Bat and ball / Andrew Hughes / 25 January 2010 / 1

Adam Gilchrist said the first IPL auction made him feel like a cow as millions of dollars were flung about in wild bidding for the world's best. This year's auction was less frenetic but it brought plenty of controversy in its wake. Andrew Hughes tells us more.

Just as the IPL has become a regular part of the cricket calendar, so the auction that precedes it has become a familiar ritual. This year's auction, however, was the least exciting so far. Only ten of the sixty-six overseas players up for purchase were bought. And new rules capped public bids at $750,000, after which any franchises still interested submitted undisclosed secret bids. There was a certain thrill in waiting to see which franchise had won the 'tie break' but it didn't match the previous IPL auctions where million dollar contracts caught the headlines.

In the end, two players proved popular enough to bring about a tie break. West Indian all-rounder Kieran Pollard went to Mumbai after four franchises had offered the maximum bid. And New Zealand fast bowler, Shane Bond, now formally retired from Test cricket and hence available for the entirety of the IPL, was snapped up by the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Of the other purchases, quick bowler Kemar Roach went to Deccan Chargers for $720,000 and young South African left-armer Wayne Parnell to Delhi Daredevils for $610,000. Rajasthan Royals, as is their usual strategy, went for cheaper, but shrewd investments in Aussies Damien Martyn ($100,000) and Adam Voges ($50,000). And what of the home players? Well, there were no takers for Test regulars Graeme Swann or Jonathan Trott and the only England player to be bought was Eoin Morgan, who was picked up Royal Challengers Bangalore for $220,000.

So why didn't the English players attract more interest? To be frank, there wasn't a lot of strength in depth on the list. Anthony McGrath, Mark Ramprakash, Rob Key and Tim Bresnan are not the sexiest names in the cricket world. But they shouldn't feel too badly. The bottom line is that there were too many players chasing too few vacancies. Of eleven Aussies on the list, only two were sold; just three of the eleven South Africans were bought and only one out of nine Sri Lankans attracted any interest.

The situation is rather different when it comes to the Pakistan players. Of eleven players on the list, not one received a single bid. IPL Supremo Lalit Modi's suggestion that this was just coincidence didn't really ring true. Why would any franchise go for Eoin Morgan over Shahid Afridi? Or Kemar Roach in preference to Umar Gul? Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal and Mohammed Aamer were all surely worth a few thousand? Reaction in Pakistan to the perceived snub has been predictable. Protests have been lodged, boycotts proposed, effigies burned.

At first glance, the situation looks strange. Back in November, it was thought unlikely that the Pakistani players would be allowed to travel by their Foreign Ministry. But after assurances from both Pakistani and Indian governments, eleven players from Pakistan eventually appeared on the list for auction. As each player on that list had to be nominated by at least one franchise, the omens were good. But with hindsight, it appears that the franchises were merely keeping their options open.

Some have suggested that they were concerned about the availability of the players or the potential for the Indian government changing their mind. This hasn't really convinced anyone. It was left to Shah Rukh Khan, owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders to hint at the truth. Fears of a negative reaction amongst the Indian public, many of whom blame Pakistan for the Mumbai attacks of 2008, were behind the decision not to bid for the likes of Afridi and Gul.

Unpalatable though this may be, the franchises have to bear in mind the feelings of their domestic supporters. Perhaps in pushing for their names to be put forward, the Pakistani players were only setting themselves up for a disappointment, when the diplomatic thing to do would have been to wait for IPL 2011. Though there is no doubt that the Pakistani stars would have enhanced the tournament (they are after all the reigning World Twenty20 Champions and are likely to be amongst the favourites to retain their title in the West Indies) sport cannot exist in a vacuum, least of all in this troubled part of the world.

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1. bhargav | 19 March 2010

   pls given me information of how many players no bid in ipl season 4? & which players no bid? pls given me information immedaitaly

   thanks

   
   bhargav

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