Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has stated that if it weren’t for Travis Head’s wedding arrangements, he would have chosen him for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2023 and believes that he will be in line for an IPL contract following his exploits in the recently concluded ODI World Cup 2023 in India.
Several questions were raised about Travis Head’s selection to the Australian team despite having an injury before the start of the event. Australia’s victory over home-favourites India was largely due to Travis Head’s incredible century and was the Player of the Match in the World Cup final and a World Test Championship final.
Speaking On 7 News, Ricky Ponting said that he would have picked Travis Head for Delhi Capitals for the IPL 2023 season if not for his wedding last year and detailed a conversation he had with the Australian opener ahead of the 2023 auction, in which the Australian opener informed him about his wedding in the middle of the IPL.
“Travis has done everything right to make sure he gets a deal this year. He would have had a deal last year if it wasn’t for his wedding. His wedding got in the middle of it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to pick him up at Delhi,” Ricky Ponting said.
“I rang him and told him I was going for him in the auction, and he said, ‘just to let you know, I’m getting married two weeks into the IPL.’ He would have missed three weeks at the start of the tournament, which our owners weren’t willing to take that gamble on,” Ricky Ponting said.
Travis Head did not get a buyer in the IPL 2023 auction. He has only played 10 IPL games, with the most recent appearance coming in six years ago. The Southpaw’s aggressive style and ability to smash any bowling attack on his day could fetch a hefty price in the IPL 2024 auctions.
There’ll Be A Few Questions Asked Of The High Performances Guys At Cricket Australia – Ricky Ponting
Ricky Ponting feels that the Australian bowlers will look at their workload before the 2024 T20 World Cup and believes that Cricket Australia will discuss with the high-performance experts regarding the Australian bowlers participating in the next edition of the IPL. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins are likely to put their name in the IPL auction 2024.
“They go to NZ after the summer, then IPL, then T20 World Cup after that. … there’ll be a few questions asked of the high performances guys at Cricket Australia as to what the expectations might and might not be for fast bowlers in the IPL auction,” Ricky Ponting added.
Mitchell Starc has not played an IPL match since the 2015 season. Pat Cummins was another Australian fast bowler who did not participate in the IPL 2023 to focus on the Ashes and World Test Championships in 2023. Given their international experience, both pacers are anticipated to be in high demand during the IPL auction.