From a greenskeeper to a A$1.78 million contract in less than two years, it's been an incredible rise for Spencer Johnson
Johnson's extraordinary year ends with mammoth IPL deal
Early last year, Spencer Johnson had no professional cricket contract and was working as a landscape gardener and greenskeeper whilst struggling to keep his dream alive.
The 194cm left-arm quick had always boasted potential, but persistent injuries had seen him struggle to convert that promise into on-field success, and at the start of 2023 was still yet to debut at Big Bash or first-class level.
His profile within Australian cricket when he made his BBL debut on January 11 for Brisbane Heat was, aside from those in the know at the SACA and Heat, largely unknown.
Fast forward to now, and it's difficult to conceive of a cricketer whose stock has risen sharper in such a short period than the imposing speedster.
Charting his ascension is a dizzying exercise.
A breakout KFC BBL|12 campaign was followed shortly after by a first-class debut for South Australia.
In the winter, Johnson made headlines around the cricketing world for an incredible spell of 3-1 against the likes of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt in his UK Hundred debut for the Oval Invincibles.
Already "pinching" himself by this stage, his progression had only just begun.
Just weeks later he was making his international debut for Australia in a T20 International against South Africa, before an ODI debut against India followed shortly after.
Despite an impressive (albeit sharply assembled) CV, Johnson expected little when he put his name forward for the IPL auction on Tuesday evening, at the base price of INR 50 Lakhs (approximately A$90,000).
And as proceedings dragged on in Dubai as he watched on from Australia, hopes weren't overly high.
Not that Johnson minded.
"I think the longer it went, I guess you start to lose a little bit of hope," he told reporters on Wednesday.
"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."
What followed, though, could be classified as more than a 'good result' by anyone's standards.
Last year's finalists Gujarat Titans and the Ricky Ponting-coached Delhi Capitals became locked in a struggle for Johnson's services during the 'accelerated round' of bidding in the latter stages of the auction.
When Delhi eventually gave up in the tit for tat, Gujarat had secured Johnson for an incredible A$1.78m – 20 times his reserve price.
The life-changing deal sees him become the fifth-highest paid Australian player at IPL 2024, behind fellow quicks Mitchell Starc (a record A$4.43m) and Pat Cummins (A$3.67m) both picked up during the auction, and the already retained Cameron Green (A$3.15m) and Glenn Maxwell (A$2m).
"It's obviously a pretty special moment, I never really thought I'd be in this situation," Johnson said at Brisbane Airport, before travelling with Heat teammates to face the Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium on Thursday night.
"But it was nice to get on the 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.
"Eighteen months (ago) I didn't have a state deal or a Big Bash contract. I was working as a landscaper and greenskeeper. So fast-forward 18 months, yeah it's definitely different situations."
Despite not making his BBL and Marsh Sheffield Shield debuts until the age of 27, the fast bowler capable of hitting 150kmh said he maintained faith that things would eventually click.
"I feel like I had the potential, it was just a question of getting myself right. I've always had that inner belief, but it was more if my body would let me (get there)."
Johnson joins a Titans attack featuring the likes of Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan as the franchise looks to make a third straight IPL final in 2024.
He has returned figures of 1-25 and 0-16 in his first two matches of BBL|13, as his Heat side (two wins, one no-result) sit top of the league standings.
KFC BBL|13 standings
| Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | NRR | Ded. | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
HEA
|
10 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0.972 | 0 | 16 |
|
2
SIX
|
10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0.339 | 0 | 14 |
|
3
SCO
|
10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0.725 | 0 | 13 |
|
4
STR
|
10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0.331 | 0 | 11 |
|
5
HUR
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -0.268 | 0 | 8 |
|
6
STA
|
10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -1.051 | 0 | 8 |
|
7
REN
|
10 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | -0.288 | 0 | 6 |
|
8
THU
|
10 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | -0.652 | 0 | 4 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
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