Indians ready to offer rich rewards for stars Mitchell Johnson in his Brisbane Heat strip. This season's Big Bash tournament is shaping as a summer-long audition for a potentially lucrative Indian Premier League payday as the franchises circle prospective recruits for next year's multimillion-dollar auction. IPL talent scouts will be watching every Big Bash game as they work out which players to target at the major auction in February. The timing of the BBL competition, which starts on Friday and has its semi-finals a few days before the mooted February 12-13 auction, is perfect for Australia's Twenty20 stars. "Big Bash, big cash," was how one BBL coach described Cricket Australia's Twenty20 event. David Warner, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson are set to be the most sought-after Australians by IPL franchises, if they are released by their teams, and Fairfax Media has been told James Faulkner will also attract attention. "Everyone will be looking at them with a lot of interest," the director of one IPL franchise told Fairfax Media. Indian players are likely to fetch the highest prices, but the director said Warner, Johnson and Watson all had the qualities that are likely to result in franchises writing $1 million-plus pay cheques. "At that price you need guys who are definite first XI players and match-winners," the director said. Watson and Mitchell Johnson are right there on top. David Warner I'd have on that list. Opening is a very important spot in the IPL, and he's a serious impact player. Of some of the less-established names, the team director said a player like Moises Henriques, bought by Bangalore for $US300,000 ($340,000) had the ability to rise up the charts with a bullet, and interest would also increase for Steve Smith. "A lot of the young boys will be looked at really closely because they are the ones who make the IPL particularly exciting," the team director said. Someone like Moises Henriques, he's starting to hit some sort of form. If you have a big six-foot plus player who can hit the ball and hit the deck, he could be a very exciting prospect. While IPL auctions are held annually, next year's holds extra importance as almost every player in the competition is thrown back into the market. "Some will be retaining four or five players, but a lot of teams will be going from scratch - it's a chance to rebuild," the director said. Other auctions you can take a player here or there, but your basic squad is fixed for three years. This is a big auction, the interest will be higher. The director knows of some franchises that sent scouts to Australia last year to get an edge on their rivals. "Sometimes a team just wants to be there with a player and chat and see where their heads are at," the director said. It's not just how they perform but how they fit in. Tom Moody, who is coaching Hyderabad, said the BBL was one of the Twenty20 leagues most highly rated by heavyweights at IPL franchises, despite the different conditions between Australian and Indian pitches. "You can guarantee every single franchise will keep a close eye on new emerging talent and the form of existing talent," Moody said. It's not only Australian talent but the international talent that comes to Australia to play in the Big Bash. The one thing everyone is aware of is conditions are far different to the IPL. Certain players who might perform in Australian conditions may not be as adaptable to conditions in IPL cricket. We've seen players in the past struggle to make that adaptation.