The IPL consistently rewards smart squad building, tactical flexibility, and balanced team composition over individual star power. So what exactly are franchises paying for when the bidding war begins?
Irfan Pathan has added fresh fuel to it with a stinging remark aimed at Jasprit Bumrah, using Pat Cummins' Ashes-first approach as an example of how elite pacers should handle their schedules.
Australia have suffered another blow ahead of the Ashes opener against England after fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was ruled out due to a hamstring injury on Saturday, further weakening their bowling attack after the loss of captain Pat Cummins.
Australia captain Pat Cummins said on Monday he was more likely than not to miss the first Ashes Test in Perth next month and is not absolutely certain of being fit for the second in Brisbane.
Paceman Josh Hazlewood has brushed off worries about Australia's ageing attack for the Ashes, saying he personally feels as good as he has in a long time and that the unit's experience of bowling together is a major advantage for the team.
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood feels it is possible to do the balancing act with meticulous planning and strategising.
Ravichandran Ashwin hails Travis Head after his 69-ball century, the second-fastest in Ashes history, helped Australia easily chase down 205 runs on Day 2 of first Ashes Test.
Pat Cummins admitted he'd have loved to be wielding the willow instead
England have not won the Ashes in Australia after losing the first Test since the 1950s but McCullum and Stokes will remain convinced they can turn the series around, just as they did against South Africa in 2022 when they won 2-1 after losing the opener at Lord's.
Only three England captains have secured the urn in Australia in the last 50 years, with Andrew Strauss the last in 2010/11.
Australia's selectors chairman George Bailey defended sticking with the Test side's veteran core for the Ashes on Wednesday following criticism from former captain Steve Waugh about the team's ageing profile.
'My body feels great right now, I am very confident of getting through all five (Tests) without any dramas.'
New South Wales fast bowler Sean Abbott created history as the first player to be substituted out of a Sheffield Shield match due to injury, other than concussion.
Pat Cummins was ruled out of the upcoming white-ball series against India and New Zealand due to a lower-back issue.
The contest between England's dialled-down "Bazball" approach and Australia's more methodical batting could determine who prevails in the Ashes series beginning in Perth on Friday.
Scott Boland will step up and uncapped Brendan Doggett is tipped for a high-stakes debut to try to shore up the loss of a combined 604 Test wickets of experience.
Mitchell Starc and Ben Stokes set the scene for a dramatic Ashes series.
Expect nothing less than hostility, fire and close contests as Ben Stokes' England come armed with their Bazball philosophy to try and get the better of a depleted Australia.
Cummins remains a doubtful for the Ashes opener at Perth starting on November 21 but Marsh is among the players who would be in fray for selection for the opening Test of the five-match series.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri outlined the quality of Steve Smith that has always amazed him, and expects the captaincy for the first Ashes Test in Perth to bring the best out of him.
All-rounder Cameron Green will miss the three-match ODI series against India due to side soreness.
Their last eight Tests in Perth have all been defeats, with the most recent setback a bitter innings and 41-run capitulation in 2017 that saw Joe Root's team surrender the urn.
All-rounder Max Maxwell, who has been sidelined by a wrist injury, will come in for the last three games, while Test certainty Josh Hazlewood will skip the last three games.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction saw some foreign names earning big bucks, headlined by Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green
'That so many have reached such an advanced stage of their careers without obvious replacements is certainly a reflection of their quality, but will be a matter of concern in the case of more injuries during the series.'
England's Ashes hopes rest largely on the all-round performance of talismanic captain Ben Stokes, who took 17 wickets against India in the recent home series.
'A couple of weeks ago, did he think he was a chance (to play in Perth)? Potentially not, he was a little bit sore. Then you flip it forward two weeks and there's a lot more positivity. We've still got a little bit to go.'
England 'quietly confident' heading into Ashes series, says Wood
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting described Aussies skipper Pat Cummins' captaincy as "old-fashioned" as he set fields and unravel plans over a long period of time.
The aura of home advantage -- long regarded as a hallmark of India's Test side -- seemed secure. But in barely over a year, that fortress has not just cracked, it has collapsed, raising uncomfortable questions about strategy, selection, and temperament.
Making a comeback to international cricket after a seven-month gap, Virat Kohli has perished for ducks in the first two ODIs against Australia.
Kasprowicz recalls being thanked "for saving Test cricket" for his Ashes 2005 Birmingham dismissal
IMAGES from Day 2 of the 1st Ashes Test in Perth on Saturday.
Konstas, 20, misses out after a poor tour with the bat in the West Indies, while Weatherald has been included after topping the Sheffield Shield runs list
Nitish flaunted his six-hitting muscle in the first innings and showed signs of living up to the belief that the former Indian skipper has exuded in him. After being put to bat by Australia, rain interrupted the play on four instances, and the Indian team toiled for rhythm as well as runs.
I certainly get drained mentally quicker than I've probably used to: Smith
Formidable India have their tails up as they head to the gargantuan MCG for the second T20I against Australia here on Friday, thanks to the influx of young talent and the return to form of skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Virat Kohli, 36, and Rohit Sharma, 38, are active internationally only in the 50-overs format but their future beyond the three-match series is uncertain.
Abhishek Sharma finished as the highest run-getter in the rain-hit five-match T20I series, having amassed 163 runs in the series at a strike rate of 161.39.
Australia's stand-in captain Mitchell Marsh continued his fine run of form on Sunday, scoring 46 not out and leading his side to a seven-wicket triumph over India in the weather-affected first one-day international at Perth Stadium.
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