OPINION
Follow UsAn IPL auction is complex. A mega-auction even more so. There are so many variables including the player’s fortune of when his name is called up in the auction and it is nearly impossible to predict how things will pan out. But we have seen 14 IPL auctions now, including four mega-auctions. There certainly are some noticeable patterns that help us anticipate some activities in the 2022 edition of the event.
Local flavor is the cake
A key aspect of mega-auction is that it is used to build the foundation of a team. What is acquired in the mega-auction remains to be the fundamental combination of the side until the next such event. Hence, while mini-auctions result in extravagant expenditure on overseas stars, the cream in the mega-auctions constitutes the local flavor.
In 14 IPL auctions thus far, there are six occasions of an Indian cricketer fetching the most expensive bid. Three of these instances were in a big auction - MS Dhoni INR 7 crore in 2008, Gautam Gambhir INR 11 crore in 2011 and Yuvraj Singh INR 14 crore in 2014. A more accurate measure would be the share of the total amount spent on them. In 2014, Indian players accounted for 54.6 percent of the total money spent in the auction. In 2018, it increased to 58.4. The likes of Manish Pandey, KL Rahul and Jaydev Unadkat were bought for more than INR 10 crore each. But it was justified given Indian players constitute a big chunk of your side. We can once again expect the bids around India players to go through the ceiling. Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Avesh Khan, Deepak Chahar etc will be the biggest gainers if the trend continues.
The word is there won’t be a mega-auction again or in a long time. In addition, there are 10 teams in the competition which means there will be fewer players available to fill various voids in the upcoming mini-auctions. Hence, Indian players are more important than ever.
Batsmen’s game but all-rounders make the money
As T20 cricket is getting older, teams are also fine-tuning their approach, nourishing their understanding of the format. The proceedings at the auctions reflect it too. The all-rounders are escalating in value rather than the batters.
In the 2014 mega-auction, the batters snaffled 39.5 percent of total money spent, the highest. All-rounders were at 27.7, the lowest among the three categories. Since then, franchises and team managements have understood the value of all-rounders. In 2018, Ben Stokes fetched the highest bid - INR 14.5 crore. The all-rounders’ share raised to 32.7 percent. It could also be due to more players putting their name in the all-rounder’s category. But bowlers collected the highest 34.7 percent. Subsequently, batters gained the lowest 32.5 percent.
The shift is expected to keep moving in the direction of all-rounders. A closer look tells you that the pace bowling all-rounders are absolute favorites in the auction. Stokes himself, Pat Cummins who is a handy batter and Chris Morris have notched up the highest bids since 2018. Mumbai Indians were so lured by Morris’ all-round skills, they raised the paddle for him until INR 13 crore last year. They are a franchise that has never bought a player in excess of INR 9.2 crores.
Most of such all-rounders in this auction are present in the overseas contingent. An Indian player might yield the highest bid but the likes of Jason Holder, Mitchell Marsh and others will also be in hot demand.
Intentful KKR
Joy Bhattacharya, in one of his many Cricbuzz Live appearances, revealed that Kolkata Knight Riders went into the 2011 mega-auction with the clear strategy to buy either one of Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma or Yuvraj Singh. Their idea was to splurge on whoever among these three come to the auction first. It was Gambhir and KKR created the then record of the most expensive IPL bid to obtain him. They bought Sunil Narine (2012), Eoin Morgan (2020) and Pat Cummins (2020) with a similar mindset.
Despite retaining four players already, they still have the space to break the bank for one player. You wonder if KKR have identified anyone this time. Assessing their current squad, Shreyas Iyer fits like a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle. KKR can also fulfill Iyer’s captaincy ambitions. At the same time, they will get an experienced middle-order batter. In addition, the McCullum-Iyer pair can work just like Ponting-Iyer did for Delhi. If KKR have identified him, they can go big on Iyer.
Mumbai’s love for overseas fast bowlers
It's widespread knowledge that Mumbai Indians like to field two overseas pacers in their XI. Studying their style, they like a left-armer who swings the new ball. This allows them to pick early wickets and hence, reserve three overs of Bumrah for the second half of the innings. They also like their pacer to bat a bit to deepen their batting. David Willey and their former recruit Marco Jansen fit perfectly, fulfilling all these criteria. Knowing how good MI have been in identifying their utility picks, it is likely to see them go after one of these two and fetch at least one at a fairly low price.
Coaches prefer players from their respective countries
Alex Hales, Paul Stirling, James Vince, Jason Roy are among the popular openers on the T20 globe. Yet, they haven’t had as many IPL gigs. Stirling and Vince are yet to play an IPL game. For long, the top-orders across the eight IPL franchises were stacked up. With a 10-team auction now, there are more doors open than ever. However, it won’t be a complete surprise if they are ignored again.
A big reason is the utter domination by the Australians, albeit, without any proven credentials. Since the 2018 auction, 40 Australian players have been sold in the IPL, the most for a foreign nation. It is surprising given Australia have themselves garnered very few players from the Big Bash League.
It could be a consequence of several Australian coaches among IPL franchises. D'Arcy Short’s consistent run under Shane Warne’s mentorship at Rajasthan Royals in 2018 speaks for this theory. A similar kind of pattern is observed with coaches of other nationalities, though at a lower scale. The absence of coaches from England and from lower-ranked cricketing nations have certainly hurt the chances of the aforementioned players.
