The excitement of the IPL begins not when the first ball is bowled, but before that when the pre-season auction of cricketing talent takes place.
The rich and famous owners descend on Goa for a televised, financial fist fight that may determine the fate of their team for the season. Conjecture over which franchises will bid for which stars and speculation on how high the price of the best players will go is rife.
But it is only now that the dust has settled on the second season of the IPL that we can properly assess the winners and losers from this year’s auction.
The English are coming
The England team had of course been excluded from the first season of the IPL and their arrival was one of the main talking points of the second auction, particularly the team’s two superstars Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.
The pair promptly became the joint most expensive IPL players ever, signing for Chennai and Bangalore for $1,550,000 each.
Neither man did enough to justify his price tag, Flintoff lasting just three matches before injury ended his IPL experience after scoring 31 runs and taking two wickets while Pietersen struggled to impose himself on the competition in his usual manner, averaging just 15.50 in six innings with a top score of 37 in the IPL.
Nice work if you can get it
Owais Shah went to the Delhi Daredevils for $375,000 and was joined by Paul Collingwood for $275,000, for both men it was probably the easiest money they ever made as neither made a single appearance.
Only forced to work slightly harder was South African Tyron Henderson, who cost the Rajasthan Royals $650,000 after a bidding war with the Deccan Chargers.
The all-rounder played two games taking one wicket and 11 runs, which cost $59,000 each, not the best investment the Royals owners at Emerging Media have ever made.
Outstanding buy
The outstanding buy of this year’s auction was undoubtedly West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Smith, who signed for the Deccan Chargers for $150,000.
Smith proved to be one of Deccan’s key players as they went from last to first in the IPL.
Smith’s destructive batting saw him top the IPL strike rates with 162.87, including 12 fours and 15 sixes, finishing above team mates Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds. Overall he scored 215 runs at an average of 27 and a top score of 49, he was also Man of the Match for his 47 in a key 53-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals.
Class of 2008
In truth some of the best value of this year’s IPL were the bargain buys of the 2008 auction. Sri Lankan batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan for example cost Delhi less than $200,000 and after a low-key 2008 repaid the team with 418 runs this season, the fifth highest in the tournament, at an impressive average of 41.80.
Barely more expensive for Delhi was South African batsmen A.B. de Villiers who was even higher up the run charts this year with 465 runs at average of 51.67.
The Ugly
Kolkata Knight Riders endured a miserable season winning only three games and finishing bottom of the table. Perhaps nothing exemplified their troubles more than the $600,000 they spent on Bangladeshi paceman Mashrafe Mortaza.
Mortaza played one game for the struggling side and was entrusted with four overs during the whole competition which cost 58 runs at an economy rate of 14.50.
Worst still with Kolkata in a position to record a rare win and Deccan needing 21 off the final over Mortaza contrives to concede 26 off the over, blowing the chance in fine style and finishing both the match and the season wicketless.
AUSTRALIA: George Bailey (Chennai Super Kings, $50,000), Shaun Tait (Rajasthan Royals, $375,000).
BANGLADESH: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (Kolkata Knight Riders, $600,000), Mohammad Ashraful (Mumbai Indians, $75,000)
ENGLAND: Andrew Flintoff (Chennai Super Kings, $1,550,000), Kevin Pietersen (Bangalore Royal Challengers, $1,550,000), Owais Shah (Delhi Daredevils, $375,000), Paul Collingwood (Delhi Daredevils, $275,000), Ravi Bopara (Kings XI Punjab, $450,000).
NEW ZEALAND: Jesse Ryder (Bangalore Royal Challengers, $160,000), Kyle Mills (Mumbai Indians, $150,000).
SOUTH AFRICA: J P Duminy (Mumbai Indians, $950,000), Tyron Henderson (Rajasthan Royals, $650,000).
SRI LANKA: Thilan Thushara (Chennai Super Kings, $140,000).
WEST INDIES: Dwayne Smith (Deccan Chargers, $100,000), Fidel Edwards (Deccan Chargers, $150,000), Jerome Taylor (Kings XI Punjab, $150,000).
By Tim Evershed, Twenty20Blog.co.uk
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