IPL 2019: 3 interesting trends noticed at the auctions

The IPL 2019 auction held on 18 December was expected to be a lackluster affair because of a lack of star players in the event. However, it soon became action-packed as fierce bidding wars for relatively unknown players took place.

In almost every auction conducted so far, there has been a certain common strategy among all the teams. This time too, a lot of trends were noticed at the auction based on the proceedings.

Here are three interesting trends noticed at this year's auction:

#3 Teenagers getting picked in most teams

Although at the start of the IPL in 2008 there were many experienced players, the league soon started to include more players in the middle of their cricketing careers. However, as seen in the recent auctions, the trend has now changed as more and more teenagers have made inroads into the teams.

We have seen the likes of Prabhsimran Singh and Prayas Barman get an IPL contract, which other established players like Manoj Tiwary and Naman Ojha failed to secure.

The main reason for this change is the emergence of teenage superstars in world cricket. The likes of Prithvi Shaw and Sam Curran have set the stage on fire, and the youngsters bought at the 2019 auction are expected to follow in the same footsteps.

From a business perspective, these players come at a cheap price and if they represent India in the future, the investment in them will come good. The prime example of such a scenario is that of Virat Kohli, whose initial price of purchase was 20 lakh in 2008 and he is now making crores of money for his franchise.

#2 All-rounders becoming the face of T20 cricket

Carlos Braithwaite, a backup for Andre Russell, was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders at 5 crore

The number of all-rounders included in the playing XI has steadily been increasing in T20 cricket. All-rounders offer flexibility and balance to the team, which is very vital in this format. Unexpected things happen in T20 cricket, and all-rounders are being preferred because of their contribution to both departments of the game.

This fact was emphasized in the recent auctions where all-rounders were in huge demand. Players like Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Axar Patel and Carlos Braithwaite went for huge money despite them not having proven themselves so far in the league.

We have seen teams such as Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians become successful because of the presence of strong all-rounders in the team, and most other teams have started to follow them.

#1 Importance given to scouting

Varun Chakravarthy was not a popular name before the auctions

Scouting has never been given as much importance in cricket like it is given in football. Earlier, well-known players were preferred by the teams because of their brand value and the fact that they were proven performers. However, the most well-known player in the auctions - Yuvraj Singh - was only a last minute buy for Mumbai Indians.

The trend has changed and now, an intense scouting process takes place and most of the players are brought on that basis. Mumbai Indians are a strong team now because of the Pandya brothers and Jasprit Bumrah, who were scouted before the auctions.

On similar lines, a number of lesser-knonw players like Rasikh Dar, Devdutt Padikkal, Prayas Barman, Prabhsimran Singh and Arshdeep Singh have been bought by the teams this year. This trend could continue in the upcoming seasons too.