BID DEAL!

Kishan, Shreyas, Chahar Strike It Rich As IPL Franchises Race To Build New Lineups; Uncapped Players In Demand

- Manuja.Veerappa

Bengaluru: Strategies of IPL franchises at auction time can often be shocking. Their tactics can sometimes defy logic, with the heavy splurging either paying off or proving to be dead investments. The opening day of the IPL mega auction here on Satur day was no different as the 10 franchises spent Rs.388.10 crore on 74 players.

The script of the top picks went mostly on expected lines with the Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan, the cynosure among Indian players,ensuring a bidding war. Kishan was Mumbai India’s first buy of the day and also the franchise’s most expensive in tournament history. He went for a jaw-dropping Rs 15.25 crore, making him the second most expensive Indian player at an auction after Yuvraj Singh (16 crore). The southpaw is also now the fourth most expensive player of the league. MI had to see off fervent bidding from Punjab Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans to ensure the wicketkeeper-batsman returned to Mumbai.

It was a known fact that Shreyas Iyer was a hot commodity on the block and Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders would loosen their purses for the Mumbaikar, especially with their need for a captain. But RCB clearly had other strategies and dropped out of the race at the Rs. 4.20 crore mark, leaving Lucknow, Capitals, Gujarat Titans and Kolkata Knight Riders to push his price tag. Kolkata had their eye set on Iyer, even if it meant he came at a price of Rs 12.25 crore.

For the better part of the day, for franchises it was about playing to their financial strengths while keeping their blueprint in mind.