The Indian Premier League has emerged as a sporting behemoth over the years
The Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions have come a long way since those initial days in 2008. Just as the league emerged as a sporting behemoth attracting leading cricketers and fresh talent both from the overseas and domestic sectors, its brand equity was often revealed through the astronomical money that the franchises were allowed to spend at the player auctions. The mini-auction at Kochi again reiterated the robust financial underpinnings of the league with top dollar being spent on the cricketers. The overwhelming flavour though was about team owners chasing all-rounders, as those who offered value with both bat and ball stayed in demand . It was no surprise that England’s Sam Curran was picked by Punjab Kings at ₹18.5 crore while Mumbai Indians jostled for a while to grab the star . Mumbai Indians settled for Australia’s Cameron Green at ₹17.5 crore. Meanwhile , Chennai Super Kings (CSK) associated with a sense of continuity through its core group led by M.S. Dhoni, splurged ₹16.25 crore on Ben Stokes. The England Test skipper and coach Brendon McCullum have redefined the way cricket’s longest format is played, and Stokes also lends a spark to Twenty20s, the only other segment he plays after retiring from ODIs. England, which had disdain towards the IPL during its formative years, has now embraced the league.
A combined expenditure of ₹167 crore for 80 players was incurred by the franchises during a frenetic evening at Kochi. Having retained essential players in the lead-up to this auction, teams ranging from defending champion Gujarat Titans to Lucknow Super Giants were keen to plug their resource-gaps . Even if all-rounders were the flavour , money was spent on the single-skilled players too, especially batters. With the IPL set to unveil the ‘ impact-player ’ rule in the coming season, which means a super-substitute could be fielded for his primary ability, it was no surprise that the likes of Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal or a Manish Pandey, evoked interest. Titans also picked Kane Williamson, the New Zealander, who was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad. There could be captaincy sweepstakes too and while there is speculation around Stokes being a probable successor to Dhoni at CSK, the fact that the Chennai unit went all out to retain a miffed Ravindra Jadeja well ahead of the auction, adds an intriguing thread . But then Stokes does not lead England in T20s with Jos Buttler doing the honours. Having coped with the COVID-19 pandemic and its logistical disruptions in the previous editions, the league’s administrators are hoping that the forthcoming summer edition will be smooth even if there are fears over another wave .