Just two Australians were retained while a number of big names, including Mitchell Starc — the Indian Premier League’s most expensive player — will be headed to auction.

The deadline for IPL teams to name their set of retained players passed overnight, with Sunrisers Hyderabad keeping Pat Cummins and Travis Head for $3.66 million and $1.22 million respectively.

Elsewhere, Starc — who signed with the Kolkata Knight Riders on a record-breaking $4.42 million contract after last year’s auction — headlines the list of Australians who were not retained.

Watch every ball of the Australia A v India A LIVE & ad-break free during play | Day 1 THURS 10:55AM | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

Also on the list of Australians who were not retained are: Marcus Stoinis (Lucknow Super Giants, $1.7m), David Warner (Delhi Capitals, $1.16m), Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, $3.15m), Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, $2m), Mitch Marsh (Delhi Capitals, $1.2m), Nathan Ellis (Punjab Kings, $135,000), Matthew Wade (Gujarat Titans, $446,000), Tim David (Mumbai Indians, $1.53m), Spencer Johnson (Gujarat Titans, $1.78m), Jhye Richardson (Delhi Capitals, $892,000), Adam Zampa (Rajasthan Royals, $270,000), Ashton Turner (Lucknow Super Giants, $178,000), Jason Behrendorff (Mumbai Indians, $135,000).

On Green specifically, who was traded to Royal Challengers Bengaluru from Mumbai Indians before last season, RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat said they wanted to retain him.

“But he’s unfortunately out of the IPL due to injury,” Bobat said, referencing the back surgery Green underwent last month which ruled him out of the Test summer.

Jos Buttler, who has been with Rajasthan Royals since 2018, is another international player who could be set for the auction while no England players were retained.

Elsewhere, Punjab Kings retained the fewest players, giving coach Ricky Ponting the highest-ever auction purse of 110.5 Cr, which is the equivalent to just under $20 million AUD.

The date for the IPL auction is yet to be confirmed, although it is expected to be in either late November or early December.

AUSTRALIANS IN THE IPL

Retained

Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad, $3.66 million)

Travis Head (Sunrisers Hyderabad, $1.22 million)

Released

Mitchell Starc (Kolkata Knight Riders, $4.42m)

Cameron Green (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, $3.15m)

Glenn Maxwell (Royal Challengers Bengaluru, $2m)

Spencer Johnson (Gujarat Titans, $1.78m)

Marcus Stoinis (Lucknow Super Giants, $1.7m)

Tim David (Mumbai Indians, $1.53m)

Mitch Marsh (Delhi Capitals, $1.2m)

David Warner (Delhi Capitals, $1.16m)

Jhye Richardson (Delhi Capitals, $892,000)

Matthew Wade (Gujarat Titans, $446,000)

Adam Zampa (Rajasthan Royals, $270,000)

Ashton Turner (Lucknow Super Giants, $178,000)

Jason Behrendorff (Mumbai Indians, $135,000)

Nathan Ellis (Punjab Kings, $135,000)

SOUTH AFRICA STAR IN RECORD-BREAKING IPL RETENTION

Elsewhere, South Africa’s Heinrich Klaasen edged cricket superstar Virat Kohli to become the most expensive player retained in the Indian Premier League.

Sunrisers Hyderabad re-signed the hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman for $2.73 million alongside skipper Australians Pat Cummins and Travis Head.

The 33-year-old Klaasen amassed 479 runs including four half-centuries at a strike rate of over 171 in this year’s IPL as Hyderabad ended runners-up.

Klaasen surpassed the previous $2.02 million paid by Royal Challengers Bengaluru to Kohli in 2017.

Kohli kept up his bond with Bengaluru for $2.5 million in the lucrative T20 tournament as the retention deadline ended on Thursday at 5 pm India time (1130 GMT).

Top Indian players including Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have parted ways with their franchises to head into the mega auction, which is expected to be held next month.

Starc holds the auction record after Kolkata brought him for $2.98 million in December last year.

Pant left Delhi Capitals after he led the team in this year’s IPL following his return to competitive cricket from a serious car crash in December 2022.

Rahul was not among the list of players retained by Lucknow Super Giants, who kept West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran for $2.5 million.

Other top players on the auction table will be Buttler, who was not retained by Rajasthan Royals, and South African Faf du Plessis, out of Bengaluru.

Defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders released their skipper Shreyas Iyer but held onto the West Indies duo of Andre Russell and Sunil Narine.

Five-time winners Chennai extended their association with 43-year-old MS Dhoni, who comes in as an uncapped player after he retired from international cricket in 2020.

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians retained their top names including skipper Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav.

The 10-team IPL, which began in 2008, has transformed the global cricket economy and spawned other T20 league competitions around the world.