Five talking points from the 2017 IPL auction

Anubhav Roda 21:01 20/02/2017
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Stokes was bought for INR 14.5 cr.

    Some big international names as well as some highly-rated local talents were up for grabs in the Indian Premier League [IPL] auction in Bengaluru on Monday.

    A few teams did good business and made some smart buys, while others seemed to have been caught on the back foot and although most teams seemed content, there were a few surprising names that were left unsold and could have bolstered any side without too much of a hole in the pocket.

    Putting all this into perspective, here are five key talking points from the IPL 2017 auction.

    DIFFERING STRATEGIES

    While this was obvious given that it wasn’t the mega auction we’re used to and most teams were out to fill a few gaps rather than rebuild their entire squads, each franchise contrasting strategies in the auction.

    For instance, Kolkata Knight Riders wanted to bank big in the bowling department and went all out for the signatures of Trent Boult, Chris Woakes and Nathan Coulter-Nile. They turned out to be the only side that looks bowling heavy and chosen to put faith in their Indian batsmen rather than foreign imports.

    Kings XI Punjab were more tilted towards players available at low cost and, with the exception of Varun Aaron, pulled out of many bids despite having the most money available in the bank.

    Delhi, on the other hand, were in for more all-rounders despite having plenty of them already in the squad.

    The Sunrisers didn’t go for big names and were looking at utility players which was evident in the purchase of the two Afghanistan players.

    The Gujarat Lions preferred Indian talent, while Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rising Pune Supergiants went after the big names, splashing the cash on international stars.

    DOING YOUR HOMEWORK

    While few of the star names broke the bank, there were quite a few local Indian players that made it big in the auction.

    Tamil Nadu paceman T Nagarajan was rewarded for his performances in the domestic circuit. Mohammed Siraj too reaped the benefits of impressing for Hyderabad.

    SOME FLAWED TACTICS

    While the IPL allows for teams to have a squad of anywhere between 16-27 players, not many of them get a chance to play and the core team mostly comprises of a set of 16-18 players.

    Given these players are going to be at their current teams for just the one year with the retention policy still not clear, a lot of players will simply occupy seats on the bench. The teams could have done away with filling up their squads with 27 players and instead gone bigger on players they desperately needed.

    Gujarat Lions missed out on a spinner, while DD added too many all-rounders without much need. KKR banked mainly on bowlers when their batting could have done with some reinforcement.

    All-in-all there are a lot of teams without too much balance in their squads.

    TOP STARS UNSOLD

    While teams splashed out on a few select players, there were quite a few names that remained unsold despite them possessing some real quality.

    Despite a dearth of Indian fast bowlers, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh and Irfan Pathan remained unsold.

    Imran Tahir's T20I record

    • Matches: 31
    • Wickets: 54
    • Average: 13.70
    • Economy Rate: 6.38

    Among the international players, No1 ranked T20I bowler Imran Tahir couldn’t find a suitor at INR 50 lakh while the Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan bagged INR 4 crore.

    West Indians Marlon Samuels and Evin Lewis who are big T20 players too couldn’t find a team. And this is when a lot of teams needed reinforcements in those departments.

    A few other names that many thought would get bids but missed out were Ross Taylor, Brad Hogg, Alex Hales, Prithvi Shaw, Manvinder Bisla and Michael Klinger among a few others.

    FEEL GOOD STORY FOR AFGHANISTAN CRICKET

    In the midst of some crazy bids and also some bargain buys, there was history made. Just as the clock struck 11.15 am IST, auctioneer Richard Madley called out Mohammad Nabi’s name. No previous Afghanistan player had found a suitor in the IPL and this was to be a historic moment.

    With a base price of INR 30 lakh, SRH decided to go for the all-rounder and having been successful with the bid, not only did they create history but also made one of the bargains of the season.

    Nabi became the first Afghanistan player to be bought in the IPL and was soon followed by countryman Rashid Khan who too will ply his trade for the David Warner-led outfit.

    Recommended