"I will sell Gautam Gambhir to the Knight Riders for two point four million dollars"It was only the first player going on auction and $2.5 millions out of $75 million that was available to all the franchises was gone! Hardly had that sunk in when Yusuf Pathan went for $2.1m to KKR. The tamasha had unfolded in exciting fashion.
Over the next 14 hours the action in the bidding room was more like the 3rd test between India and SA that concluded last week. One the first day of the auction, after promising a lot at the beginning, the session lived up to expectations. The only blip of the whole day was Dada flopping. That sent flutters all over Kolkata. I could even see some fans coming to tears. But more was to follow. Uthappa(SPW) went for over $2m. Rohit(MI) went for $2m. Yuvi(SPW), Zak(RCB) and Pathan Jr(DD) went close to the two million mark. But surprisingly the high profile foreign purchases never happened. KP(DC) went for 1/3rd of his fee from the previous auction. Dilshan(RCB) went for the same amount. Saurab Tiwary(RCB) raked in the moolah at $1.6m. And things became clear. Gauti was now going to be the richest IPL player for the next 3 years.
Of the foreign crop only Mahela(KB), Steyn(DC), White(DC), Ross Taylor(KXIP) and Hussey Jr(KXIP) crossed the million mark. Favorites of earlier seasons like Gilly(KXIP), Symmo(MI) and Mccullum(KB) went for nominal values while the Indian veterans Dravid(RR) and Laxman(KB) may have just sneaked in on the basis of sympathy votes. English players missed out heavily because of ECB's high handedness and to an extent their ego as well(Dr Mallya did not mince words when he said the
English players were overprioed).
Joining Dada on the "no show" list were players like Gayle, Lara, Boucher and a host of English, Sri Lankan and West Indies players. Going into the second day of the auction most teams had almost emptied their purses. But there were a few surprises as well. Teams with Aussie coaches egged their teams to go for promising talent from the Aussie domestic circuit. But the rest of the day was more a circus. Most of the teams just sat through the auction giggling and wincing in their seats as players came and went without being sold.
And just like the anti climax of the 3rd test came the last session that was reserved for re-auction of those who went unsold. As the world waited for Dada's name to pop up the re-auction list surprised everyone. Dada was out of the IPL. SRK's effigy was immediately burnt. Dada himself rejected an offer to be on the technical team of KKR. News channels made a series of jokes on Dada. But that last session showed how the franchises valued cricket players - as commodities. Something that belittles the effort the players put on the field. Kaif's re-re-auction was a farce. I really felt for cricket players after seeing that last session.
How the teams fared
CSK - Having retained 4, CSK was on a mission. They wanted to get back everyone who played for them before. They lost Balaji and Murali but got the rest. Verdit - Hit.
RCB - Dr Mallya said after the auction they opted for youth. But alas, Zak, Vettori, Nannes, Langeveldt, Dilshan, Kaif - youth?? Good they held on to Kohli. Verdict - Semi hit.
DC - Back in 2008 they picked the best team on paper and flopped. They did not have the fiery bowlers. This time they have stacked up that column with Ishant, Pragyan and Steyn. But where are the batsmen? KP and White may not even be available for some parts! But they spent less and have a lot left to invest on "uncapped" talent. Verdict - Average.
KKR - Complete overhaul and the will to go for a target. Hope they fare well this time. Balanced team on paper. Verdict: - Super hit.
KXIP - Aimless bidding resulting in an iffy bunch of players that might fire on a few days but consistency would lack. Verdict - Average.
DD - Yet another case of aimless bidding. Only the playing on the field will let us know if they were right. Verdict - Average.
RR - Handicapped by the penalty they had to pay from their bidding pocket and the $1.8m they did not have coz they retained Warne (!!!!!) they could not go for anyone.. Verdict - Poor. But they are known to thrive on unpredictability.
MI - When you have the Ambani lady (whose knowledge about cricket players is restricted to Harbhajan and Tendulkar) trying to buy players one must have known that this was going to be tough. But Symmo and Rohit along with the retained 4 lend some solidity. But they looked childish when they rejoiced at buying peanuts towards the end of the auction. Verdict - Hit only because of the retained 4.
KB - Kochi Bruisers the new comers took everyone that came in the way at reasonable height. At one time they were looking for a 3rd wicket keeper and that showed their lack of direction. But still with Mahela, Mcullum, Sreesanth and RP they have assembled a capable unit. Probably, the only team after the auction that can parade their final 15 for a game. Verdict - Hit.
SPW - Sahara Pune Warriors looked like they had Yuvi in mind. The rest of the players were bought only because their bids were the best. None of the others seemed like targets to them although they tried briefly to wrest Parthiv Patel(!!!!). Verdict - Average.
