Is Rs 20+cr on a player justified?

Australia captain Pat Cummins became the second most expensive player in IPL history as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) signed him for a whopping Rs 20.5 crore at the auction a few days ago. The subject became a huge talking point, particularly as Cummins’ haul of 45 scalps in 42 matches, an average of 30.16 and economy rate of over 8.5 in IPL outings aren’t spectacular. While he has proved his mettle at the international level, the same can’t be said for the IPL. As such, SRH fans are questioning the franchise’s strategy of paying such an exorbitant price for the bowler.

While many former cricketers like Anil Kumble and Jason Gillespie have acknowledged Cummins ability, they have expressed surprise over his price. But his form and confidence in the last year-and-a-half make him a top draw. He won the World Test Championship (WTC), retained the Ashes, and then led the Australian ODI team to another World Cup.

“Moreover, SRH is looking to fill leadership roles. Cummins plays attacking cricket and is an attacking captain (unlike SRH’s earlier captain Kane Williamson). So Cummins is a natural pick, not only as an experienced bowler but also as a captain for the team. Perhaps that dire need for leadership motivated SRH to acquire Cummins. And he’s surely a world class player,” says Vijay Boddupalli, cricket analyst and commentator.

It’s a team sport, every player counts

In the past, star players like Ben Stokes, Cameron Green, Harry Brook, Glen Maxwell and Kevin Pietersen, who were bought for huge amounts, failed to deliver. On the other hand, iconic players like Yuvraj Singh, Chris Gayle and Suresh Raina went unsold at one point of time. As much as we talk about individual brilliance, cricket, at the end of the day, is a team sport. Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians won the IPL trophy five times and MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings lifted it six times. It wasn’t just the captains who were responsible for the victory, all the players in the team chipped in too.

“No doubt cricket is a team game; perhaps star players may steer the team to one or two wins but ultimately the team as a cohesive unit should do well. Since there’s a very high price tag put on players, there’s always pressure to perform,” says former cricketer from Tamil Nadu S. Suresh.

A game of one upmanship

There was a fierce bidding war among Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and SRH for Cummins, with the Sunrisers eventually emerging winners. Soon after, in another face-off between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Gujarat Titans, another Aussie speedster, Mitchell Starc, set an IPL record when KKR bagged him for a massive Rs 24.75 crore. These staggering bidding figures indicate the extent the owners will go to acquire talent. So, is the IPL auction turning out to be a ‘clash of egos’ among the franchise owners?

Suresh feels that the mini auctions are indeed turning out to be arenas where the franchise owners try to outbid each other. Recalling that England cricketer Ben Stokes commanded a high price last year, he points out that IPL is a business model and that naturally there will be egos.

Cricket author and analyst Neeraj Jha describes IPL as a ‘money game.’ He feels a player’s ‘price tag’ is not decided on the basis of his talent or merit. “It’s become like showing-off,” he comments. “Bidding is taking place in such a way that franchises are only looking to build their image in public and create a buzz about the prices of their players,” he says, adding that it’s challenging for any player to single-handedly win matches in a short format like T-20.

Big buys at mini auction

In the history of IPL, the nine biggest buys so far have all been made at the mini auction. It sees higher bids because the teams have more money for fewer slots to fill. Cricketer Dinesh Karthik explains that IPL teams often retain Indian players, as the mega auction comes only once every three years. This opens up an opportunity for foreign players and their agents to exploit their chances in the mini auction, as franchises have very few spaces to fill and a substantial purse at their disposal.

“I’m not a big fan of players coming straight into mini auctions and I feel foreign players and their agents seem to use it cleverly because they see a loophole there. I feel BCCI can clamp down on this problem,” Karthik wrote on his X handle, posting a video that offers a couple of solutions to this loophole.

Former Indian cricketer Venkatapathy Raju seconds Dinesh’s view. He says that it would be ideal to have a cap on the bidding at the mini auction. “I agree with Dinesh Karthik that the mini auction is giving other players an unfair advantage. I’d also like to see a cap on the bidding. However, it’s a franchise’s decision and they have the purse to spend. But sometimes it looks awkward, as players who are more talented (than the ones who are bought in auction) feel upset about being bought at a lesser price,” he says.

Former Mumbai Indians player Chetanya Nanda acknowledges that there are some surprise bids in the IPL mini auctions. Players like Rachin Ravindra who performed so well in the World Cup, commanded a mere Rs 1.5 core, he pointed out.

“So how’s the talent being judged?” he asked. He expressed concern over the fate of India’s domestic cricket. “Domestic players who do well throughout the season and become the highest wicket takers, highest run getters and
best all-rounders aren’t getting much attention. I feel sorry for them. They at least deserve direct entry into the playing 11 of the top IPL teams as validation. If we don’t encourage them, then Indian domestic cricket may face problems,” says Chetanya.