Stokes and Root named marquee players for IPL auction

The two England stars are part of a 16-strong group of big names available when the bidding starts on January 27

^{Ben Stokes could be set for another bumper IPL payday}

Ben Stokes and Joe Root have been named as two of the 16 marquee players ahead of the Indian Premier League auction next weekend.

Stokes, who faces criminal proceedings in February after being charged with affray, has been cleared to play by England and the IPL will allow franchises to replace him in the event he is unable to take part in the tournament, which begins in March.

And he could be set for another bumper contract, following the £1.7million deal he received from Rising Pune Supergiant in the previous edition of the competition.

Root, meanwhile, has not heeded the request of England coach Trevor Bayliss to give himself a break from cricket at the end of an exhaustive winter tour, and is among the top rung of players in the auction, which will take place in Bangalore on January 27 and 28.

He and Stokes join a group of the world's top T20 stars in the marquee list, with Chris Gayle, Mitchell Starc , Kane Williamson and Shakib Al Hasan all included.

^{Joe Root is one of the 16 marquee players for the Indian Premier League auction}

Current India players will be available for purchase, while stalwarts including Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh are also on offer in the top bracket (minimum £240,000).

Thirty-six players have priced themselves in the top group, with a further 32 available for a minimum of £180,000, including Kagiso Rabada and Faf du Plessis.

The IPL have cut down an initial list of more than 1,000 players to 578 ahead of the bidding.

"A lot of strategising and number-crunching is involved before a cricketer is picked at the IPL Player Auction. The dynamic nature of the auction makes it unpredictable and exciting," chairman Rajiv Shukla said.

"The eight franchises have given us an indication of what their core would be with their Player Retentions and IPL 2018 Player Auction will be an important step towards the creation of a successful team.

"The marquee list is full of star players, but I am also looking forward to the uncapped Indian players who have proved their mettle in the earlier editions of the VIVO IPL and are sure to attract high bids."

Marquee players: Ben Stokes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Joe Root, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, Harbhajan Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Shakib Hasan, Kane Williamson