IPL Auctions: battle of wits

The coming week will see the IPL auctions unfolding once again. For me, the auctions are almost as exciting as the actual six week carnival. To see a marquee player's name go under the hammer, and then to see multiple teams bidding furiously to win him over is fun to watch. For the team owners, coaches and the staff, it is almost a game of chess, in which they try to outmaneuver each other, either by raising the bidding so that it becomes too expensive for the other team to get that player or to artificially raise the bidding and then opt out, so that others make a big dent in their pockets. On top of that is the bigger job of trying to make a team that is well balanced, will gel together and finally be strong contenders for the coveted IPL title. And this is the year when almost all teams will be again built from scratch, so that makes the auction even more intriguing.

 

The top three teams last year have all, predictably, have retained the maximum possible players in an effort to keep the nucleus of their squad the same. For them, the auctions will be all about filling the gaps. If I were in any of the three camps, I would look to retain 3 more players in the auction without spending more than 40-50% of the balance kitty (around Rs 8 - 10 crore). Thus for Mumbai Indians, they should look to get back Dwayne Smith (whose contribution last year remains underrated), Dinesh Karthik (quality keeper and T20 batsman) and possibly Rishi Dhawan or Glenn Maxwell. And for CSK, it would possibly be Murali Vijay, Mike Hussey and Mohit Sharma. The Royals, as usual, would be interesting to watch. With 5 players retained, at first glance, it seems that they do not have many others to choose from (save a Brad Hodge). Will they continue to keep faith in a Kevin Cooper, Siddarth Trivedi and the 43 year old Pravin Tambe ? Or will they unearth some fresh domestic talent ? Or will they break with tradition and bid strongly for a couple of superstars ? Time will tell.

 

For the other sides, it will be about making the shrewd choices. There is a galaxy of proven T20 performers on offer and it will be great to see which side chooses which strategy. Another wild card this time is that the venue of the tournament is possibly unknown at the time of auction, which makes it all more the difficult for the franchises to make up their squads, knowing that they may not get those 7-8 games at home. Especially for a team like KKR, used to playing on the slow wickets at the Eden Gardens, it will be difficult to make a strategy without knowing where there are going to play this time around. And finally, Delhi Daredevils is the joker in the pack. Starting with a completely blank slate, with the full amount to play for and with a think-tank comprising of Gary Kirsten and Viv Richards in their tent, it may turn to be the squad to look forward to come Thursday, when the auction closes.

 

And there are always some players who would be keenly watching the auction. The two that stand out are Corey Anderson and Kevin Petersien. Anderson is the new kid on the block, and good performances against India always help (as they will for Kane Williamson). But the man of the auction has to be KP, especially after the events of the past week (which means he will available for the full two months). Given the less than transparent circumstances surrounding his exit from the England squad, it will be a nerve-wracking experience for any franchise when it comes to the bidding war that is likely to follow when his name is announced. Where will KP be this year ? My feeling will be it will be between SunRisers and Kings XI. And finally, for some great legends of the game, it might just be the end of their IPL careers. Sangakkara and Kallis might be the ones that end up missing out, but then, who can argue against Father Time ? It will be sad nonetheless.

 

So, let the auctions begin ! :)

 

Cheers

Amit

World Cup defence looking shaky..

With just over a year to go before the ICC Cricket World Cup kicks off Down Under, the defending champions are appearing to be in deep disarray. Their last 8 ODIs away from home have resulted in 6 defeats, 1 tie and 1 abandoned match. Conceding 300+ runs while bowling first has almost become a given for their bowlers and while chasing, the opening combination has not exactly given them a blazing start, leaving too much for the middle order to do. The captain MS Dhoni strangely, has preferred to chase 4 out of the 5 times he won the toss in New Zealand, putting further pressure on his bowlers and batsman both ! And while the team looks settled now, one does not get the feeling that these would be the eleven men that will step on the Adelaide Oval on February 15 next year to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their title defence.

 

An added problem for team India is that time is running now. For the next year or so, India (for a change) have a very test-match heavy schedule. Apart from the upcoming ODIs at the Asia Cup, India will get about 5 ODIs each in England and Australia in order to fine-tune their game before the World Cup. And clearly, 10 games seems too less, especially when you not won any of your last 8 matches !

 

So where does team India start ! The opening combination needs to be looked at. Dhawan and Rohit were looking great in England last year and in those run-feasts at home against Australia, but both of them are strokemakers and are not able to rotate the strike, especially in the early overs. And when the asking rate creeps up, the mistake occurs. Maybe there is still more than a ray of hope for Gautam Gambhir, who is pretty good at those taps and nudges for the singles. Numbers 3 and 4 in my opinion, have to be Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni. The two best batsmen have to occupy those 2 positions, simple. The next 2 positions are the big problems for India. Yuvraj, Raina, Rahane, Rayadu have all staked claims for these spots, but none of them appears a certainty at this time. There is a general consensus that Pujara has to now be part of the XI now, but I do not see a role for him at No. 5 and 6. Maybe he can be tried out at the openers slot (with Rohit possibly at No. 5). If the net is cast further, one can think of Kedar Jadhav from Maharashtra ( 1223 runs this Ranji season at the strike rate of 80 !). Next come the all-rounders. Very important to have a couple of them, especially in Australia. Jadeja looks a certainty, but Stuart Binny got only one game, sorry, only one over in which to impress !! Maybe the selectors could have also tried out Rishi Dhawan after his fantastic season with bat and ball in the Ranji Trophy. It is essential that Nos. 6 and 7 be able to bowl 12 decent overs between them on any day and also contribute meaningfully with the bat. That will add an extra edge to any team in the World Cup.

 

And finally the bowling. Ashwin has been lackluster of late, and he might just see Harbhajan Singh making a comeback at his expense. His experience might be essential in a big tournament, and if he figures the selector's scheme of things, then he needs to be in the squad for the Asia Cup. And then are the pacers, another vital element on the tracks down under, and where India find themselves severely short. Bhuvneshwar will not be half as effective if there is no swing, which is likely the case at the World Cup. Varun Aaron has shown some pace, but needs to be given more chances to establish himself. And wonder what happened to Umesh Yadav ? There is also some talk of Zaheer coming back in the one day setup, but with his dodgy fitness and lack of fielding ability, he remains a risky proposition. 

All in all, there is a lot of work in front of Dhoni, the team and the selectors in the next 12 months if we are to be seen as one of the top contenders at the World Cup. Till then, here is my squad for the Asia Cup:

Dhawan, Gambhir, Kohli, Rohit, Pujara, Dhoni, Rahane, Jadeja, Binny, Harbhajan, Mishra, Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar, Aaron.