Tim David

Mumbai Indians' (MI) decision to sign Tim David for INR 8.25 crore (AUD 1.5 million) at the 2022 IPL auction confirmed two things. Firstly, that the game's formats had diverged so much that a man without a state contract or even a first-class appearance to his name could be worth such a sum; and secondly, that David had become one of the world's most sought-after T20 finishers over the previous 12 months.

David, a powerful 6ft 5in middle-order hitter, was born in Singapore but raised in Western Australia, attending Scotch College, a prestigious school in Perth's leafy western suburbs. He was offered a state contract by WA in 2018-19 but never made the cut as a senior player. He took the rejection in his stride and threw himself into white-ball cricket, playing for Singapore - including at the T20 World Cup qualifier in 2019 - and winning sporadic opportuntiy for the Scorchers in the BBL.

But his rise really started in 2020-21, when former WA bowling coach Adam Griffith lured him to Hobart Hurricanes. After a breakout BBL season, he was picked by Lahore Qalandars for the second half of the PSL. He kept performing, and contracts kept coming: for Surrey, Southern Brave, St Lucia Kings, Royal Challenges Bengaluru and Multan, then for MI. In IPL 2022, he faced 86 balls and hit 16 of them for six, finishing the season with the best-ever strike rate for a batter in a single campaign (min. 50 balls) despite being dropped early on in the competition.

He made his Australia debut in 2022 against India, hitting 54 off 27 balls in his third match, with further signs of his destructiveness along the way including 64 off 28 deliveries against South Africa. In June 2025, he plundered Australia's fastest T20I century - and his first hundred in the format all told - with a blistering 37-ball display against West Indies having been moved higher in the order. Earlier that year he had been part of the Hurricanes side that won the BBL for the first time and, having returned to RCB in the 2025 mega auction, was part of their IPL title triumph although missed the final due to injury.

After a stress fracture in his foot while on his rookie deal at WA, he switched from seam to spin and now bowls handy offbreaks, and is also a reliable fielder in the deep at long-on or midwicket.

- Having built a reputation as a big-hitting finisher in the BBL, Tim David's first stint in the IPL was with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2021, but he got just one game that season.

- Released ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, David attracted bids from as many as six franchises, finally going to Mumbai Indians (MI) for INR 8.25 crore.

- In his first year with Mumbai Indians, David showed why he is so highly rated, striking at 216.28. His 46 off 18 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) was the highlight of the campaign for him.

- IPL 2023 was not as good for David as his strike rate dropped to 158.22, but he was able to accumulate more runs, finishing with 231 runs at an average of 25.66.

- Mumbai Indians kept faith in David and retained him for IPL 2024.