IPL Auctions: The Predictable Four 'Big Fish'

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Sreelata YellamrazuFeb 6 2009

The highly anticipated second edition of the player auctions for the second season of the IPL threw up the rather predictable names and numbers.

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There were little surprises as to the first players to be caught in the net early. As has been stated many times earlier, the clear front runners were Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen followed by JP Duminy and Shaun Tait. Flintoff was netted by Chennai Super Kings while Pietersen was always in the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s scheme of things as Vijay Mallya did not hide his intentions. That they both secured identical price tags of US $ 1.55 million was though ironically surprise and no surprise.

While the absence of the England players in the first season perhaps whet the appetite to see them at least in the second, there was little doubt that any player in the England dressing room could be a bigger draw that either Pietersen or Flintoff. It was little wonder then that as they names rolled out early into the auction proceedings, the franchisees went forth aggressively.

JP Duminy’s exploits in Australia in getting South Africa some fantastic victories did not go unnoticed either as he was expected to be the next best thing in the South African camp. Duminy’s base price of US$ 300,000 raised significantly to US $ 950,000 by the end of the bid as the Mumbai Indians made a successful bid for him.

The other man from Australia who formed the quartet (since Michael Clarke pulled out at the last minute) was without doubt Shaun Tait. Tait was a terrific find for Australia but disappeared last year after citing mental and physical fatigue last year. That though has not stopped the franchisee from gambling on the Australian bowler and arguably was the fourth best take of the morning. Shaun Tait’s pay cheque of US $ 350,000 from the Rajasthan Royals may look modest in front of the front runners, but there was little doubt that franchisees considered him a catch prize.

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