Australia shaken by IPL mega auction as coach departs Perth Test against India for Sunrisers Hyderabad

New Zealand cricket legend and current assistant coach of Australia, Daniel Vettori, will be leaving the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India midway to attend the IPL mega auction. Vettori, who also serves as the head coach of IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, will be flying to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia for the two-day long IPL mega auction taking place on November 24 and 25. He is expected to be with the Australian side for Day 1 and Day 2 of the Perth Test, which kicks off on the 22nd.

Cricket Australia have reportedly extended their support to Vettori, who was allowed to take up the roles at SRH in IPL and Birmingham Phoenix in Hundred despite holding a full-time position with the Australian cricket team. "We are very supportive of Dan's role as Head Coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad," an Australia team spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. "Dan will complete the final preparation for the first Test before attending the IPL auction. He will then be with team for the remainder of the Border Gavaskar Trophy."

Vettori has served as Australia’s bowling coach across all formats since 2022, collaborating closely with his long-time friend, Andrew McDonald.

The recent decision to prioritize the IPL auction over a Test match—particularly with the auction scheduled in Saudi Arabia during an Australia-India Test—illustrates the current landscape of cricket. Former players Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer, who are now commentators for Channel Seven, will also miss part of the Test to participate in the auction in their roles as head coaches of Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants.

Vettori has had to step away from certain series in previous years to fulfill his franchise coaching obligations, resulting in temporary replacements being appointed to support the Australian team. However, this marks the first occasion he will leave a Test match mid-way to attend the IPL auction, as he managed to balance his responsibilities last year during a series against Pakistan before heading to India for the auction.

In anticipation of future tours where Vettori may be unavailable, Cricket Australia is currently seeking a full-time national pace bowling coach to take over during his absences.

On Monday, Vettori was present for Australia’s initial day of training at the WACA ground, where he actively engaged with the bowling group, even throwing left-arm orthodox deliveries to batters to help them prepare for facing Ravindra Jadeja in the upcoming Perth Test.

Australia's coaching staff also included two consultants on Monday: former Australian batsman Michael Hussey and ex-Glamorgan, Leicestershire, and Somerset allrounder Jim Allenby, who is based in Perth. Both consultants previously worked with the team before the first Test against Pakistan last summer and will continue to support them throughout the week leading up to the Test match.

Meanwhile, Australia's fielding coach, Andre Borovec, is currently managing the T20I side competing in a three-match series against Pakistan, which concludes in Hobart on Monday night. He and T20 captain Josh Inglis will head to Perth the following day to join the Test team.

Additionally, CA's national development coach Lachlan Stevens, who has experience coaching Australia A against India A and works with the Under 19s, is set to fly in to provide further support once Vettori departs.