a swag of overseas openside flankers flooding our Super Rugby sides? Franchises want to see their local tweakers deliver results because this is the Indian rather than International Premier League.

Alternatively, the staple source of Black Caps in the IPL last year were pace bowlers with Boult (Kolkata Knight Riders), Matt Henry (Kings XI Punjab), Lockie Ferguson (Rising Pune Supergiant), Adam Milne (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Southee and McClenaghan (Mumbai Indians) involved.

Some may be mopped up in the post-auction fire sale, but the deliberations around franchise tables on the opening day indicated local pace bowlers were under more scrutiny.

McClenaghan suffered as a result, despite being one of the best players for rupees spent last season. He was the fourth highest wicket-taker on $61,000 at Mumbai. A tough outing for the Thunder versus Renegades in the BBL last week might have cost him dearly as a freelancer.

New Zealand players might need to accept a new reality that unless you have pedigree and chutzpah (McCullum selling RCB for $770,000) or a proven record as a talent and a team man (Williamson returning to SRH for $641,000), the Indian market will be tough to crack.

New Zealanders to sell in IPL
Brendon McCullum (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - $770,000
Kane Williamson (Sunrisers Hyderabad) - $641,000
Colin de Grandhomme (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - $470,000
Trent Boult (Delhi Daredevils) -$470,000
Colin Munro (Delhi Daredevils) - $406,000
Tim Southee (Royal Challengers Bangalore) - $214,000
Mitchell Santner (Chennai Super Kings) - $107,000

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