IPL Auction 2022: Tim David — All you need to know about MI’s 8.25 crore recruit – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

The two-day mega auction for the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) witnessed ten teams spend more than Rs 550 crore in total with over 204 players being sold over the weekend, including 67 overseas players.

The player auction, which took place at the ITC Gardenia Hotel in Bengaluru and was conducted by commentator Charu Sharma for the most part after veteran auctioneer Hugh Edmeades fell ill on the opening day, saw more money being spent than ever before — as many as 11 players received bids in excess of Rs 10 crore in this auction, nearly three time the number in the 2018 auction (4), which had been the previous highest number.

There were also a number of surprises in store during the two-day affair in the IT capital; from the likes of Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma going unsold to a number of relatively unknown Indian domestic players becoming overnight crorepatis. It was also the auction that witnessed Liam Livingstone become the most expensive overseas buy at the auction.

Tim David’s purchase for Rs 8.25 crore by five-time champions Mumbai Indians was among the deals that made headlines over the weekend. David had been picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last year, but he played just one game — against Chennai Super Kings in the tournament’s second half in the UAE. With the kind of price that he commanded in the auction, David will hope to get more game time in the blue jersey this time around.

Here, we take a closer look at the player who the Rohit Sharma-led side is looking at as a long-term middle-order and all-round option:

International cricket

Though he has been linked to Australia selection on a few occasions in the recent past, David represents Singapore on the international arena, whom he has represented in 14 T20Is, collecting 558 runs at an average of 46.5 and a strike rate of 158.52 since his debut against Qatar in July 2019.

Tim’s father Rod originally hails from Sydney, New South Wales, and moved to Singapore later, even representing the national team, before ultimately returning to his home country.

Tim’s most recent appearance for Singapore was in the ACC Eastern Region T20 in March, 2020, in which he he had struck back-to-back fifties in a winning cause.

Tim, who grew up in Perth, says he’s committed to playing for Singapore for now, even though the Australia selectors could consider getting him on board should he live up to his billing in the IPL this year.

“Of course, I have the ambition to play for Australia. If that opportunity comes up, then I would love to take that. But, at the moment, I am happy playing for Singapore,” the 6’5 batting all-rounder, who is a handy off-spinner, had earlier told ESPNCricinfo.

Big Bash League

David has represented Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes in his ‘home’ T20 league, though it is with the latter that his career really took off.

He made a total of nine appearances across two editions (BBL 7 and 9) for the Scorchers for a sum total of 109 runs, and though he didn’t boast a great average, his strike rate (128.57 and 140.38 respectively) hinted at his T20 potential.

David was traded to the Hurricanes ahead of BBL 10, and that year, his numbers started to improve (279 runs; average: 31; strike rate: 153.30, one fifty). In the latest edition of the league, his strike rate had soared to 163.91, as he collected 218 runs in 14 outings, including an unbeaten 20-ball 46 against Melbourne Renegades.

Pakistan Super League

His run with the Hurricanes helped David land offers with franchises in T20 leagues across the globe. PSL’s Lahore Qalandars decided to sign him as a replacement for Joe Burns in the mini-auction that was conducted ahead of the resumption of the coronavirus-postponed sixth season.

Though the Qalandars failed to reach the playoffs, finishing fifth out of six teams, David was impressive in the six appearances that he made, scoring 180 runs at an average of 46 with a strike rate of 166.66.

David joined the Multan Sultans ahead of the ongoing seventh edition of the league, and has been even more destructive with the bat, which could perhaps have been the reason behind the huge sum MI decided to pay in the IPL auction. David has scored 221 runs in seven appearances so far, at an average of 55.25 and an outstanding strike rate of 206.54, including a 29-ball 71 against Islamabad United.

Other leagues

After a successful stint with the Lahore Qalandars in the second leg of PSL 6, David travelled to the other side of the planet to represent Southern Brave in the inaugural edition of The Hundred, and though he wasn’t really among the runs, he did play a part in helping his team beat Birmingham Phoenix in the final with his fielding.

Shortly after The Hundred, David crossed the Atlantic to represent Saint Lucia Kings in the ninth edition of the Caribbean Premier League. The Singaporean was a consistent run-scorer and ended up finishing third in the batting charts after collecting 282 runs in 12 innings at an average and strike rate of 35.25 and 146.11 respectively.

Click here to read auction analysis for remaining IPL teams

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