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 '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.

Yuvraj’s waning fortunes
2014 — Rs 14 crores
2015 — Rs 16 crores
2016 — Rs 7 crores
2018 — Rs 2 crores
2019 — Rs 1 crore

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.

Sachin influences yuvi’s selection?

It’s rumoured that Sachin Tendulkar had a hand in prolonging Yuvraj’s IPL career by making a frantic phone call to the Ambanis during the auction break. Sachin and Yuvraj have always been known to share a great bonhomie. Yuvraj made his respect for Sachin public when he touched the legend's feet at Lord’s during an exhibition match. And before the 2011 World Cup, Yuvraj had proclaimed he was desperate to win the Cup for Sachin. On his part, the Master Blaster went all the way to London to meet Yuvraj after he was recovering from cancer treatment.

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.