A gamble: On the IPL mini auction in Abu Dhabi.
Uncapped Indians competed with big names from abroad for IPL money.
At the recent Indian Premier League’s (IPL) auction, classified as ‘mini’, there was big money on offer as always. With most squads having their nucleus in place, the mini auction at Abu Dhabi on Tuesday was all about picking 77 players from a registered pool of 369. Australian all-rounder Cameron Green was the most expensive buy at ₹25.20 crore with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) offering the winning bid. Green also became the costliest overseas star in IPL history, going past fellow Aussie Mitchell Starc’s ₹24.75 crore deal, again with KKR, in 2024. Having plied his wares previously for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Green was much in demand for his all-round skills of brisk pace and big hits. The variance between brand valuation and sporting unpredictability was driven home the very next day when Green was dismissed for a duck in the current Ashes Test at Adelaide. That the IPL auction is a ruthless place devoid of sentiments was also driven home when stars such as New Zealander Devon Conway and England’s Jonny Bairstow found no takers. Utility in T20s, current form and fitness, and the individual as a marketable brand, have always influenced these choices since 2008 when the league was launched. In 2011, Brian Lara was unsold and never played the league.
The auction also helped many uncapped players, yet to turn up for India, laugh all the way to the bank. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) led the charge and bagged Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma at ₹14.20 crore each. Veer, the Uttar Pradesh all-rounder bowling left-arm spin, and Kartik, the Rajasthan wicket keeper, are 20 and 19 years old, respectively. They are a pointer to CSK’s quest for fresh legs while veteran M.S. Dhoni remains the pivot and Ruturaj Gaikwad leads the unit. Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi was another uncapped player, who went for ₹8.40 crore to Delhi Capitals. The speedster caught the eye when former India seamer Irfan Pathan backed him, and Auqib has been consistent in the domestic circuit. Besides the overseas icons and local players, a few comeback stories emerged as Sarfaraz Khan got a buyer in CSK at ₹75 lakh. The Mumbaikar, who has been dropped from the Indian squad after playing six Tests, gets a chance to reiterate his credentials. The auction went on with clockwork precision, and the BCCI would do well to show the same intelligence in scheduling international fixtures. The latest T20I jousts involving South Africa, being staged at venues affected by winter could have been avoided, while the IPL marches on as a sporting behemoth.