Fourteen seasons later, with the stage set for another mega auction ahead of the tournament’s 15th edition, the franchises have gotten smarter. They have an understanding of the T20 format and its requirements. Franchises are now focusing on current form and potential. They want their money’s worth.

The auction list of 590 cricketers has 10 marquee names up front, each with a base price of Rs 2 crore. They would open the proceedings of a two-day auction in Bangalore on Saturday and Sunday. Six of these players – Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shikhar Dhawan, Faf du Plessis, Mohammed Shami and David Warner – form the OT brigade (more than thirty). Don’t be surprised to see one or two of them go unsold in the first round of the auction.

𝙋𝙧𝙚 – 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙮! 👌 👌

How excited are you for the #TATAIPLAurcation 2022❓ 🤔 pic.twitter.com/R5TFi8g6XE

– IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 11, 2022

“It’s a two day auction and while you walk into the room with a certain plan, opportunities may arise and you need to be ready with enough money to be part of a bidding war “said a general manager of the franchise.

Take the case of Dhawan. He is 36 years old and was left out of India’s T20I configuration. His T20 strike rate hits 125 in the opener and according to some franchise insiders, the southpaw is seen as good business rather than someone who entices owners to break the bank.

A similar thought process exists for du Plessis, 37, despite his game-winning 59-86 run for Chennai Super Kings in last year’s final. His IPL form last season did not lead Cricket South Africa to consider him for the T20 World Cup. It’s unlikely to be a hot property at this year’s auction either.

“To some extent, old ties play a role. But beyond a certain level, you can’t look at what I would say is our attachment. The future of the team is going to be decided,” CSK managing director Kasi Viswanathan told The Indian Express.

Stephen Fleming at the 2020 IPL Auction (IPL)

Warner, however, should have plenty of takers, despite being unavailable for the early IPL matches. The Australians will be touring Pakistan until April 5 and Cricket Australia is not releasing national team players for the IPL. And yet Warner, a captain material and x-factor at bat, is likely to attract big offers.

As for Shreyas Iyer, some franchise insiders expect him to be one of the best buys at auction.

Going to the marquee roster bowlers, we learn that Shami and Boult are high on the wish list of many teams. Shami is a queen of fast bowling, while Boult’s left-arm pace is coveted by captains and coaches alike. The fact that Pat Cummins and Kagiso Rabada would miss much of the first half of the IPL – South Africa’s series against Bangladesh ends on April 11 – makes Boult and fellow countryman Lockie Ferguson an attractive proposition , as they are available for the full term. of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Ashwin, as he told IPL auctioneer Richard Madley on his YouTube show, would like to return to his old CSK franchise. This article understands that the four-time IPL champions aren’t averse to bringing him home either. Again, this is an open auction and nothing can be predicted in advance.

PSL factor

These days, franchises operate like football clubs, with their scouts keeping a close eye on the various T20 leagues around the world. It’s no wonder, then, that everyone is keeping tabs on the ongoing Pakistan Super League and the performances there are expected to have a serious knock-on effect in the IPL auction.

Just days ago, Jason Roy (base price Rs 2 crore) soared to 57 balls 116, including 11 fours and eight sixes, playing for Quetta Gladiators and decimating a Lahore Qalandars bowling attack that boasted Shaheen Shah Afridi , Haris Rauf and Rachid Khan. Such impactful performances have traditionally been generously rewarded at IPL auctions.

Just a day before the 2018 IPL auction, Mumbai all-rounder Shivam Dube had beaten spinner Baroda Swapnil Singh for five straight sixes in a Ranji Trophy match. At the auction, RCB bought it for Rs 5 crore.

In 2019, IPL auction witnessed Yashasvi Jaiswal’s rags-to-riches story – a Rs 2.4 crore buy for Rajasthan Royals on the heels of his 203 balls from 154 for Mumbai in the Vijay Hazare trophy.

From this perspective, pay attention to Shahrukh Khan, who enters the auction with a base price of Rs 40 lakh. His last six shots against Karnataka to win the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Tamil Nadu are still fresh in memory. The Punjab Kings released him, but the 26-year-old has since been part of the Indian team’s white-ball roster. “Finishers are a bonus right now. Shahrukh has fantastic potential,” a franchise executive said.

