IPL Auctions - A Very Expensive Fishing Trip

Sending owners to bid at the IPL auction is much like sending your girlfriend into a mall with your credit card. You both know there’s a limit, have an idea of what you want to buy, but still can never guess what you’ll walk out with - Did you buy all the work clothes you really needed? Or did you walk out with an over expensive négligée that will surely turn heads but will only last for that one glorious night? But, seriously, it is that time of the year when true patrons of the game put themselves in the shoes of the owners and fantasize about the team they need. The process of building a team goes much beyond buying an eclectic mix of players. It involves building a culture, creating a productive environment for player development, hiring astute coaching staff with vision such that your team is a turn ahead of every other team in every single game. This is what makes sports management truly challenging and fun. The IPL auction in the past few years has been a stage where tactical nous noses ahead of money. An auction which is a loose parallel to a linear equation with an unimaginable number of unknowns. And this is exactly why it is impossible to predict such events without accurate awareness of what teams might want. Given the knowledge of teams, coaching staff, the current squad and the purse, I am going to indulge myself in predicting a few key buys in this logistical nightmare. In other words, I am going to map the needs of each team to the top players available for this auction.

1.  Yuvraj Singh - Key contenders -SRH/Pune. SRH is a key player because Warner, Williamson and Boult are automatic choices and they have a non-existent middle order. Pune would also show interest because of Dhoni’s love to choke with spinners and the fact that he preferred Yuvraj over Pandya in the recent T20s against Australia. Without Jadeja in his arsenal, Pune would kill for Yuvraj.
2.  Ashish Nehra - Key contenders -RCB/Pune/Rajkot/SRH. RCB really need this. They have never had anyone to complement Starc and here is a good Indian fast bowler who can bowl at death. Fleming fought for Nehra at CSK and if he tends to do it again, Pune would also be in contention. SRH released Ishant and hence they would love some experience at the death to go all out attack with Boult upfront. Rajkot also is an obvious choice becuase they have an entire team to build. 
3.  Ishant Sharma - Key contenders - Rajkot/Pune/KKR. He was by far the most successful bowler for India at Australia (ODI series). Rajkot and Pune will obviously be in the fray for both Indian and imported quicks because they have no fast bowlers at all. KKR would also flirt with this idea but only at the right price because of Umesh’s inconsistency and lack of backup Indian options.
4.  Dinesh Karthik/Sanju Samson - Key contenders -DD/Rajkot. Delhi don’t have a keeper. Delhi’s middle order is messed up. Karthik has done well in Kotla.  Delhi have the highest purse and may perhaps be the only team willing to shell out the money for him. Period. Rajkot need a keeper as well unless they plan on having Brendon McCullum keep.
5. Mohit Sharma/Dhawal Kulkarni/Parvinder Awana - Key contenders -Pune/Rajkot/KKR. Indian seamers often are the fulcrum of any good IPL bowling attack. All of them need primary/backup Indian seamers and Dhoni’s love for hard-working seamers puts them high in the ranks for a spot at Pune. Needless to say, Rajkot have similar needs. Meanwhile, Umesh has not exactly been torching oppositions, hence, one amongst these three will be a good back option for KKR as well. 
6.  Shane Watson - Key contenders - DD/SRH/Pune. He was the surprise omission in the pre-draft process between Pune and Rajkot. I am sure both teams will be crying tears the size of October cabbages after seeing him run through India in the recent series. On top of this, all these teams lack a genuine pace bowling all-rounder who can bat really well. And, these teams have a big purse to take it out of the reach of other franchises.
7.  Martin Guptill/Aaron Finch/Dwayne Smith - Key contenders -Rajkot/Punjab. Firepower at the opening slot can make or break a team’s season. Rajkot are desperate for a 2nd opener; Punjab need a replacement for Viru. All 3 batsmen can go on to make huge scores at a strike rate north of 150 and wreck any well laid plans. Guptill in particular has been in great form in recent times.
8.  Tim Southee/Mustafizur Rahman/Dale Steyn - Key contenders -Pune/Rajkot/DD. These teams need a world class bowler. Southee, Mustafizur and Steyn are 3 very quality pacers who are in the market. Knowing the kind of bowler Steyn is, he will be eager to make SRH pay for their gaffe. Pune and Rajkot need to build a strong bowling unit from the bottom up and DD is looking for a reliable option to complement the ageing Zaheer and the inconsistent Shami. Mustafizur may be the budget option among the three.
9. Stuart Binny/Thissara Perera/Irfan Pathan/Mitch Marsh - Key contenders - Pune/DD/Punjab. If I pick a team, these would be my utility players who will do just what is asked of them. The idea is that they would play the roles of Dwayne Bravo or Corey Anderson. They allow teams to play an extra bowler/batsman without compromising on the quality of the team (yes, even Binny.. a little bit). 
10. Ishan Kishan/Rishab Pant/Washington Sundar/Karun Nair - Key contenders - RCB/Punjab. Uncapped Indian players are key to a successful IPL franchise. The U-19 T20 WC has thrown up some talent who will generate quite a buzz during the bidding. Captain Ishan and hard hitting Pant are both batsmen and keepers who should draw a high interest.  Washington Sundar is an exciting tall, young leftie who has a penchant for clearing the boundary. Meanwhile, Karun Nair from RR, has already proven himself in the earlier seasons.

 Some teams clearly have a need in certain areas and we have hoped to address these issues. These players are those we believe will have an impact on the bidding and are of strategic importance to the teams. We would be happy with even 40% of predictions working out.

Feel free to provide your own predictions and inputs on what we have given here. Especially if you have an opinion about Rajat Bhatia. If we find your opinions interesting, we would definitely talk about it for 5 minutes before landing a punch on your face! Cheers!

 By

Team Fast Appeal

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