Bargain Buys of IPL 5

This IPL has produced the most riveting cricket of all the IPL seasons and even the so called paupers of the table have given us close games but as the table suggests they have not closed out the games.

In hindsight, if we have to analyze the happenings at the IPL auction some of the so called “cheaper buys” have exceeded expectations which show the thorough strategizing that the Franchises have managed to do. Leave alone the players, who were retained by the respective franchises, there is a general feeling that some of the players command a better price than they commanded then

It was also baffling that some of the players who just got capped before that auction like Abhimanyu Mithun, Unadkat and Saurabh Tiwary commanded a very high price as compared to the relative uncapped players who have since cemented their place in Team India like Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rahane and Rahul Sharma.

Kevon Cooper

The Man from Trinidad who won quite a few hearts with a lion hearted performance for his country in CLT20 smashing bowlers like Dale Steyn out in the death overs and kept bowling those slower cutters and inch perfect yorkers in the final overs. It was really a coup for Rajasthan Royals to pocket him at his base price. Even after the auctions it was believed that he would not find a place in the team given other buys like Chandimal, Hogg, Hodge and Owais Shah were capped internationals. First of all being selected and performing as good as he did, I would say if not for the injury sustained during fielding he would have been a handful throughout the season and soon play for Windies in the WC T20.

Chris Gayle

Nobody on earth would understand the logic behind the franchisees reluctance let the 333 man go without a single bid on a day when he tonked 30 runs of an over enroute to a century in big bash t20. Common sense finally prevailed when RCB accidentally had the opportunity of picking him for Dirk Nannes and the rest as they say is history. Still priced at a $550K he is a bargain the other teams failed to pick. Can’t even imagine what RCB would be without Gayle at the top.

Mutthiah Muralitharan

The leading wicket taker in tests of all time and now happily retired, this 800 man came with the tag of being past his sell by date. But to his credit he kept himself active playing the HRV t20 and the BPL. Once the go to man for Chennai and MS Dhoni, he was out priced from them in the previous auction by the now defunct Kochi Tuskers and after their suspension he came back to the auction pool and was pouched again by RCB for $320K. Although a short term measure, RCB have started to reap the benefits of playing him in the eleven. An absolute pleasure to see a champion of his caliber fox the batsmen again.

Michael Hussey

An absolute surprise that CSK retained him through the auction for his base price. He showed what an absolute team player he is by leading them all the way to the trophy with his controlled batting at the top. He is also the go to man for Dhoni when it comes to tactics and field placements and the kind of whole hearted fielder he is, gives an all round dimension to the team. The fact that he will stay as a “Chingakutti” for the next two years he is the perfect investment to mentor the cricketers for seasons to come.

Francois Du Plessis

During the auction, most of us wouldn’t have even heard of this player but having seen him play for Lancashire I was sure that CSK have got a massive coup a 4 in 1 players. He was a whisker away from playing for England having played there as a Kolpak player in a rare act of confidence turned out to play for his country South Africa. He shone in parts during the World Cup in the subcontinent and also during the domestic competitions at home. An aggressive batsmen and an electric fielder, his leg spinners can be more than handy.

Dwayne Bravo

Another of the Chennai’s bargain picks, Dwayne Bravo was always present for Mumbai Indians during the first three editions and hence it was a surprise that MI did not make a single bid for him. A whole hearted performer and a jovial character, he was a welcome addition to the lineup and even if he joined late that edition did contribute to the wins through his intelligent bowling and electric fielding.

Johan Botha

For all he did for the Royals in the previous edition, there was a growing opinion that this season he has not been utilized perfectly and it required a captain in Shane Warne to invoke the potential of Botha as the batsmen. Aptly named “both”a he shone right through with his cool batting as well as his pin perfect yorkers at the death and aggressive off break bowling. As like many South Africans he is a brilliant fielder and he also commands a better fee than he was bought at.