Former Australia captain Ponting has stamped himself as arguably the finest pundit in the country with his tactical nous and capacity to read the game and at times foreshadow the fall of wickets.

Test great Langer is well positioned to provide insights into players having been their coach until only three years ago.

Vettori, the head coach for Sunrisers Hyderabad, is a trusted lieutenant of national boss Andrew McDonald since joining Australia’s set-up.

As of Wednesday morning, no decision had been made on whether Vettori and CA would stay with the team through the entire Test or leave early for the auction, according to a team source with knowledge of the situation.

There would be an added edge this summer if Australia were to lose Vettori so he can honour commitments for an Indian domestic Twenty20 league while they were playing India. Australia have not won the prized Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 10 years.

Vettori’s deal with CA is different to that of McDonald, who has a full-time contract, as it requires him to be available for a set number of days. A priority is given to big Test series and white-ball tournaments so he can also perform his duties with franchises in the IPL and The Hundred in England.

The arrangement is a tacit acknowledgment of the global cricket landscape where national boards must make compromises so they can keep leading coaches in their system and not lose them to the lucrative white-ball circuit.

While there is an IPL player auction every year, this one is particularly important as it will shape the fortunes for each franchise.

Every three years, teams must throw almost their entire squad back on the market, except for a small list of players they can retain, this year capped at six.

Ponting, in the first year of a four-year contract with Punjab Kings, has the biggest purse at the auction after retaining just two players.

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David Warner, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell are among the high-profile Australia stars not kept by their teams who will be up for grabs.

Josh Hazlewood – who spoke last month of his interest of returning to the IPL – Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin are among those likely to be playing in Perth who will go under the hammer during the game.

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