IPL 2014 Auctions: 10 best player deals

After two days of bidding and haggling for players for the 2014 edition of the Pepsi IPL, the teams are now well set up with their rosters. The process led to outrageous offers, mediocrity as well as value-for-money bids.Heres a look into what could be described as the best player deals of the auction.

#1 James Neesham (DD)

His was the best deal that was struck this season.

With a base price of 30 lakhs, he immediately attracted a lot of attention from CSK and DD before DD closed the deal at 1 crore in no time.

1 crore for Neesham. Harsha Bhogle live-tweeted that he would have paid much more than that amount for him.

A specialist T-20 player, he is well known for his hard hitting abilities, with a strike rate in excess of 160. And even in the recently concluded second test match against India, he scored a fluent 137, with a strike rate of about 89, meaning he can keep things moving from one end.

He can also roll his arm over pretty well, meaning he might get a lot of games because of his potential as an all-rounder.

#2 Albie Morkel (RCB)

A CSK discard (a Super King of 6 years, much like Hussey) who raises eyebrows, he is undoubtedly a T-20 specialist. With about 300 appearances, he is also among the most experienced T-20 campaigners around.

His all-round skills have been one of the reasons for Chennai’s continued success in the league over the last six years. At 2.4 crores, his is one of the very best deals inked this year.

Even with RCB’s line-up now bursting at the seams with many star players, he is sure to get a lot of matches over other international recruits considering his experience and all round abilities.

#3 Morne Morkel (KKR)

Amongst some absurd choices, KKR did manage to get a real good deal when they got Morne for 2.8 crore. He is easily their best fast bowler, and is sure to get a lot of games.

Just like his brother, he too is an experienced T-20 campaigner with close to 150 match appearances. His bowling skills need no mention.

#4 Mitchell Johnson (KXIP)

Fast and furious. Insane.

The best bowler in the world at present. Period.

With MI not going for the kill with Johnson, he sure is a great buy for the KXIP even at 6.5 crore. With the possibility of IPL in South Africa, he is already showing what he might have in store for others, ripping apart SA in SA.

#5 Mike Hussey (MI)

This legend has retired from International cricket, but continues to play in T-20 leagues around the world. The bidding for this former Australia-international saw an intense tug-of-war between DD and MI following which he was pocketed by MI for 5 crore.

A super king since six years, CSK’s decision not to retain him was probably imprudent, since he has been one of the most consistent players in the league, averaging around mid-40s. Plus, he was in raging form last year for the Super Kings, and was pretty consistent in the Big Bash league as well which concluded last month. And even at 38, he is among the best fielders around.

#6 Kevin Pietersen (DD)

The DD chose not to retain him, but in what could be considered as one of the smartest moves as far as the bidding is concerned, they went out of their way to dig into their pockets to fish out 9 crore ($1.5m) on him, much less than what they would have paid if they had retained him. Still, he is the costliest overseas player in the tournament.

Easily their best batsman, his expulsion from the English side means that there won’t be any availability issues, a great plus considering how his absence last year hurt their chances real bad. Now that he is set to play the entirety of this year’s edition, he is being considered as the front-runner for captaincy along with Dinesh Karthik.

#7 Corey Anderson (MI)

Virtually an unknown name in the international arena a few months back, he burst into the limelight with the fastest ODI hundred in the history of the game. He was also a consistent mauler of the Indians in the recently concluded ODI series in NZ.

Probably because of the timing of his turn (to go under the hammer), MI managed to get him for much less than what was expected. With a price tag of 4.5 crore ($833,000), he did miss the million dollar mark, but MI have managed to hit the jackpot, at least that is what it seems.

With his lusty hitting and more than handy skills with the ball, his participation in the tournament brings with it an anticipation that Pollard brought along with him the first time he was here. It is pretty clear that his batting prowess landed him that deal, and his batting position would be a matter of great interest should the MI choose to field him.

#8 David Warner (SRH)

SRH have the best options when it comes to opening the batting. They have bought Finch, but Warner and Dhawan look set to be the opening pair. Probably going by their experience from last year regarding the lack of experience at the top order, they have dug deep to fix that problem.

One of the most destructive openers in the game today, it would be a treat to watch Warner alongside Dhawan. He has time and again proved his worth in the IPL, A notorious loose cannon; he has of late revamped himself to salvage his image.

He had a good season last year, scoring in excess of 400 runs from 16 matches. A 5.5 crore tag means he is going to be an integral part of the team, and that opens up the question regarding Finch’s position.

On a different note, he is also among the world's best fielders.

#9 Ross Taylor (DD)

He has probably been shuffled around more than any other team in the history of the league, and now he returns to his 2012 team Delhi.

After he went unsold on the first day of the auctions which led to much hullabaloo after Dravid expressed surprise over the lack of interest toward Taylor, the newbie father was finally bagged by the Delhi Daredevils for his base price of 2 crore.

Arguably NZ’s best batsman at the moment, his alleged high base price (which looks completely justified owing to his status and current form) was probably a deterrent, but 2 crore for Taylor looks like an any-day-deal.

#10 Quinton de Kock (DD)

Just 21 years of age, and he is already being touted as the next big thing in SA (and probably international) cricket.

He had grabbed media attention when SA mauled India in the three match ODI series, with Kock blazing away to a century in each of them.

With a base price of 1 crore, he was being pursued by KXIP and DD before DD closed the deal at an impressive 3.5 crores. And the fact that he keeps wickets as well makes the purchase even more worthwhile.