IPL auction: Rookies may rule the show

Bengaluru: With the Indian Premier League franchisees entering the last year of their decade-long deal, the 2017 player auction has all the makings of becoming the most understated one in the history of the competition.

As uncertainty looms over the future of the league and teams, brought on chiefly by the lack of clarity of the plans ahead, it’s unlikely that the teams will splurge like they have in the past.

While there has been a growing trend, with few notable exceptions, towards choosing the ‘moneyball’ route, this edition of the auction might just showcase the best use of it yet. That said, short term vision can also lead to players walking home with a bag of cash. With 357 players set to go under the hammer, it’s more than likely that the Indian players, more importantly the uncapped ones, will be the biggest winners at the auction.

With impressive performances during the domestic season and for India U-19, fast bowler T Natrajan, wicketkeeper-batsman Vishnu Vinod, spinner K. Gowtham, opener Tanmay Agarwal, Ishank Jaggi, Harpreet Singh (top two scorers in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) and the precocious 17-year-old batsman Prithvi Shaw among others fresh in the memory, the young brigade are set to be the biggest gainers.

There is also the curious case of Pawan Negi. The talented but inconsistent all-rounder was bought for a whopping Rs 8.5 crore by Delhi Daredevils but finds himself in the auction at a base price of Rs 30 lakh.

Stokes, Roy lead overseas charge
Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, it will be interesting to see how the top-priced overseas players will fare at the auction. Ben Stokes will no doubt attract bids due to his all-round ability.  Kagiso Rabada, Tymal Mills, Jason Roy are also likely to attract backers.

Ishant Sharma too comes in the top bracket but the disparity between his T20 stats and price tag might just work against the seamer.

With England and South African players likely to leave half way through the season due to international commitment, the franchises will think twice before placing their bids.

Other major international picks include Jonny Bairstow, Trent Boult, Brad Haddin and Jason Holder while the asking price for all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme (Rs 30 lakh) and Afghanistan duo Mohammad Nabi (Rs 30 lakh) and wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad (Rs 50 lakh each) could just lead to some spirited bidding wars.

Kings XI Punjab carry big purse
From the franchises’ side, Kings XI Punjab will look to rebound from their atrocious performance of the previous year. With a budget of Rs 23.35 crore, the highest of all eight, the Punjab side will most likely look to shore up their bowling options. While their batting wasn’t at its best last term, there is still massive firepower in that department with the likes of David Miller, Shaun Marsh and Glen Maxwell. Meanwhile, Delhi Daredevils have a task ahead to find players to fill key slots of JP Duminy, Quinton de Kock and Chris Morris who will all leave early. With Rs 23.10 crore in their kitty, they have the makings of becoming the big spenders this term.

Among others, Hyderabad will be in the market for a wicketkeeper as they have just Naman Ojha in their side while Royal Challengers Bangalore will look to replace the priceless Mitchell Starc. Kolkata Knight Riders, seeking to replace Andre Russell, and Gujarat Lions will surely look to bolster themselves with a hard hitting all-rounders.

Mumbai Indians have a well-rounded squad and all they need are seasonings rather than the steak itself even as their neighbours Pune Supergiants, for whom M.S. Dhoni is no more the captain, need to add to their bowling attack.