IPL Auction 2019 - Time to make or break

December 2018 is turning out to be that time when cricketers step into the shoes of a student, very nervous and eager about the next exam that will decide their future. The IPL annual auction is just around the corner and, having filed their papers, cricketers are waiting for the results with prayers on their lips.

The IPL auction is the prestigious award night for cricketers where their careers take a big step forward or completely dashed, those with a luck laughs to the bank in celebration, the left-outs shed tears of sorrow. The auction is like a big casino, Some players hit a big jackpot, few find solace even in a selection, whereas many left out ones go deep into depression or think positive to work harder for the next time.

Unlike previous years, there is uncertainty around the IPL 2019 fixture. Dates are yet to be declared but it is likely to be finished by mid-May because of the ICC World Cup. A big dilemma also here is the general election next year whose schedule could force the IPL to be moved to be played on a foreign soil, which would be a huge loss as the previous editions played outside India like South Africa, wasn’t a big success.

Besides dates, there are other challenges against IPL 2019. The BCCI is in administrative free fall having lost control and IPL’s Governing Council is dysfunctional. Just when stable leadership was required, there is what experts describe as a huge gap between the bat and ball.

STRATEGIC GAME

While administrators struggling for control, IPL team owners are looking forward to the auction with timely planning. All auctions have dynamics that can’t be conquered, but teams have deeply analyzed all the numbers and carefully mapped players based on their skills/technique/temperament/attitude and intent. The days are gone when players were bought based on their past legacy. Each new recruitment now should have a specific role to play in a team.

Price does not provide the surety of performance and splurging on, a player can be counterproductive from a cricketing and profitable standpoint. Last auction’s big buys like Jaydev Unadkat, Ben Stokes and Glenn Maxwell hardly delivered justifiable performances according to their big price tag.

Based on such data, now teams are hesitant to spend millions on big old bucks like Yuvraj, Manish Pandey or Pawan Negi. It is understood that the cost-benefit analysis beyond a certain price point is negative, and the high price tag itself becomes a burden. Cricketers are now under a new pressure of ‘Big IPL Price tag’ citing Tymal Mills, someone crushed by the weight of his salary cheque.

THE CHOICEST ONES

The genuine talent, of course, stands out and always gets rewarded. Good all-rounders (Andre Russell, Shane Watson, Jadeja, and the Pandya brothers), death over experts (Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye, Bhuvi, Bumrah) and finishers (Dinesh Karthik, Raina, Pollard) come at a steep cost.

Slow bowlers had apparently been smashed out in this format, whereas ‘mystery’ spinners and leggies (Rashid Khan, Mujib, Kuldeep, Chahal, Sandeep Lamichhane, Markande) have always made significant contributions.

This auction will throw up strange numbers, as auctions always do. Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow, Hetmyer, Mohammad Shahzad could trigger bidding wars, but players must pass two basic tests: availability (World Cup dates a key) and ability (key skills: tackling slow bowlers on slow pitches).

So, the time has come when all the team owners should put a price on each player so that they can pick the smart buys, instead of over-priced buys.

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