If market valuation is the only measure of a sportsman’s worth, Indian hockey captain Sardar Singh should be a worried man. The talismanic midfielder was outshone by 10 of his teammates during the 2015 auction, which was marked by confusion and some puzzling purchases on Thursday.
The day-long auction saw some frenzied bidding for young Indians and several records getting broken even as the Germans and Australians stole the show.
Lot No. 2 provided the maximum shock. At one end was Sardar, who led Delhi Waveriders to a podium-finish in every edition — the only team to do so — who was snapped up by Jaypee Punjab Warriors for a mere $58,000, $20,000 less than his price in the last auction. At the other end of the spectrum was another midfield-general, Moritz Fuerste.
The German set a record for the highest bid — $105,000 — while teammate and prolific striker Florian Fuchs was bought for $96,000.
“In the last two HILs, our performances were not good and we came to the auction with a plan this year. We want to make our team stronger. We want to build our team around Fuerste. He is a proven player and a leader, and we had decided that we would go for him,” said Dilip Tirkey, Kalinga Lancers team mentor, about the bid for Fuerste.
Sardar, who remains the pivot of the Indian team, saw little bidding. On the other hand, forward Akashdeep Singh had all franchises desperately trying to get him before Uttar Pradesh Wizards won with an astounding $84,000 — the highest-ever paid for an Indian.
That Akashdeep would be in demand was understandable, given the new HIL rules that put a premium on field goals. What wasn’t, though, was the lack of interest in Sardar, undoubtedly the best playmaker India has.
Neither was the $81,000 Ranchi Rays paid for drag-flicker Sandeep Singh. The player, who has been out of the national team since the 2012 Olympics, doesn’t evoke much confidence in defence either.
What surprised most was the manner in which the franchises went about prioritising players.
The high bids for the likes of Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Mandeep Singh and Nikkin Thimmaiah were expected; the bidding wars for defender Gurmail Singh — the joint second-highest paid Indian — Vickram Kanth and Vikas Sharma weren’t.
German goalkeeper Nicolas Jacobi was a steal for Warriors at $27,000; so was Australian legend Jamie Dwyer ($57,000, Wizards). Dwyer’s teammates, Matthew Gohdes and Matthew Swann, went for $71,000 and $75,000 respectively.
There was some confusion as well. Wizards, after an aggressive start, found itself left with little money and almost half the squad yet to be picked! Hockey India president Narinder Batra repeatedly warned the team to get its act together — at one point even warning it not to mess up with the auction process — but with little effect. At the end of the first round, Wizards had just over $36,000 left and four players to get.
While none of the franchise representatives were willing to comment on the low price for Sardar, most of them hinted at form, fitness and team priorities. “We were fortunate to get Sardar for less. A lot of things matter during auctions — the draw of lots, the teams’ priorities... we knew if Sardar came up before Fuerste or Fuchs, it would be easier to get him,” explained Warriors coach Jagbir Singh.
Sardar’s teammate V.R. Raghunath, retained by Wizards and present during the auction, offered a better explanation. “You cannot expect anything in auctions, you have to be prepared for prices both skyrocketing and falling flat when least expected. Auction dynamics matter a lot,” he said.
