ipl auction: pakistani players and country men are right...

shared by straight point on Wednesday, January 20, 2010

kieron pollard never won a t20 world cup... did not even win Trinidad and Tobago the inaugural t20 champions league... but still got auctioned for staggering 8 crore plus ($750k plus) figure... the highest by far by a long distance in short ipl history...

what pollard promised to the ipl franchisees that eleven t20 world champion pakistan players could not...?

the answer lies in probing this simple question... but instead of searching for the simple and honest answer... we hear bullshit like...

"The way I see it, the IPL and India have made fun of us and our country by treating us this way," Afridi said.

must say shahid afridi is far more media savvy than he allows us to believe... he comes across as the one who really knows the 'pulse'... no wonder many seems to buy his theory...

so if you believe powerful franchisees like ambanis, mallayas can be forced to act like puppets by lalit modi... compelled to buy a player, nobody knew before recently concluded champions league, for an astonishing sum but not a single pakistani player even for a base price...

if you sincerely believe that an organisation running merely into its third year of existence... has the power and capacity to 'insult' whole pakistan then i must say you are rightly feeling insulted...

...and i dare say inshallah when afridi gets auctioned for 8 crore plus figure in next ipl auction... he should then walk away protesting the insult he and his country received in this year ipl auction...

28 comments:

Mahek said...

The 8 crore figure is an unsubstantiated rumour. However, the $750,000 Pollard got is a pretty hefty sum in itself.

Afridi's comments are over the top and it's in keeping with all things IPL. They just can't do things in a simple and uncontroversial manner. He's right about the league losing out on talent but that's a partial truth as Pakistani players are also losing out on a big payday.

I wouldn't speculate on the franchises bowing to Modi in this case because I think the league would be more than happy to have some of the best players even if they happen to be from Pakistan.

straight point said...

exactly mahek...

then why color it like an insult for players and/or more importantly whole nation...?

this is nothing but a business decision by franchisees who have every right on earth to invest money where they think they can yield maximum returns... and should be read that way... nothing more nothing less...

achettup said...

Ouch, thats hitting the point home hard SP!
I will say that I understand Afridi's outburst and disappointment in this context... it did not look like the players would even be part of the auction at one stage, yet everyone went out of their way to make this possible, so he must have been licking his lips anticipating an excellent package and probably even allowed a bit of arrogance to creep in after he got among the highest base prices in the auction. To then watch himself not attract a single bid must have hurt like crazy and most people would have made a similar outburst, I hope better sense prevails and he accepts that the geopolitical situation just doesn't give the franchises enough of an incentive to bet on him.
Btw Pollard has an impressive record not just because of those innings he played in the Champions Trophy, I believe he played for South Australia after the CT and changed their fortunes dramatically! Not surprised at all by his maxing out the $750k, but the $2.75mil figure is surely a sign of things to come when limits are removed and that should happen very, very soon. I believe Dhoni will go for around $10mil at least in the near future.

straight point said...

ach...

showing the disappointment is one thing and painting it as insult to whole nation is another... but more than his statement i am wondering how his line of thinking seems to be picked by many who are really thinking it like an insult of pakistan...

what pollard did in champions league as well in oz is well reported... but by the same vein the talent on display from pakistan was not inferior as well and still no pak player was bought points to the fact that what franchisees were looking for... their decision was purely drived by commercial interest and return of investment...

i hope once the auction maze settles in many will be able to see light...

as for the cap on auction money i think its a good thing otherwise ppl like ambanis will inhale everything on display before anyone can even warm the benches... :)

Mahek said...

So why have them in the auction in the first place? If the franchises weren't sure of the availability of Pakistani players they could have just ensured these guys weren't part of the auction. It would have saved a lot of people considerable time and effort, but then we wouldn't have this controversy which is keeping IPL in the news, would we?

straight point said...

mahek... as far as i know there were 66 players on final list of auction including 11 players from pakistan... so by this account they all should have been bought on... no...?

being in auction list does not guarantee you that you will be bought... by the same account there was no stopping had any franchisee went on and bought a pakistani player...

they have wisen up by last two experiences when they purchased a player like KP only to see him fulfilling national duty...

Mock Wah said...

Apart from the above discussion in comments, what bowled me is that teams are ready to spend big bucks for a player for just one season of the IPL. What is your opinion in this regard? Maximum Pollard can serve is 16 games in the IPL and the Champs league. Is winning evrything now for the Franchisee owners? What abt smart buying.. Noffke was avl @ 20,000$ and Pomersbach @ 50,000$ but, CSK chose to spend 100,000$ on Kemp. Bond is far more delicate than a paper napkin.

Next season will see two new teams entering and all players(hopefully all) go under the hammer once again. So, does the over-pricing justify?

straight point said...

very interesting question mock...

though i may be wrong but as far as i go the player bought is contracted for three years and his pay out depends upon the minimum appearances per season...

despite the award money in IPL and more importantly champions money has really intensified and heat up the contest and franchise do not want to leave anything that gives then best shot at the title...

remember only three ipl teams can play in t20 champions league...

Mahek said...

Yeah they wisened up a lot by paying $720,000 for Kemar Roach.

We're not talking about Monty Panesar and Mark Ramprakash not being picked. The players who were snubbed are among the best in the world. If the Chargers could pay $720,000 for Kemar Roach I'm sure they wouldn't have considered paying $200,000 a bad cricketing investment.

Mahek said...

