A few weeks ago, the cricketing world watched with bated breath the mega IPL auction. The franchises bought players to build their team for the next three years. However, some of the franchises expressed their dissatisfaction with the auction. Venky Mysore, CEO of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Parth Jindal, co-owner of Delhi Capitals (DC), told ESPN Cricinfo that the big IPL auction has outlived its usefulness.Their grouse with the IPL auction is valid. Auctions conducted every three years do not allow franchisees to build teams. Constant chopping and changing of teams hamper the performance of the franchise. It hinders building a loyal fan base and brand value. It is rare in the Indian Premier League (IPL) to find players who have played exclusively for a single franchise. Franchise legends are thus not a phenomenon. The Chennai Super Kings is an exception as a franchise. At an individual level, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina from Chennai, and Virat Kohli for Bangalore are bonafide legends of their franchises. Unlike the IPL, European football franchises have bonafide legends aplenty. People associate Steven Gerrard with Liverpool, Thierry Henry with Arsenal, and Wayne Rooney with Manchester United. It is a result of building a team where players are associated with a franchise for a considerable time. Proposed Solution Venky Mysore has proposed a solution – introducing a draft system or a transfer window. Another option is allowing the teams to take loans. All these are methods to help franchises build teams for the long haul. At present, it is an idea presented by a few franchises. Neither the IPL governing council nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has commented on it. The transfer window of the English Premier League (EPL) and the draft system of the National Football League (NFL) in US are models that can be ad- opted. The EPL is looking to move to a draft system from the transfer window. But what suits IPL the best? In terms of popularity and the money spent, the IPL is closer to EPL. The reasons for a move away from the transfer window in EPL stem from a couple of issues. The popular teams have bigger purses and this puts the smaller teams at a disadvantage. There is also chatter about foreign players being preferred over English players. The other issue to ponder upon is that the introduction of the draft would undermine youth academies What suits the IPL is still a matter of debate. The franchises, along with the BCCI, should decide the future course of action. Along with the inability to maintan in continuity, the IPL auction nullifies the efforts put in by the cricket academies of franchises to scout and nurture talent. The franchises from Rajasthan, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata have established academies abroad and home. They invest money hoping that the scouted talent would play for their franchise. The recent auction validates the claims made by Venky Mysore and Parth Jindal. All franchises bid for the players they let go. There were some failures and a few successes. Delhi Capitals tried very hard to retain their Indian batting core. Chennai tried to get back Faf du Plessis. All in vain. Ishan Kishan was retained by Mumbai Indians for a whopping Rs 15.25 crores On the other hand, teams broke the bank to retain certain players. Chennai coughed up Rs 14 crores for Deepak Chahar, Mumbai spent Rs 15.25 crores for Ishan Kishan. Bangalore paid over Rs 10 crores to retain the uncapped Harshal Patel. It shows that the teams are striving for continuity. And maybe the auction needs a rethink!
10 Apr 2022
Vijayhardik Josyula
