5 blunders made by franchises during IPL Auctions

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is arguably one of the best T20 tournaments in the world. In fact, it was the IPL that set a marker and standard which led to the rise of multiple T20 leagues across the globe. It has seen 12 seasons so far and it keeps getting better with each one. The IPL auctions are held every year a few months before the start of the season and players are picked up from the auction.

Players released by franchises at the end of every season go back into the auction pool where they again attract bids to play for another team. There have been 12 auctions but four of them have been mega auctions (including the inaugural one) which have seen a complete revamp of the teams.

A lot goes through the auction table of each team where the team owners, coaches and the support staff are present. There is intense discussion based on multiple aspects which leads them to pick certain players and leave the others. However, there are blunders made as well.

Here we bring to you five such blunders made by franchises during the IPL Auctions.

Delhi picking Pradeep Sangwan over Virat Kohli in 2008 draft

Virat Kohli is probably the face of Indian cricket at the moment. However, when the IPL first burst on to the scene in 2008, he hadn’t even made his international debut. In fact, he had recently led the Under 19 team to the World Cup earlier that year. Hence, he was a popular figure. In 2008, all teams (franchises) had to finalize their squads a month before the IPL kick-started.

There was a draft that took place for the Under 19 players. Each team had the option of picking two Under 19 players according to the IPL draft rules for the first season. Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) had the first pick and they opted to go for Pradeep Sangwan instead of Virat Kohli.

They paid $50,000 for the left-arm pacer while Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) scalped the Delhi-born batsman for $30,000. Since then, Kohli hasn’t looked back. He is the leading run-getter in the history of the IPL and has been with the RCB franchise for 12 years now. This may be one of Delhi’s biggest regrets and blunders.

SRH opting out of Ben Stokes’ bid last-minute before RPS pick him (2017)

For two seasons in a row (2017 and 2018), Ben Stokes was the most expensive player in the IPL auctions. He entered the auctions for the first time in 2017 and right from the get-go, his stocks went up. The England all-rounder was rated highly as he could contribute in all three departments and have a big impact in the game. During the auction, four teams went after Stokes.

The price kept creeping up and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) were one of the front-runners. However, towards the fag end of the auction, Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) came in. A couple of bids and Stokes was sold to them. SRH hung in there till the end and eventually, let him go due to his price tag.

RPS bought the England all-rounder for a whopping sum of INR 14.5 crores. In that season, Stokes became the most valuable player. In 12 games, he made 316 runs at an average of 31.60 and a strike-rate of 142.99. He also picked up 12 wickets and played a crucial role in helping RPS reach the final that year.

MI backing out of David Warner’s bid despite lowish price

Early in his career, David Warner made a name for himself as a white-ball specialist before he made the transition to Test cricket. His skills and ability to score big runs in the shorter formats was no secret. Hence, he was one of two players that Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) retained in 2011 and also made him captain in the coming season.

However, in 2014, he was back in the auction pool. He put his base price at INR 1.5 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) started the bidding while Mumbai Indians (MI) joined in. The two teams kept battling as the price went over INR 5 crores. However, at INR 5.5 crores, MI backed out and SRH got an absolute steal.

Warner has played four (out of the five) seasons since 2014 and has won the Orange Cap three times. In fact, in these four seasons, he has amassed 3,271 runs at an average of 55.44 and a strike-rate of 142.39. The Australian opener has scored 34 half-centuries and a couple of hundreds. No other player comes even close to his record in the last five years. Hence, this may have been one of MI’s biggest blunders on the auction table.

RCB not using Right to Match for KL Rahul in 2018

KL Rahul was first tipped as a Test batsman. However, all it took was one season for him to change his image as a white-ball player. Before 2016, Rahul played 25 games across three seasons and never really got going. In 2013, he was with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before moving to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for a couple of seasons.

However, in 2016, he was back at RCB and he was batting in the shadows of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The Karnataka batsman silently scored runs and got the job done in the middle-order (largely at No. 4). He was one of the unsung heroes in RCB’s run to the final. Rahul didn’t play the 2017 season due to a shoulder injury.

Ahead of the mega auctions in 2018, RCB did not retain the Karnataka lad as they opted to go for Sarfaraz Khan as their third retention (after Kohli and De Villiers). He went at a price of INR 11 crore in the auction and RCB didn’t use their Right to Match (RTM) card as Kings XI Punjab snaffled him.

In the last two seasons, RCB’s batting has struggled and Rahul has bloomed in KXIP colours and has had a couple of excellent seasons. Hence, it may be one of the regrets that may be haunting RCB at the moment.

KKR bid for Rohit Sharma, but MI picked him at the end after KKR stopping the bid (2011)

There may be MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who have won three IPL titles in 10 seasons but Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians (MI) are arguably the most successful IPL team in the history of the league. The Mumbaikar has led his IPL franchise to four IPL titles which is the most by any team. And all of the success has come starting from the 2013 season. In fact, MI have won every alternate season since 2013 (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019).

Rohit Sharma has been one of the keys for MI. Not only with the bat but his captaincy and tactics on the field have earned him a massive reputation. However, Rohit was not with MI since the start. He played for Deccan Chargers (DC) in the first three seasons and also won an IPL title with them (in 2009).

But in 2011, when he went back to the auction pool, it was Mumbai who scalped him. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) were involved in a bidding war. It was KKR who let go of him in the end as MI picked him up for a sum of two million dollars and the rest is history.