IPL 2019: One Overpaid Player from Each Team

The Indian Premier League is set to kick-off on March 23rd and the opening fixture is to be played between the Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the MA Chidambaram Stadium. This season will be more low-key than the other seasons due to the World Cup immediately after the end of the IPL. Few usual names have opted out citing the WC preparations as the reason.

IPL Auction too didn't feature too many big names but had a lot of surprising buys which generated a lot of buzz among the fans of teams and in social media.

That being said, there were a few low-profile buys and a few steals, while there were bidding wars for certain players. Not always does the money paid for a player payout in the end, on this note, let's take a look at one overpaid player from each team.

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#1 Chennai Super Kings- Mohit Sharma (INR 5 Crore)

Mohit Sharma

Considering that the Chennai Super Kings bought only 2 players at the auction, it might have been difficult to find an overpaid player, but Mohit Sharma at INR 5 Crore was exactly that. Mohit had a horrendous run last season followed by an indifferent domestic season. where he did nothing special worth mentioning. With that said, spending that much on him is a waste of money and the team could have signed someone else who offered much better value.

Mohit certainly did well under MS Dhoni in the 3 editions he played at CSK, but buying him back at that price purely based on past performances does not make any sense. His prized variation, the back-of-the-hand slower ball has lost its mystery and Mohit is being plundered for runs at all stages of the match. Though he brings experience to the side, the team already possesses decent Indian pacers and they should have gone after someone younger and full of energy rather than Mohit.

#2 Delhi Capitals- Colin Ingram (INR 6.4 Crore)

Colin Ingram

The Delhi Capitals had a good time at the IPL auction this year, as they bought several quality players which also includes Colin Ingram. The T20 veteran last played an international match 4 years back and is a freelance T20 cricketer who has excelled in almost all T20 leagues in the world. With this into the frame, he was the best person who the Capitals could sign but a price of 6.4 Crore seems too much for a player who is at the declining stage of his career.

With such a packed Indian top order and Colin Munro, the devastating T20 batsman available for selection, it will be difficult to fit Ingram in. Him coming in will force a change in the batting order and though he brings experience, it will only add to the headache of the selection process. Also, the psychological factor which the hefty price tag brings along makes him a risky buy for the Capitals and one which might not provide the returns they expect.

#3 Kings XI Punjab- Varun Chakravarthy (INR 8.4 Crore)

Varun Chakravarthy

The Kings XI Punjab made many big signings at the auction and the biggest one was that of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy for a whopping INR 8.4 Crore. Though he has a lot of talent and was excellent in the TNPL and Vijay Hazare Trophy, this amount seems too much for someone who hasn't had enough domestic experience at all.

He possesses a lot of variations and tricks, but KXIP already have a leading mystery spinner, Mujeeb who performed exceptionally well for them last season and doesn't deserve to be dropped. Also, the case of teams rushing to buy mystery spinners has become a fashion in IPL and not all of them pay out. KXIP made a similar decision with respect to KC Cariappa and this deal seems even riskier.

Another player, Anmolpreet Singh for INR 4.8 Crore too seems to be another overpriced buy, as he seems set for limited playing chances this season and must be used properly.

#4 Kolkata Knight Riders- Carlos Brathwaite (INR 5 Crore)

Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite seemed to be the only pricey buy from the KKR at the auction and though it looked like an obvious backup for Andre Russell who's prone to injury, the amount was too much for an over-rated player like Brathwaite.

Ever since he smashed the 4 sixes in the ICC WT20 final at Kolkata, Brathwaite became a sensation in T20 cricket and was a hot property at IPL auctions. Despite all the craze around him, he hasn't given any solid performances to prove that he is a big-money player and worth the praise he gets. Hailed as a T20 big hitter and all-rounder, his batting stats don't correspond with name and he seems more effective with the ball and is expensive even in that.

They could've gone for someone better or someone worth the money than going for the big Carribean. He must do a lot to prove that he belongs in the KKR camp.

#5 Mumbai Indians- Barinder Sran (INR 3.4 Crore)

Barinder

Sran

Barinder Sran was the priciest purchase for the Mumbai Indians at the IPL Auction. The left-arm pacer was bought by the side for INR 3.4 Crore. That amount seems far-fetched for Sran and it should have been given to someone else who deserved a playing chance. Sran, who was once been a Team India prospect is now way past his prime.

His IPL last season was poor and he was erratic with his bowling and sprayed his new ball spells all around and gave away easy runs whenever he got the ball. Not a specialist death bowler, his arrival will force Bumrah to operate more in the death which creates a shortage of pacers to bowl during the start. Though he was sought out as a replacement for Muztafizur, Sran is nowhere close to being of that quality and after having good international players like McClenaghan and Behrendorff in the team, his purchase seems to be a pointless one.

#6 Rajasthan Royals- Jaydev Unadkat (INR 8.4 Crore)

Jaydev Unadkat

Life has been a mixed bag for Jaydev Unadkat in the past year or so as he was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for a whopping 11.2 Crore last season, but failed to deliver the goods for the side. From being so close to settling in the Indian team, the Saurashtra pacer finds himself out of the side and not even playing for India A.

Though he had a good time in the Ranji Trophy, the amount of 8.4 Crore for him once again from the same team after suffering the effects of over-priced buys seems highly illogical. This decision reduced their purse considerably and they weren't able to secure proper backups for their star international players and had to make do with cheaper ones like Liam Livingstone and Ashton Turner.

Now, with Smith injured, they will find themselves in a crisis when both Stokes and Buttler leave and the lack of backups will affect their performance.

#7 Royal Challengers Bangalore- Akshdeep Nath(INR 3.6 Crore)

Akshdeep Nath

The Royal Challengers Bangalore signed a number of talented youngsters at the IPL auction and Akshdeep Nath was one of them. Though his buy was masked by the bigger ones of all-rounder Shivam Dubey and Shimron Hetmyer, Akshdeep received a considerably huge amount of 3.6 Crore after a bidding war with the Chennai Super Kings. But on hindsight, this bid seems to be a hasty one and has no point in it whatsoever.

First of all, to give this much to someone who hasn't had much success in the IPL is baseless. His T20 stats aren't all that great and his strike-rate and average seem below par for such a highly rated player. Also, in such a packed team filled with stars, it will be hard to find a place for him and it doesn't seem wise to give him that amount just to warm the bench.

#8 Sunrisers Hyderabad- Wriddhiman Saha(INR 1.4 Crore)

Saha is good behind the stumps

Of all the teams in the auction, SRH seemed the wisest and made good quality signings at reasonable rates. They signed Jonny Bairstow for 2.2 Crores, Martin Guptill for 1 Crore and Wriddhiman Saha for 1.4 Crore. Though they kept quiet, Saha's buy might not prove useful for SRH and though it doesn't do any harm to them, they could have avoided going for him and gone for someone younger.

Saha returns to cricket after a long injury spell and will be rusty enough in the domestic circuit and throwing him into the fray immediately will certainly affect his batting. Also, last season of IPL, we could clearly see that Saha was struggling with shot selection and trying to be over aggressive moving away from his natural game and playing loose shots. Also, his spot in the national team has been grabbed by Pant and this further dampens his confidence. Though the deal isn't too much of a loss, Saha might be a player who they shouldn't have bought.