Tamim Iqbal expects little from IPL auction

Sensational Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal may be the hottest property when the nine franchises assemble for the fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) Players' Auction in Bangalore today. With almost all teams having very little to spend, this auction may turn into a dull affair.u00a0


Tamim Iqbal

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Iqbal is one player who can be a good buy since his base price being pretty less ($50,000) on account of being an uncapped player. But the dashing opener doesn't have much expectations from the event. "Last year, I was very disappointed when I went unsold, so this time I am pretty cautious to avoid any such disappointments. If I get a team, it's okay and even if I don't, it won't matter much," Iqbal told MiD DAY from Malaysia.

It may recalled that exactly a year ago, Iqbal returned empty-handed when he found no takers in the fourth IPL auction just like stalwarts such as Sourav Ganguly, Chris Gayle and Mark Boucher.u00a0u00a0But this time, the hard-hitter may get a good deal. "Heu00a0 will be a good buy for any franchise," an franchise official said.

"Last year, he got a bad deal, but this year, he will surely be considered by many of us," the official added.
Iqbal has already established a reputation of a batsman who likes to go after the bowlers from the very start. His Sehwag-like attitude has helped him to score more than 3,000 runs in one-dayers with three centuries at a strike rate of close to 80. In Twenty20s, his strike rate is a shade over 92.

However, Iqbal doesn't feel that this auction would as exciting as the first one.u00a0 "The first auction had lot of things at stake and after that it hasn't been exciting. I have immense respect for the IPL as it attracts the world's top players. We get to see some really good cricket for more than a month," felt the 22-year-old batsman.