IPL Auctions 2017: 5 players with a surprising base price

The IPL auction is upon us, and is that time of the year when all the team owners and coaches are pondering upon which player would best suit their side. The auction has seen some surprising buys over the years, with some players going for an unusually high price, while some others going unsold.

Last year, we saw Pawan Negi bag 8.5 crores in the auction while New Zealand’s Martin Guptill went unsold.

Extra Cover: IPL Auction 2017: 5 players who are likely to go unsold

With 351 players being named in the auction this year, there were a few surprises thrown at us when their base prices were revealed. While it might be too high for a few players, there are a few others who deserve a higher base price.

In this article, we take a look at 5 cricketers with surprising base prices in the IPL auction.

Note: All the base prices are mentioned in Indian Rupees.

#5 Nathan Lyon – 150 Lakhs

Despite being Australia’s best spinner currently, Nathan Lyon’s base price in the auction is a little too high as he has very little experience in the T20 format internationally when compared to the other spinners in the auction list.

He has played only one T20 international for the Australian cricket team, and in fact, has played only 13 ODIs for them, when compared to the 63 Tests he has featured in.

He did feature in the Big Bash League for the Sydney Sixers outfit and achieved reasonable success with them and in other domestic tournaments with an average of 19.48 in 33 matches.

Despite this, the fact that he has played only one international T20 match, along with the fact that he has not found too much success in India, a base price of 1.5 crores for the 29-year-old might be a little too much to ask for.

#4 Andile Phehlukwayo – 100 Lakhs

This South African youngster has turned a few heads with his performances over the last few months for the national team, but a base price of one crore with very little experience on the international stage might not see a lot of franchises too excited to grab hold of this 20-year-old all-rounder.

Although he has named himself as an all-rounder, he is yet to prove his ability with the bat despite scoring a quick-fire 42* in the ODI against Australia at Durban where South Africa chased down a total of 371 with 4 balls to spare.

He has an extremely poor average with the bat in the domestic circuit, as he averages only 9.25 in 21 innings, and a decent bowling average of 29. With an economy rate of 8.04 in T20s, Phehlukwayo does not have much to boast about, and with a base price of 1 crore, we might see him go unsold.

#3 Jason Holder – 150 Lakhs

Jason Holder is another prominent name who’s base price is a little too high. He did not play a single T20 international game in 2016 despite being included in the world cup winning squad which travelled to India.

He has played in various T20 leagues around the world but has an extremely poor average with the bat (13.09) despite having a decent average with the ball.

Holder was the highest wicket-taker for the West Indies in the ODI format but did not have a great year in the longer format as he was quite ineffective with the bat and ball. He captained the ODI side to some reasonable success in the Tri-Series against Australia and South Africa, but apart from that did not have much to show for.

He was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad last time around and played only 4 matches where he had an extremely poor record with the bat and the ball.

#2 Brad Haddin – 150 Lakhs

This 39-year-old is another cricketer who has immense experience under him, but due to his age, might not be able to attract a lot of attention from potential buyers, and thus the price tag attached to Brad Haddin might be too high.

He has been out of Australia’s squad in all three formats of the game for almost two years now with Matthew Wade replacing him behind the stumps.

He hardly has any experience playing in the IPL as he has played only one game for the Kolkata Knight Riders back in 2011. He has immense experience playing for the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League but failed to impress this year as he managed only 140 runs in 10 innings at an average of 17.50.

With a base price of 1.5 crores we might just see Haddin go unsold this auction.

#1 Imran Tahir – 50 Lakhs

While the other cricketers are on the list because are surprisingly highly priced, South Africa’s Imran Tahir finds himself on this list for the exact opposite reason. A base price of just 50 lakhs for one of the world’s best spinners in the shortest format of the game seems bizarre for the 27-year-old from Tasmania.

Ever since making his debut for the South African cricket team back in 2011, he has quickly risen up the ranks and become an integral part of the squad in all three formats of the game. While his Test average might not be too great, he has compensated for it by performing exceptionally well in the ODI and T20 formats.

With an average of 14.34 and economy rate of 6.39 in T20s, Tahir’s base price might just be too low for what he is actually worth. Fans could be sure to witness a bidding war to bag this talented South African.