Scared of watching my IPL auction, says Corey Anderson

When New Zealand all-rounder Corey Anderson came out to bat on the first day of the New Year in a rain-curtailed ODI match against the West Indies in Queenstown, little did he know about what the life-changing day had in store for him. It was this day when he broke Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi's long-standing record for the fastest ODI century. His 36-ball blitzkrieg immediately caught the attention of most franchises in the Indian Premier League ahead of the 2014 Players' Auction.

Now, the man himself, Anderson, has caught attention once again by saying that the IPL auction day on February 12 is not something he is looking forward to, least of all the time when the hammer is set against his name. He would rather stay focused on the Test series against India as of now.

"Luckily enough it's between the Tests. So yes there's been a bit of talk between the boys to watch the auction over dinner and stuff but I don't want to watch my one. Rather watch the others. It will be quite exciting," the all-rounder told ESPNCricinfo. (IPL 2014 auctions: 514 players to go under the hammer)

However, Anderson did admit that after all the attention he had garnered with his fastest ODI century, the IPL auctions were something he could not ignore and they also had him feeling a bit excited. (Rules for the auction)

"Can't say I am ignoring it, the way it keeps coming up. Some stage you are going to yield to it. I am excited about it," he added. (IPL auctions to feature uncapped players for the first time)

Although the feisty all-rounder does not have a favourite IPL franchise he would like to be picked into, he does believe that playing in India will be a cool experience for him. (South Africa, Bangladesh and UAE picked up as alternative venues for IPL 2014)

"I still don't know if I am going. If I go I'd love to play. Obviously some teams have picked up, retained some big players. You always want to go there and experience it. So I don't have a team that I'd like to (be in). Just excited about the auction. I've been to India once and I did okay there. If I can go over again, it will be awesome and a cool experience," Anderson said. (Eoin Morgan opts out of this year's IPL)

When asked about the secret of his explosive hitting, the Kiwi all-rounder, who is also a handy bowler for his team, said that he was fortunate to be blessed with a natural game that supported his heroics.

"I am probably lucky that it's sort of my natural game. I don't have to change any ways to try and do that," he explained.

Judging by all the media attention Anderson has got in India so far, the IPL auction of this New Zealand all-rounder can prove to be a very interesting affair with a bidding war expected between franchises to acquire the game-changer.