An auction of reckoning for KKR, less so for others
A spending gap of ₹61.55 crore between KKR and MI illustrates the divergent strategies of teams towards the auction
Mumbai: It is only in the Indian Premier League that a franchise owned by a corporate house with a market cap of ₹21 lakh crore comes to the auction with ₹ 2.75 crore, the least spending power in the room.
The cap on player salary has always acted as a safeguard against unevenly constructed squads, a recurring gripe in major football leagues. But this is also a nod to the different strategies employed by the teams. Some choose to retain, others look to reorganise.
One of the unique selling points of the IPL has been the unstaged drama of player auctions. In as much as their dynamism goes, auction strategies are now more scientific, aided by copious work done by analysts, talent scouts and rehearsed through multiple rounds of mock auctions.
Take for example how five-time winners MI, last year’s finalists Punjab Kings and 2022 winners Gujarat Titans have only 14 of the 77 vacant slots to fill between them. Their collective spending cannot exceed ₹ 27.15 crore - only 11% of total available purse.
MI continues to be powered by their star players. They opted to make further use of the trading window to rope in Shardul Thakur, Sherfane Rutherford and Mayank Markande for ₹4.90 crore. Securing the services of a capped Indian all-rounder, a useful overseas power hitter and a high on potential leg-spinner at such price in the whirlwind auction universe would have been wishful thinking.
PBKS and GT have retained a majority of their squad and are expected to be largely quiet in the action.They have decided to trust their core to deliver a good season. Punjab’s head coach Ricky Ponting hasn’t even travelled to the auction venue.
At the front of the centre of the mega buyings will be Kolkata Knight Riders as action shifts to the Etihad Arena, set on the vibrant Yas Bay waterfront in Abu Dhabi. This will be the third successive year that the auction is staged at an international location after Dubai and Jeddah.
Spotlight on Green
KKR’s purse accounts for 27% of expected total spends. They are almost certain to go after the Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. And can only be seriously challenged by CSK ( ₹43.4 crore). The fact that Green has been slotted in as batter — you can choose to believe it was a “stuff-up” by his manager — it enables his name to come in the first set and increases the likelihood of his price rocketing up, with even the non-serious participants expected to start the bidding war. If nothing else, this could ensure KKR don’t buy Green cheap.
With the “maximum fee” rule in play this time, Green would get to take home only ₹18 crore — the highest retainer amount — but the prevailing drama is sure to see viewership ratings go through the roof. Could Rishabh Pant’s ₹27 crore record come under threat? With the demand-supply dynamics of a mini auction at play, it is well within the realm of possibility.
The big call for CSK to make is whether they need to go overboard while chasing Green. They could prioritise a lower middle-order power hitter and a gun pacer. Having released Matheesha Pathirana, the team in yellow certainly needs a strong death overs option to combine with Nathan Ellis.
With not too many proven performers in the auction pool, they could target Mustafizur Rahman or even win back Pathirana, if he comes cheap. Among power hitters, Liam Livingstone and David Miller will certainly be their targets.
Another team eyeing at least one fast bowling buy will be defending champions RCB. If fit and available, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal can be a terrific pace battery. But with injury and availability cloud, they would want more fast bowling back-ups. The in-form J&K pacer Aquib Nabi could be on their radar and that of a few other teams as well.
RR still has some work to do with nine vacant slots. Although they don’t always fill all of them or make do with cheaper buys in the accelerated auction. What they certainly need is a quality wrist spinner to combine with their new recruit Ravindra Jadeja. Ravi Bishnoi would be a perfect fit, but he will be in demand. In last year’s mega auction, scarcity of resources made Yuzvendra Chahal ₹18 crore richer. Bishnoi could well end up in a similar range.
Last year’s surprise package Venkatesh Iyer is set to get a price correction. In the overall talent pool, one from every three overseas players can be picked but not all of them are likely to make the playing 12.
With teams getting smarter, expect plenty of lesser known uncapped Indians to make a mark. Rajasthan’s Ashok Sharma can bowl quick, we know. Those like him with unique skill sets could be in for a life-changing day.
