IPL 2019 auctions: 3 take-aways from the list of players with highest base price

The complete list of players available for the IPL 2019 auction along with their base prices has been released. It is mostly on expected lines, but there are a few surprises too.

Here are three takeaways from the list of players who have been included in the highest bracket of INR 2 crore.

#1 No Indian in the highest base price bracket

There are a total of nine players who have been listed with the highest base price of 2 crore rupees. However, there is not a single player from India in this list.

There are two players each from Australia, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, with the remaining one coming from South Africa.

One of the reasons for this could be that most of the marquee Indian players have already been taken by various franchises. Even then, it was expected that at least players with the caliber and experience of Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Shami or Axar Patel would come to the auction with the highest base price.

As it turns out, none of them are even in the list of players with the second highest base price of 1.5 crore rupees. The highest base price for an Indian player is for Jaydev Unadkat!

#2 All-rounders are the most in demand

Corey Anderson

Of the nine players in the list, there is only one bowler, three batsmen and a whopping five all-rounders. This again underlines the importance of all-rounders in the shortest version of the game.

Players who are multi-dimensional are preferred over those who are good with just one set of skills.

Even then, the nature of the game is such that batsmen are still preferred over bowlers. The all-round exploits of players like Sam Curran and Corey Anderson are naturally much sought after.

#3 Lasith Malinga is still a force to reckon with

The only bowler in the list of nine players with the highest base price is the Sri Lankan veteran Lasith Malinga. He is a modern day great, especially in the limited over formats, and has been instrumental in the successes of Mumbai Indians over the years.

With age not on his side and due to the steady decline in his powers, he was released by MI. However, this year he seems to have rediscovered some of his old magic.

Malinga's bowling in the England series was especially heartening. Come the auction, he will surely be in demand by several franchises, including his former franchise, the Mumbai Indians.