While there is no certainty that such a scenario will take place, it cannot be ruled out given big-draw Archer will feature in the later stages of the auction



Will the silent tie-breaker rule be triggered by franchises to buy England fast bowler Jofra Archer at the IPL mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13?


While there is no certainty that such a scenario will take place, it cannot be ruled out considering Archer will be part of the accelerated bidding process which will happen on February 13. The accelerated bidding process, the IPL pointed out, will commence from player number 161. Archer is listed as player number 171.

Archer, who has listed his base price in the maximum slab of INR 2 crore (USD 260,000 approx), was a late entry into the auction pool. In fact, he did not enter his name in the original longlist but was part of the set of 44 new players that the 10 franchises had asked the IPL to add into the final shortlist of 590 players.


It is a matter of intrigue that Archer decided to enter his name despite the IPL pointing out that he was "unlikely" to feature in the 2022 season as he continues to recover from elbow surgery. As per the ECB's roadmap, Archer should be ready to play all cricket from June this year.


The IPL told the franchises that Archer was given permission to enter this year's auction "with a view to potential participation" in the 2022 and 2023 seasons if he were to be picked up by a franchise. The IPL also said if Archer were bought by a franchise and then could not play the 2022 season due to his injury, no replacement would be granted.


But Archer is a special fast bowler who can deliver extreme pace, touching 150kph effortlessly, and make the best batters uncomfortable. He was the Player of the Tournament in the 2020 IPL, when he represented Rajasthan Royals. Overseas fast bowlers have always been among the biggest buys in IPL auctions - if Archer were fully fit, he would have been a favourite to make the marquee set that kicks off the IPL auction.


There is also some evidence to suggest that interest in him remains high: he is slotted in the third allrounder set, meaning several franchises are interested. If not, his name would have come up even later. Players like Tim Southee and Tymal Mills are listed well behind Archer.