Tamil Nadu’s Manimaran Siddharth could fetch a hefty sum at the IPL 2024 auction, scheduled for Tuesday, December 19, following the youngster’s impressive domestic and TNPL seasons.
What is the IPL 2024 auction time?
The IPL 2024 auction, set to be hosted at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, will kick off at 1 PM IST/11.30 am local time.
Who is M. Siddharth?
Born in Chennai and brought up in Indonesia, M. Siddharth is a wily left-arm finger spinner who has been part of KKR and DC franchises and most recently was a net bowler with champions CSK in the IPL 2023.
Siddharth had a sensational tournament-winning Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2023 season with the Lyca Kovai Kings, which has shot the 25-year-old up in the limelight.
In TNPL 2023, M. Siddharth took 11 wickets in 9 games. But the most impressive part of his bowling was his knack for judging the batter’s foot movements and his ability to contain the runs. Across 9 games, Siddharth had an economy of merely 5.61, which is enviable for even some of the best spinners in the world. Among the bowlers who sent down at least 10 overs in the TNPL 2023, Siddharth’s economy of 5.61 was the best among them.
Siddharth’s success is not limited to T20 cricket. The youngster has shown adaptability across the three forms of the game.
In 17 List-A matches, Siddharth has snapped 26 wickets at an average of 23 and an economy of 4.09. In 7 first-class games for Tamil Nadu, he has snared 27 wickets at an impressive average of 20 with the economy rate even below 2.5!
Siddharth didn’t make his IPL debut for either KKR (in 2020) or DC (in 2021) and hasn’t been picked in the past two seasons. However, the 25-year-old has taken giant strides in domestic and TNPL cricket to attract plenty of eyeballs and bids at the IPL 2024 auction table. Plus, he has proven to be a great match-up against right-handers, something that most IPL teams are filled with; this would raise his auction price further.
Which franchise is on the lookout for a canny, run-containing, left-arm orthodox spinner like M. Siddharth?
It feels that KKR, who have released Shakib, SRH, who have released Adil Rashid and Akeal Hosein, and LSG, whose home pitch in Lucknow suits spin bowling, might be very tempted to buy an Indian in-form spinner such as Siddharth. Expect a competitive bidding war in the IPL 2024 auction room for Tamil Nadu’s M. Siddharth.