Caribbean fast bowler Alzarri Joseph didn’t hurt his bidding prospects, thanks to his opening spell in the second ODI against India on Wednesday. A tweet from Harbhajan Singh followed: “Kon banega crorepati in the #IPLAuction I think ALZARRI JOSEPH will be a crorepati”.

‘Guardians in demand

Wicketkeepers would be in demand, especially those who open innings. The marquee listing has de Kock, while Ishan Kishan also enters the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore and fits the profile of the South African. Mumbai Indians have released them both and should go all out for at least one of these players. Nicholas Pooran and Jonny Bairstow are two other very interested goaltender franchises. Indian KS Bharat would carry his reputation enhanced, thanks to his pyrotechnics for RCB against Delhi Capitals last year and an excellent Vijay Hazare trophy for Andhra where he scored two centuries.

An important approach to this auction could be for teams to become big for Indian players; batsmen, fast bowlers and spinners. It’s a huge pool of talent and people like Harshal Patel and Chetan Sakariya, for example, would benefit from this approach. Prasidh Krishna, too, is coming off his 4/12 in the second ODI against West Indies. The Indian spinner pool has a stellar star cast including the likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav and Rahul Chahar. “The Indian players are just as good, if not better. There will be no problem with their availability. Also, with the Covid situation still fluid, investing in Indian players makes sense,” a franchise head coach said.

Ishan Kishan.

At least four players from India’s U-19 World Cup-winning squad can earn lucrative contracts; drummer Yash Dhull, mid-pace Rajvardhan Hangargekar, left-arm spinner Vicky Ostwal and all-rounder Raj Bawa. The family name thrilled many franchises with his full show in the recent England U-19 final.

Team Strategies

A mega auction is where franchises build their teams from the ground up. Different teams have different strategies. A highly successful franchise like CSK, which has thrived by retaining a core group over the years and building a family, is looking to the future.

“This auction is going to be very difficult, because it’s a mega auction with two (new) teams coming. It would be very difficult for one of the franchises to get the players we want. we will also look for the future. We have to take this into account, because a new cycle is beginning,” Viswanathan told this newspaper.

RCB, meanwhile, are looking to build their teams around three retained players – Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj. They hope to recover some of their old hands. “We have players there (in the bidding pool) that we have seen develop over the years and if there is a chance to bring them back to the RCB and continue their development then we will definitely be looking to do it,” the RCB director of cricket said. operations Mike Hesson said in a video message from the franchise.

The Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, are focusing on seven other players in addition to the retained four – Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, Prithvi Shaw and Anrich Nortje – to strike the right balance. “Now we want to have seven players, who can give us more balance basically. That’s our big goal and that’s the challenge to be honest,” DC assistant coach Pravin Amre said.

When it comes to the two new teams, Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans, they have a clean sheet to work with. The No Right to Match (RTM) card gives them a level playing field. According to sources, Lucknow is targeting an attacking spinner to play in tandem with Ravi Bishnoi.

Curious case of Archer

England fast bowler Jofra Archer, who made a late entry into the auction, raised many eyebrows. Archer hasn’t played cricket for nearly a year now and according to the England and Wales Cricket Board he is still “in the final stages” of his recovery from elbow surgery. The 26-year-old was not part of the initial roster but entered the bidding pool after 44 new players were added at the request of franchises. Archer signed up at a base price of Rs 2 crore, but the BCCI has informed the franchises that a substitution will not be allowed if the player is missing through injury. Archer, listed as the No. 171 player, will go under the hammer on Sunday. Grapevine thinks he must know something the others don’t.

Timely performance

· Ahead of IPL 2013, MI talent scout John Wright spots Jasprit Bumrah during a domestic T20 match. The franchise offers him a contract and the rest is history.

A day before the 2018 IPL auction, Mumbai’s Shivam Dube hits spinner Baroda Swapnil Singh for five straight sixes. At the auction, RCB enlisted him for Rs 5 crore.

In October 2019, Mumbai teenager Yashasvi Jaiswal becomes the youngest Indian batsman to score a double century in List A cricket, 203 against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Two months later, at the IPL auction, the Rajasthan Royals paid Rs 2.4 crore for him.

Ahead of IPL Auction 2021, Shahrukh Khan crushes 40 off 19 balls in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy game against Himachal Pradesh. At the auction, the Punjab Kings are wrapping it up for Rs 5.25 crore.