Johnson cops IPL paycut as Aussies ignored

Ben Stokes has taken the highest price for an overseas player at an IPL auction, while only five Australian bowlers picked up new contracts.

FILE IMAGE: Mitchell Johnson (R) and Pat Cummins (L) have both failed to fetch $A1 million at the Indian Premier League action.

FILE IMAGE: Mitchell Johnson (R) and Pat Cummins (L) have both failed to fetch $A1 million at the Indian Premier League action. Source: AAP

Mitchell Johnson will cop a $A950,000 pay cut at this year's Indian Premier League, as all but five of the 30 Australian players on offer were ignored at the annual auction.

After Englishman Ben Stokes recorded the highest price in IPL history for an overseas player at $A2.82 million, Johnson was unable to attract anywhere near the same attention.

However at least he was bought at the gala event, with the likes of Test spinner Nathan Lyon, Brad Haddin and Nic Maddinson all unsold.

Johnson, who retired from international cricket in the 2015-16 summer, starred at the end of the BBL season for Perth including taking figures of 3-3 from four overs in their semi-final win over the Melbourne Stars.

However that has seemingly done little to impress Indian franchises, with the 35-year-old's wage slashed from the $A1.34 he was re-signed for last year.

Fellow Australian quick Pat Cummins also failed to reach the million-dollar mark, sold to the Delhi Daredevils for $A875,000 - albeit double the amount he picked up in the 2014 auction.

After being rejected in the first round, Nathan Coulter-Nile will also collect a handy $680,000 payday, bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders to join the other 16 Australians already in the tournament prior to the auction.

Quicks Billy Stanlake and Ben Laughlin were the only other Australians picked up, each purchased for $A58,400 by the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore respectively in the second round.

The BBL's leading run-scorer, Ben Dunk, and top wicket-taker, Sean Abbott, each went unsold at reserves of around $A58,000, as did newly selected Australian squad members Michael Klinger and Mitchell Swepson.

Veteran spinner Brad Hogg was also passed up after teams failed to meet his $A97,000 reserve, while no Australian batsmen were purchased.

There was no such shortage of funds for English duo Stokes and Tymal Mills though.

Allrounder Stokes' winning bid from the Pune Supergiants was also the second-highest in the auction's 10-year history for all players, falling short of Yuvraj Singh's $A3.31 million last year.

Such is the value of Stokes' signature, his wage will be double that of the salary cap for each of last summer's eight BBL teams.

Sussex's left-arm paceman Mills - a 24-year-old who has only played four T20 internationals for England - attracted a winning bid of $A2.33 million from Bangalore.

HOW THE AUSSIES HAVE FARED AT IPL AUCTION

Pat Cummins - $A875,000 to Delhi Daredevils

Nathan Coulter-Nile: $A680,000 to Kolkata Knight Riders

Mitchell Johnson - $A389,000 to Mumbai Indians

Ben Laughlin: $A58,000 to Royal Challengers Bangalore

Billy Stanlake $A58,000 to Sunrisers Hyderabad

Notable unsold players: Nathan Lyon, Sean Abbott, Ben Dunk, Brad Hogg, Mitchell Swepson, Michael Klinger and Nic Maddinson.


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Source: AAP



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