IPL-9 auction: Watson, Yuvraj shining stars still

Rationalisation of cost with regard to the stars, riches for uncapped cricketers and the sudden spotlight on the unheralded players, were all part of the IPL auction at the ITC Gardenia Hotel here on Saturday.

Men like Shane Watson and Yuvraj Singh, did still laugh their way to the bank, with the former getting the day’s highest bid of Rs. 9.5 crore from Royal Challengers Bangalore, while the latter went for less at Rs. 7 crore (also as compared to the 14 and 16 crores in the previous years).

Yet, the buzz was greater around the so-called lesser lights. It is remarkable that even at Rs. 7 crore, Yuvraj was not the most expensive Indian player as that honour went to Delhi’s left-arm spinner Pawan Negi. The 23-year old bagged Rs. 8.5 crore, and was second behind Watson.

Negi, who has just been picked in the India Twenty20 squads for the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka, Asia Cup and the ICC World Twenty20, came in at a base price of Rs. 30 lakh and triggered a bidding war between Rising Pune Supergiants (RPSG) and Delhi Daredevils. His value appreciated at break-neck speed before Daredevils had the last word.

Heart-warming story While Negi eagerly awaits his coveted India cap, Rajasthan’s Nathu Singh turned out to be the day’s heart-warming story. The fast bowler tided over poverty thanks to his father, who, despite being a labourer in a wire factory in Rajasthan, backed his son’s cricketing ambition. The 20-year-old from Jaipur has been rated high by the likes of Rahul Dravid and when his name cropped up in the uncapped list, Nathu’s base price was a modest Rs. 10 lakh.

Nathu was soon on the highway to prosperity as first-up RCB and Daredevils sparred and just as the Bengaluru team seemed to have pocketed him at Rs. 3 crore, Mumbai Indians waded in and upped the ante at Rs. 3.20 crore, which turned out to be his final price.

Among other unheralded players who created a monetary flutter were Kishore Pramod Kamath, a leg-spinner from Hubbali, and Krunal Pandya, Gujarat’s left-arm spinner. Kamath (Rs. 1.4 crore) and Pandya (Rs. 2 crore) were also embraced by the Mumbai Indians think-tank.

Later, Akash Ambani said: “We have been scouting for seven months, we wanted the right domestic talent, those two names just stood out for us.”

Murugan Ashwin was another who leapfrogged into stardom. The Tamil Nadu leg-spinner came in at a base price of Rs. 10 lakh and had a bull-run as both RPSG and RCB competed to gain his services. Finally at Rs. 4.50 crore, Supergiants netted him. In terms of appreciation of value from the 10-lakh base, Ashwin found maximum growth.

Among low-profile overseas players, South Africa’s Chris Morris (Daredevils, Rs. 7 crore) and West Indian Carlos Brathwaite (Daredevils, Rs. 4.2 crore) found a berth in the top-10 buys.

Mixed bag for seniors If the unsung practitioners of cricket found their limelight, it was a mixed bag for the seniors. At 36, Ashish Nehra was richer by Rs. 5.5 crore, thanks to Sunrisers Hyderabad, while legends — Mahela Jayawardene and Hashim Amla — found no takers.

It was also strange that New Zealand’s Martin Guptill was ignored in the morning and again when his name was brought into play during the afternoon’s accelerated-round, he elicited no response!