IPL: 5 worst decisions taken by franchise owners in the history of the tournament

The auctions in recent years of the IPL have become a vital part of team selection and formation. The management team works for an entire year to figure out the chinks in their armour and prepare for the auction day. The owners and the coaches sit at the table with all the plans, strategies and tactics but things do not always go their way. In the last few years, the Punjab owners have come in with big pockets, yet couldn’t form a team capable of grasping the coveted trophy. The Mumbai Indians owners have their scouting team to thank for unearthing the endless pool of talent. And the Chennai management enjoys their coffees at the round table. The auction is mostly about buying what the team requires to build a combination. There have been handfuls of blunders and mistakes in decision making by the owners before and in the auction. Here are some of the worst decisions taken by franchise owners: Delhi choosing Pradeep Sangwan ahead of Virat Kohli Pradeep Sangwan. (Photo Source: Twitter) This could well be the biggest howler made by a franchise in the history of IPL. A decision which the owners and the fans of Delhi would lament on for a very long time. Before the initial season of IPL, each team was given the option to pick two players from the under-19 World Cup victorious squad. Delhi, who got the opportunity to choose first, picked Pradeep Sangwan, the left arm pacer. The Bangalore franchise elected for Virat Kohli as their first pick. Sangwan stayed at Delhi for three years, and then was bought by KKR and later by the defunct Gujarat Lions. Last year he played for Mumbai Indians and went unsold this time in the auction. Sangwan’s career had gone down the hill, meanwhile, Kohli became the captain of India and the Royal Challengers as well. 11 years ago this deal wouldn’t have been surprising as Sangwan already had experience of Ranji cricket and Virat Kohli was just another rookie batsman. But little anyone knew that the kid they rejected will be regarded as the greatest all-format batsman in the future. KKR splashing out on Mashrafe Mortaza Mashrafe Mortaza. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images) The flavour of Bollywood brought a lot of viewership in the initial years of IPL. But two of the glamour girls provided some entertainment in the auction as well. In the 2009 IPL auction, Punjab’s Preity Zinta and Kolkata’s Juhi Chawla engaged in a tussle for a Bangladeshi all-rounder. The bidding for Mashrafe Mortaza’s started at the base price of $50,000. When the tug of war ended in about 20 minutes, the final selling price was $600,000 which was 12 times his base amount!! Mortaza’s career in the IPL was even shoddier than KKR’s season that year. He played just a solitary game, scored two runs and conceded 58 runs as he failed to defend 21 in the final over. And he never played any game in the IPL thereafter. Delhi not retaining AB De Villiers AB de Villiers. (Photo: IANS) It may be a change of fortunes or a bit of contrite squad selection, but players grow in stature once they leave Delhi and join other franchises. Shikhar Dhawan, Andre Russell, David Warner, TM Dilshan are players who were once part of the Delhi camp. But the biggest player who Delhi might regret leaving will be the swashbuckling and ever-so-dynamic AB de Villiers. Playing for Delhi Daredevils in the first three years, AB scored at an average of 31. But a strike rate of 117 didn’t leave the franchise much of a choice as they looked to revamp the squad. Making a move to RCB, AB has scored over 3,500 runs at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 159. It wouldn’t be erroneous to say that AB became Mr.360 after joining RCB. The chant “ABD, ABD” now reverberates inside any ground he steps in. KKR not retaining Chris Gayle Chris Gayle. (Photo Source: BCCI) For somebody who smashed sixes with absolute ease, it came in as shocker when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) chose not to keep Chris Gayle ahead of IPL 2011. Gayle scored at an average of 30 and strike rate of 140 in two years playing for KKR. The franchise was, however, looking for a renovation and released him. The Jamaican wasn’t picked in the auction either. Gayle’s career was into a hitch until he was called in as a replacement of Dirk Nannes for RCB. And then followed was nothing less than an exciting movie script. Making a comeback he straightaway smacked a century against his former team and later single-handedly took RCB to the finals. Gayle hammered more than 3,000 runs for RCB at a strike rate of 152. Finally, when it seemed his time is over RCB released him ahead of 2018 auctions only for Punjab to buy him at the base price. Interestingly, Gayle clouted a century in the second match he played for KXIP! Delhi bought Yuvraj Singh for 16 crores Yuvraj Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter) This year Yuvraj is playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) which is his sixth franchise and sadly could be the last one. Yuvraj’s journey in the IPL hasn’t been extraordinary. But he has still managed to bag in a few lucrative deals over the years. He played three years for Punjab, then for Pune Warriors India until 2013. In 2014, despite poor form and fitness RCB roped him for 14 crores. An average season with the bat meant he was dropped by RCB. Delhi just like any other season were once again looking to rebuild a team, and at the auction-table made a bunkum of a decision. They went all in for the southpaw and finally purchased him for a whopping 16 crores. The left-hander had a below-par season as he scored at an average of 19 and a strike rate of less than 120. Delhi ended seventh on the points table and no wonder why Yuvraj was released to find a new home in SRH, where he won the trophy as soon as he left Delhi! It’s an unsolvable enigma in itself. 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IPL: 5 worst decisions taken by franchise owners in the history of the tournament

These decisions backfired miserably on the franchises.

KKR splashing out on Mashrafe Mortaza

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