Top 5 blunders in IPL auction

The IPL auction is one of the important events in the cricketing calendar. It makes or breaks a player's career and the IPL team for that particular season.

A lot of times where the decision made at the time of or during the auction by the team management play a crucial role in their team going the distance in the tournament. After all, IPL franchises drop incredible amounts of money, and time in an open environment with fellow teams on some of the world's best cricketers, and needless to say, they arrive at their tables after thoroughly conducting their research before the time of the auction.

However, despite all the research, and the scouting, sometimes franchises do end up making a mockery of themselves by investing on players who end up disappointments, and look like blunders right from the start of the tournament, and there are a few occurrences where teams don't use the players wisely despite going too hard on them at the auction

With the IPL auctions are not too far, we will look at the five auction blunders that have taken place in the IPL till date.

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#5 Jaydev Unadkat to Rajasthan Royals for 11.5 crores (2018)

Unadkat parted ways with the RR after just one season

After ending as the highest wicket taker of the Rising Pune Supergiants franchise in the IPL season 10, Jaydev Unadkat was expected to go for big bucks at the IPL Auction. The thing which was not expected was the price at which he was bought for by the Jaipur based franchise.

He was bought for a whopping Rs 11.5 crores by the franchise. His jaw-dropping claim by the RR was even more than the likes of well established Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye among others.

But after just an ordinary season where he could pick only 11 wickets in 15 games at a higher economy of more than 9, he was released ahead of the 2019 edition.

#4 Tymal Mills to Royal Challengers Bangalore for 12 Crores

Do People remember him

now ?

A relatively unknown commodity at that time, Tymal Mills was the most expensive buy in that year's IPL auction. Royal Challengers Bangalore is a team that is known for breaking the bank for a particular individual, and they did the same with Mills in IPL season 10.

A weak fast bowling unit was the reason for this buy at the auction Tymal Mills had the ability to bowl over 140 km/h and at the same time get his pace down to 110 km/h (with the slower deliveries). However, the season did not turn out the way Tymal or the RCB management would have expected it to be.

Injuries coupled with poor form meant that Tymal only played for 5- matches of the entire season in which he could manage to take only five wickets with an economy rate over 8.5. This tournament was one of the worst seasons in RCB's IPL history, and the main reason for this was poor squad depth.

RCB released Tymal after this dreadful season, and he failed to a find a buyer in the season followed that.

#3 Pawan Negi to Delhi Daredevils for 8.5 Crores

Probably one of the worst

all-rounder

buys.

The successful teams like Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians over the years have shown that the key to winning an IPL is to have quality all-rounders. Delhi Daredevils tried to follow this trick and brought the young sensation Pawan Negi for a whopping 8.5 Crores.

Pawan Negi had a great year with CSK in IPL season 8 under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and that season was one of the prime reasons for DD to buy him for 8.5 Crores. But the pressure of big money hindered the performance of Pawan. In the eight matches that he played in the season, he managed to take only one wicket and bowled at an economy of 9.33. His stint with the bat was not also good either as he scored just 57 runs with a strike rate below 100.

The domestic success allowed him to get a second chance after this terrible season. He is now part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore unit.

#2 Dinesh Karthik to the Royal Challengers Bangalore for 10.5 crores- 2015

He features 2nd time in the list

Dinesh Karthik is a great talent. Even after disappointing IPL for his own standards in the 2014 season where he represented the Delhi Daredevils, he was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for an eye-opening Rs 10.5 crore in the very next edition of the IPL auction.

His performances were relatively poor compared to the previous edition and his worst till date in his IPL career. He managed to score only 141 runs in 16 games at a paltry average of 12 for the Virat Kohli led side. His arrival down the order or not having enough balls to face might have been a reason, but at the end of the day, it was a huge loss for both the franchise and DK.

He did resurrect his career after that year of a debacle and performed well in the subsequent years. He is currently the captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders.

#1 Yuvraj Singh to the Delhi Daredevils for 16 crores in 2015

Yuvraj is a king but not in the IPL

Yuvraj Singh was once again a sought out player in 2015 IPL auction like he was in the previous one(2014). Yuvi was just released from the RCB after a mediocre performance in 2014 after he was bought for a whopping, then record of 14 crores. He didn't perform to his potential, and it was correct on the part of the team to release him.

Like always, something or the other happens with Yuvi. In 2015 auction, he was once again bought for a record sum. This time 16 crores which are the highest for any player till date in an open auction (Virat was retained for 17 crores)in the history of IPL.

His returns were worse than 2014 and rank as one of his most disappointing IPL seasons where he could muster only 258 runs and take just a solitary wicket for the team which prompted the franchise to release him the next season.