In general, the trend in a majority of the previous Indian Premier League (IPL) player auctions used to be that of reputation mattering more than the skill. However, over the last two days, as the eight IPL franchises spent a cumulative sum that is more than that for India’s mission Chandrayaan, it emerged as if the teams have got wiser when it came to spending big bucks.
It reflected in the fact that veterans like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir who seem to be in the twilight of their careers fetched a combined tally of less than ₹7 crore.
Similarly, Chris Gayle had to wait till the final few minutes of the auction and a the third time to attract a bid. Whereas, Lasith Malinga, the highest wicket-taker in the IPL history, found no takers in what was only his second auction appearance. The Sri Lankan pacer, after being signed by Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season was retained ahead of every big auction by the three-time champion before being released this time around.
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Similarly, India’s fading stars like Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar were not even shortlisted for the accelerated auction. Even Test specialists like Cheteshwar Pujara and Ishant Sharma, not for the first time, remained unsold.
Instead, the franchise owners preferred to invest in domestic players who have either shown a glimpse of their talent in the IPL or are future prospects.
Kolkata Knight Riders, for instance, went all the way for current Under-19 World Cuppers Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi; Mumbai Indians spent more than ₹6 crore to acquire wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan, and Rajasthan Royals, in a stark contrast to its history, loosened its purse and dolled out huge sums to sign offie K. Gowtham and dashing batsman Rahul Tripathi.
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That the uncapped players fetched higher price tags was largely due to the IPL authorities' decision to list them on the first day of the auction. But the fact that the franchises preferred the younger blood over ageing stars is an indication of skills and fitness starting to outweigh past glory.