The history of Indian Premier League (IPL) auction has been intriguing, to put it mildly. The 2015 auction of IPL was no different. Suvajit Mustafi lists 10 selections/omissions that defy cricketing logic.
1. Yuvraj Singh: Ignored by India, goes for a record price in IPL!
While the national selectors think that Yuvraj Singh isn’t good enough to represent India at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, he is picked up for a record Rs 16 crore by Delhi Daredevils (DD) — the price being a new high in IPL history! But what’s more intriguing is that Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), having purchased Yuvraj for a record Rs 14 crore in the last auction, they released him prior to this year’s auction, only to bid furiously to buy him back — even when the price exceeded their selling price! If they wanted him so badly, why did they risk release him in the first place? But then it’s entirely understandable considering RCB is a Vijay Mallya venture!
2. No takers for Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan!
The two Sri Lankan have been powerhouses in modern cricket and their years of experience and cricketing acumen are an asset for any team they represent. Both men are likely to be free from international cricket commitments, which is why the two going unsold is shocking and inexplicable. There were no bidders for the explosive Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan as well, which made cricket fans wonder if there were considerations other than playing merits in ignoring these Sri Lankans of proven class.
3. Brad Hodge and David Hussey: No interest for T20 legends
A cursory glance at the Twenty20 batting records show that Brad Hodge and David Hussey are at No 2 and No 3 respectively in the top run-getters in the history of the game. Age may not be on their side, but both are proven match-winners and bring in a lot of experience to any side they play for. Both men, still active in Australian cricket, were priced at Rs 1 crore and found no bidders.
4. Kane Williamson sold for Rs 60 lakhs while two 20-year-old tyros fetch in excess of Rs 2 crores!
Kiwi sensation Kane Williamson fetched only Rs 60 lakhs, while Shreyas Iyer was purchased by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 2.6 crore and leg-spinner KC Cariappa, who hasn’t even played state level cricket, went for Rs 2.4 to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)!
5. Azhar Mahmood not valuable at Rs 50 lakhs!
In T20 cricket, all-rounders play a crucial role. Azhar Mahmood at 39 is still doing the job very well for his side Surrey in English Country cricket. Seeing some of the unknown Indian players fetching exorbitant price, Mahmood at Rs 50 lakhs, wouldn’t have hurt a franchise’s pocket much. But strange is the logic at the IPL auctions!
6. Hashim Amla — among the world’s best across formats, but no place in IPL!
If you play for a side where there’s a gentleman called AB de Villiers, it’s almost impossible to overshadow him, but if one man has managed to shine in parallel it is Hashim Amla. It’s safe to say that Amla is one of the best batsmen in the world today. It is a complete shame that the collective cricketing wisdom of the people in the auction room felt Hashim Amla is not worth to play the IPL. As per the ICC rankings, he is No 2 in Tests and ODIs, and 26 in T20Is. To see one of the best batsmen not being a part of one of cricket’s most exciting platforms is, let me repeat, a shame.
7. Ross Taylor — unwanted!
The treatment Ross Taylor meted out to Shoaib Akhtar in 2011 World Cup is something very few batsmen can. Taylor is undoubtedly one of the most destructive batsmen in cricket today and it was only earlier this month, he scored an unbeaten 102 from 70 balls against Pakistan. Yet, for some inexplicable reasons, he went unsold.
8. How can Luke Rochi be ignored?
When we talk of reserve national wicket-keeper, the names that immediately pop up in our minds are Wriddhiman Saha, Naman Ojha, Sanju Samson and Robin Uthappa. Dinesh Karthik has fallen behind the ranks, but he fetched a whopping Rs 10.5 crore from RCB. Luke Ronchi is in a form of his life. He is one of the best wicket-keeper batsmen around and has been instrumental in the success of the New Zealand side. At Rs 30 lakhs, he could have been a great buy, but surprisingly teams thought Karthik adds more value to money!
9. Strange case of Alex Hales and Ravi Bopara
Ravi Bopara was picked up at his base price of Rs 1 crore by SRH. He is a decent player, but the price tag still seems to be quite high for someone like him. Alex Hales with a T20 career strike-rate of 140 would, have been a more valuable addition to any side. But surprisingly, the dangerous Hales found no takers!
10. Praveen Kumar for Rs 2.2 crore!
Praveen Kumar has 106 wickets from 123 T20 matches and averages just over 13 with the bat. They aren’t figures that one can boast of. In 2014 edition, he picked up three wickets in as many games and in the season prior had 12 from 15 games. He wasn’t threatening, but what works in his favour is the economy rate of below of seven. That still doesn’t justify the price tag of Rs 2.2 crore that SRH paid for him. Otherwise the franchise has made some real good purchases.
(Suvajit Mustafi consumes cricket for lunch, fiction for dinner and munches numerous other snacks throughout the day. Yes, a jack of several trades, all Suvajit dreamt of was being India’s World Cup winning skipper but ended up being a sports writer, author, screenwriter, director, copywriter, graphic designer, sports marketer, strategist, entrepreneur, philosopher and traveller. Donning so many hats, it’s cricket which gives him the ultimate high and where he finds solace. He can be followed at @RibsGully and rivu7)
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