28 January,2018 10:30 AM IST | Bangalore | Harit N Joshi
Chris Gayle
The first day of the two-day mega Indian Premier League (IPL) auction that kicked off here on Saturday was good enough indicator for some of the superstar players of where they stand in the franchises' priority.
Yuvi sold for base price
It was evident in the opening session itself when the 16 marquee players were up for grabs. While England skipper Joe Root (R1.5 cr base price) and West Indian big-hitter Chris Gayle (R2 cr base price) went unsold, Indian stars like Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were bought at their base price of R2 crore by Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab respectively.
India opener Gautam Gambhir, an IPL-winning captain with the Kolkata Knight Riders, fetched just R80 lakh more than his base price of R2 crore when Delhi Daredevils bid for him in the auction. The likes of Lasith Malinga, the spearhead of Mumbai Indians' bowling for the last 10 years, finding no takers even at his base price of R1 crore, also came as a surprise. South Africa's master batsman Hashim Amla, at a base price of R1.5 crore, went unsold too. Though all is not lost for Root, Gayle, Amla and Malinga as they can still be bought on the second day of the auction today, Saturday's events would have come as a rude shock to these entertainers.
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Owners prefer youngsters
Have the big names lost their charm? "This game is getting increasingly difficult to play. Younger players are picking up skills a lot earlier. Young Indians are getting to learn early. As an older player, it's tough to improve. You can maintain, but you're on a steady decline. That might be the major reason," said Delhi Daredevils coach Ricky Ponting.
Mumbai Indians owner Akash Ambani said the value of the players is determined in the order they come up in the auction. "Their quality is known. The franchisees wait for the set order and that dictates the price of the player a lot. I don't think anyone doubts their quality. They have played at the international level for a long time," said Ambani.
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