SP

Players bought in the first auction were contracted for 3 years, the ones bought in the second auction were on the rolls for 2 years, and the ones bought this season have 1 year on their contract.

straight point said...

infact i am happy mahek that a bowler is also getting rewarded in ipl...

as i posted at purna's blog... when the game as compressed as t20 changes with every over... 4 overs are too much to do an irreparable damage...

i am happy that bowlers too are getting their due...

and going by panesar and ramprakash account... bollinger and haddin too were decent buys but major deterrent was the availability...

straight point said...

thanks again for correcting me...

then only time will tell whether they erred in judgment or was that blunder...

as i just said... franchisees are not only looking at ipl but cl as well where only three team can feature... notwithstanding the astonishing title money cl promises apart from ipl of course...

Mahek said...

Ishant Sharma went for $950,000. Harbhajan Singh got a sweet $850,000. Clearly bowlers weren't undervalued.

Bollinger and Haddin will be unavailable because they're playing for Australia. The Pakistanis aren't playing any cricket during the IPL so they're very much available and have the NOCs from their board. The question mark over their availability is from this side of the border and if that was the case from the outset then franchises should have categorically denied having any interest in the players.

straight point said...

mahek... the difference as you have pointed out is that earlier theirs were three years contract against roach's...

for paksitani players the doubt on availability whether through national teams commitment or about external factors beyond franchisees control does invite bit of skepticiss... and since they were bidding for one year contract only that i guess proved final nail in their chances coffin...

Mahek said...

The $950,000 Ishant is getting is an annual amount, not a cumulative salary for 3 years.

Since we've established that franchises were unsure of their availability, which is different from the case of the Australians and Englishmen who are sure to miss some games, wouldn't it have been prudent on the part of the franchise owners to say "Alright, we're really not going to buy any of these guys so let's just not have them in the auction"?

straight point said...

mahek... ipl was already being wrongly accused of not inviting pakistan players in season 2 intentionally... now do you think it makes sense if modi announced before the auction

'that since franchisees are fearing that pakistan players wont be available so we are not putting them on auction'

and the effects and circumstances this announcement would have snowballed...?

rather ipl organisers went with what was best possible way... let the market decide whether they want the players and the 'risk package' that was attached to it by putting them on auction...

and i am yet to meet a person who will invest doubting his returns may not come under prevailing situation... specially, as you pointed out, the auction is for a year only...

Vikas Yadav said...

I just want to say that anything that happend in IPL auction,did not increse the IPL's prestige as good cricket oragnization.

Mahek said...

I still don't know why there was a question mark over the availability of Pakistani players. However, and I'm saying this for the millionth time, if the franchises were so BLOODY unsure about these players then they should have just made sure they didn't go into the auction.

You say the league was accused of not allowing the Pakistanis to play last year, well guess where we are this time? Instead, they could have just come out and said "We are not sure if Pakistani players would get clearance so we feel it would be wrong to lead them on. It is an unfortunate situation, one we hope would be sorted out in time for next season".

Good businesses are not just about making money, they're about treating your stakeholders right. The money follows from there on.

straight point said...

vikas...

why would you say that...? just reserve your verdict till this edition is over... i am sure your opinion will change...

straight point said...

mahek then good business is also not about throwing your money when you are not sure for circumstances not under your control...

unfortunate situation yes... but beyond that i am against notion that they deliberately did that...

let the air be more clearer by the time passes and i am sure pakistani players would be the first to be grabbed... :)

Mahek said...

Well if the report in economictimes is to be believed the Pakistani players won't be welcome until relations between the two countries improve.

straight point said...

fair enough mahek...

achuta said...

Pakistan players came with open eyes - looking for a good pick up money and none picked them up!.Was it all set up ? I do not think so ? I am sure the people were considering their availability and nothing else ! It was a commercial point at the auction and to name it that their auction was uncalled for is rather far fetching- no doubt ! Fine pakistan national reaction was also far fetched as well calling it as a Slight was even ludicrous and even more calling for cutting off sporting relations with us !!! What should have been our reaction for the Mumbai attacks - call our ambassador back - no we did not! I feel it was a childish reaction at best- and let us leave it at that as an Immature one !!
achuta

Reverse Swing said...

surely it should have been stoped very earlier as a dumb know that Pakistanis will not make it to IPL-3

straight point said...

welcome achuta hope you will keep dropping by...

yes i agree with you... the media as well as leader in their quest to mass appeal are doing nothing but spreading hatred to project themselves a 'patriots' with an eye to score political milaege and unfortunately mass too are following them blindly...

straight point said...

"surely it should have been stoped very earlier as a dumb know that Pakistanis will not make it to IPL-3"

RS...by this account pcb and its players were even dumber who not saw it coming...

the point is everyone can have an opinion after the event... both parties have had equal opportunities but having being wrongly accused by pcb and others that ipl deliberately keeping pak players out last year how come you expect them to do the same this year...?

Indophile said...

Do you really think, as Mahek keeps on asking you, inviting and then snubbing is a better way of doing things then just a refusal with a proper statement. Surely Mr.Modi could have confirmed these things with Franchise before inviting Pak players. The most irritating part is again the moral high stand taken by everybody involved that its all economics when it is clearly something else.

Again and again, as pointed out by an Indian Express editorial, IPL keeps on undermining law of land i.e government and creates a furor which is clearly not on.

straight point said...

indophile...

all i can say is hindsight is the site from where all things look better...

please can you construct that 'proper' statement...?

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