Crore strategy

Mumbai Indians (MI) seemed to have thrown a lifeline to stalwart Yuvraj Singh who was faced with the major embarrassment of almost going unsold at the IPL auction.

Once a much-sought after name, the ageing Yuvraj’s form has declined sharply over the years and so has his IPL value. Yuvraj, who had raked in Rs 14 crore and Rs 16 crore in 2014 and 2015 respectively, has been sold at his base price for the last two seasons. And Mumbai will be his sixth IPL home! 

IPL auctions are no charity and the franchisee owners mean business with every purchase. So why did Mumbai invest Rs 1 crore in Yuvraj, who scored a meagre 65 runs in eight matches at a lacklustre strike-rate of 89 last season?  

While MI owner Akash Ambani called it a “steal”, a franchisee official from the south says it could be a marketing strategy. “Yuvraj is 37 and he is not the same player who used to whack sixes at will. However, he has a legion of very loyal fans. They are still hoping to see him in the India colours! It’s not certain that Yuvraj will add muscle to the side, but he can definitely add to Mumbai’s brand value,” the official said. When Yuvraj was released by Kings XI Punjab after a disastrous season, his fans wanted Chennai Super Kings to snap him up for a reunion with his friend M.S. Dhoni. But CSK showed no interest in him at the auction table.  

MI is known as ‘Real Madrid of cricket’ for its penchant for buying stars and signing up big names as support staff. And Yuvraj could double up as one of the mentors in the ever-growing list. 

Post-auction, Akash tried justifying the selection. “I don’t think we are saving his career in any form. We always wanted him, but never had the opportunity. Our objective was to pick players with experience. Not just for names, we have identified some specific role for him. We are looking at Rohit Sharma to open the innings and Yuvraj will bring balance to the middle order,” he argued. 

Millionaire again, but is he worth it?
Jaydev Unadkat was one of the biggest flops of the 2018 edition. The left-arm pacer failed to live up to Rajasthan Royals’ expectations after being bought as the most expensive player of the previous auction at Rs 11.5 crore. It was no surprise when Royals released him after an ordinary season in which he took 11 wickets in 15 matches. But, Royals sprang another surprise on Tuesday by bagging him for Rs 8.4 crore. Royals may have saved about Rs 2 crore, but is he really worth it? Unadkat last played a T20 for India in March 2018 and currently the young Khaleel Ahmed is India’s preferred choice for left-arm pacer slot.

CSK believe in ‘family’
We are more like a family. Stay together through ups and downs.” M.S. Dhoni never misses these lines whenever the CSK skipper talks about the team culture. And, no other IPL captain enjoys the kind of freedom that the ‘head of the family’ gets at India Cements-owned franchisee. The bond that Dhoni and N. Srinivasan share is very special. As the success of CSK as a brand always revolved around Dhoni, the management never questioned his decisions and choices. After last year’s auctions, CSK were mocked for picking older players, but Dhoni vindicated his choice by leading his troupe to a stunning triumph on their comeback. On Tuesday evening, CSK had the least purse among the teams, but they splurged on Mohit Sharma (Rs 5 cr) to bring the pacer back into the ‘family’ fold. Mohit had played a crucial role in CSK success before he went to Punjab following Chennai’s two-year suspension.
The bond that M.S. Dhoni and N. Srinivasan, the owner of Chennai Super Kings, share is very special

Overnight millionaires
Over the years, the IPL auctions have made millionaires out of little-known cricketers. On Tuesday evening, it was the turn of Varun Chakravarthy and Shivam Dubey.

When an anxious Varun switched on the TV amidst a family get-together at Thanjavur, a district in Tamil Nadu, little did he know that he would soon turn millionaire. “I started praying to God when the auctioneer pronounced my name,” said Varun who fetched Rs 8.4 crore and became the most expensive IPL player from Tamil Nadu. 

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. And I have no plans what to do with this (money),” he added. 

A mystery spinner, Varun used to bowl in Chennai Super Kings net sessions before Kolkata Knight Riders called him to their training facility last season.  

Varun had been tipped to play for India soon by CSK bowler Harbhajan Singh. “Had a close look at him last year, at CSK nets. This guy has the potential to play for India. The selectors should keep an eye on him,” he had said.

Touted as the next Yuvraj Singh, Mumbai all-rounder Shivam has made heads turn with his ability to clear the boundary rope with ease. Shivam hit five sixes in as many balls against Baroda in a Ranji match on the eve of the IPL auctions, sky rocketing his value.

Prabhsimran Singh, the 17-year-old wicket-keeper from Punjab, idolises Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist. His consistent performances helped him fetch Rs 4.8 crore from Kings XI. Another teenager who made it big was Prayas Raj Barman, a leg-spinner from Bengal. Prayas was bought by RCB for Rs 1.5 crore. 

Hyderabad lad ignored
The auction list had as many as 11 players from Hyderabad, but none could find a taker. Sunrisers Hyderabad bought wicket-keepers Jonny Bairstow, Wriddhiman Saha and Kiwi opener Martin Guptill at Tuesday’s auctions.
They could have bought a couple of local players to fill the two remaining slots, but decided not to. The likes of Rohit Rayudu and B. Sandeep who did well in the Vijay Hazare trophy must have felt disappointed.
On the other hand, three players from Andhra — Hanuma Vihari (Rs 2 crore to Delhi), B. Ayyappa ('20 lakh to Delhi) and Prithviraj Yarra (Rs 20 lakh to Kolkata) — were bought by other franchisees. The only local player in the Sunrisers’ current line-up is Andhra’s Ricky Bhui who was bought at last year’s auction. 
The owners of Sunrisers are from Chennai and they seem to have no local inclination!     

Unsold: 
Chama Milind l Rohit Rayudu l Akshath Reddy 
B. Sandeep l Akash Bhandari l Tanmay Agarwal l K. Sumanth 
M. Ravi Kiran l Sudeep Tyagi l Mehdi Hasan 
T. Ravi Teja