Australia pacer Spencer Johnson said that he thought he had less chance of finding a franchise during the Indian Premier League mini-auction. A year ago, Johnson didn’t play a single T20I match. Fast forward to December 19, 2023, and Johnson became an IPL millionaire.
Ahead of IPL 2024, a mini-auction was on the cards and just 30 overseas spots were available. With the limited seats, the 28-year-old speedster felt his opportunity might not come. But he ended up joining the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Jhye Richardson, who went for big bucks.
The Gujarat Titans became his home as the one-time IPL champions secured his services for Rs 10 crore. “I think the longer it went, I guess you start to lose a little bit of hope. So the longer it was going, I think, the less chance I had. But at the end of the day, I was in a position where I was in the auction, and this time last year I wasn’t. So whatever happened was going to happen, and anything would have been a good result,” he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Johnson has had a fair share of experience playing franchise cricket. He has been a target for league franchises and has featured in the Hundred, the MLC, and the Global T20 in Canada. He took nine wickets in nine games across those tournaments. “It’s obviously a pretty special moment; I never really thought I’d be in this situation. But it was nice to get on FaceTime back home in Adelaide [with] mum and to see her smile. It’s not just my moment; I guess it’s a moment for my whole family and they’ve been there the whole way. So for them to experience it as well, it’s pretty special,” Johnson said.
Even though the speedster walked away with a hefty price tag, he believes that the red-ball game is actually where his true strengths lie. “Ideally, I’d like to play more red ball. I think my body’s just let me down over the last few years but my body’s hardening and I’m getting ready to play, hopefully, some longer format cricket, which is, I feel, my better format,” Johnson added.
