IPL 2013 - Stories of surprise picks and million-dollar acquisitions

The game of cricket is full of glorious uncertainties. But the auctioning of the players is even more uncertain. Welcome to this cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL), where the reputation of a player hardly matters. A utility player, often unheard of, gets an astronomical sum and some of the known names get a comparatively lower sum – the dynamics of the auction and the mysterious streak make IPL an interesting spectacle.

Delhi Daredevils had a dazzling array of international stars during the last IPL season. David Warner’s blitz at the top, Jayawardena’s astute captaincy and his nonchalant batting, Kevin Pietersen’s vintage strokes in the middle overs and Morne Morkel’s fiery bowling spells with a high arm action made it difficult for other foreign players to make the cut in the team. Roelof Van der Merwe, Andre Russel and Aaron Finch made sporadic appearances. One particular player, Glenn Maxwell, did play in a couple of games for the Daredevils. One year hence, this 24-year-old Victorian, who is still relatively new to the international stage, earned a million dollar contract with Mumbai Indians.

The simple question in the minds of the people would be, “Is Maxwell worthy of earning so much money?” He averages 25.25 in eleven ODIs and has six wickets at an average of 52. In the nine Twenty20 internationals, Maxwell averages 15.15 with five wickets in his kitty. So is it right to hail Maxwell as the upcoming talent? Maxwell’s 19-ball half century against Tasmania in a domestic one day turned the situation in his favour.

Christopher Morris bowls fast and is a hard hitter, a player similar to Albie Morkel. The latter had a disappointing season of IPL V. The former plays for Highveld Lions and topped the bowling charts, registering maximum wickets in the domestic Twenty20 competition. Morris’ inclusion in CSK caters to the team’s needs. CSK, who were quite subdued in the auction, were eager to sign Morris. His base price was $20,000. But Morris was obtained by CSK after shelling an amount that was more than thirty times his base price – a whopping $625,000.

CSK already have a core batting team. After they released Doug Bollinger, CSK’s immediate need this season was to include a pacer. Dirk Nannes was acquired by CSK for $600,000. CSK seem to have all bases covered – a quality bowling department and world-class batting line-up.

With the availability of only $12.5 million (pun intended), the franchises had to play their cards right. Each franchise had place for only 22 Indians and 11 overseas cricketers. The permutations and combinations might have given the franchises many sleepless nights. But risks had to be taken. Pune Warriors India took one such risk. They roped in 21-year-old Kane Richardson for $700,000. The South Australian fast bowler’s base price was $100,000.

Under the tutelage of Allan Donald, Richardson will surely learn the nuances of bowling. Richardson gets good bounce off the surface and he has the ability to bring the ball back in to the right handers at a decent pace.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the title winners of 2012, did not want to tinker with their winning squad much. Sunil Narine, the mystery spinner, added a lot of value to their bowling department. KKR’s strategy was to acquire another mystery spinner, probably as a back-up to Narine. Or maybe they are planning to give the opposition teams a double dose of mystery.

Sachitra Senanayake, the tall off-spinner, was acquired for $625,000. Agreed that Senanayake has had a good domestic season and can confound the batsmen with his mystery deliveries. But assuming that Narine, the star spinner in the KKR ranks, is fit to play, Senanayake has a slim chance of making the cut in the playing eleven. But KKR is known for throwing up a lot of surprises – so it would be interesting to see how they utilize their latest acquisition.

Nathan Coulter-Nile’s relentless line-and-length bowling in the Big Bash League earned him a contract with Mumbai Indians. He was included in Mumbai for $450,000.

Over the years, there have been debates about who is greater, Ricky Ponting or Tendulkar? This season both legends will don Mumbai colours. Ponting was bought for $400,000 – which was his base price. Michael Clarke too fetched the same amount from Pune Warriors India.

Ajantha Mendis, who was lost in wilderness, will be making his comeback in IPL. Pune has entrusted Mendis with the responsibility of spearheading the spin department.

The star Indians:

Jaydev Unadkat – the left arm pace bowler from Saurashtra will be seen in Royal Challenger Bangalore’s colours. He was bought for $525,000 by RCB.

Abhishek Nayar was the most expensive buy among the Indian players. Nayar had an excellent domestic season where he averaged an astonishing 96.6 and also picked up 19 wickets. The all-rounder was sold to Pune for $675,000.

The Misses:

Vernon Philander failed to get any contract. Some of the wickets – Bangalore, Mohali, Dharmashala and even Mumbai at times – aid seam bowling. Yet, none of the franchises showed any confidence in Philander.

There were no buyers for Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. His variations might have been handy on the subcontinent conditions.

Wicket-keeper batsmen Denesh Ramdin, Prasanna Jayawardene, Matt Prior and Matthew Wade were unsold.

The New Franchise:

Sunrisers Hyderabad spent $675,000 on Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera and $725,000 on West Indian skipper Darren Sammy. These two men certainly are match-winners. After the pathetic performance of Deccan Chargers – the former Hyderabad team, the current franchise is relying heavily on the three international stars (Perera, Sammy and Dale Steyn) to put up a decent performance in this edition of IPL.