The Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions have ballooned the income of many in the cricket community. The auctions set the strategic foundation for every team, which is the key-most for any franchise.
Unpredictability factor in sport adds to its beauty as a commodity. The big bucks spent in auctions come with no guarantee, and some players have left their franchise poorer, earning big bucks yet delivering minimal results.
Sailing through history, let us look at 20 of such auction picks that turned out to be disastrous for the franchise.
Andrew Flintoff (IPL 2009) | CSK | Salary USD 1.55 million
M 3 | R 62 | Ave 31 | SR 117 | W 2 | Ave 52.5 | Econ 9.6
Amid the fanfare, England all-rounder Flintoff became IPL’s most expensive cricketer along with compatriot Kevin Pietersen, who was nabbed by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Flintoff just played three matches for Chennai Super Kings and made little impact before getting ruled out of the tournament.
Mashrafe Mortaza (IPL 2009) | KKR | Salary USD 600,000
M 1 | R 2 | SR 100 | W 0 | Econ 14.5
There was a bidding war for the Bangladeshi all-rounder. Kolkata Knight Riders eventually picked him for 12 times his base price to expand their fanbase in Bangladesh. Mortaza was plundered for runs in his only game. Coming to defend 21 in the last over against Deccan Chargers, he was mauled by Rohit Sharma, and never played an IPL game again.
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Glenn Maxwell (IPL 2013) | MI | Salary USD 1 million
M 3 | R 36 | Ave 18 | SR 133.3 | W 0 | Econ 11.5
Maxwell was the most expensive player of the IPL 2013 auctions. Though Mumbai Indians went on to win the tournament that year, Maxwell almost had no role in the campaign.
Dinesh Karthik (IPL 2014) | DD | Salary INR 12.5 crores
M 14 | R 325 | Ave 23.2 | SR 126 | 50s 3 | Dismissals 9
Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) relied heavily on Karthik by spending INR 12.5 crores on him. He provided little return as they finished last in the tournament.
Dinesh Karthik (IPL 2015) | RCB | Salary INR 10.5 crores
M 16 | R 141 | Ave 12.8 | SR 111.7 | Dismissals 18
Karthik once again pocketed a fat cheque, this time for RCB. The 2015 edition turned out to be his worst ever IPL season, and the franchise made no hesitation in releasing him soon.
Yuvraj Singh (IPL 2015) | DD | Salary INR 16 crores
M 16 | R 248 | Ave 19.1 | SR 118.1 | 50s 2 | W 1 | Ave 72 | Econ 8
Yuvraj had pocketed INR 14 crores from RCB in 2014 and had a good season for them. RCB then released him, probably hoping to buy him for less. But Delhi entered the race, and following an intense bidding war with Bangalore, nabbed Yuvraj for a whopping INR 16 crores.
Yuvraj had a terrible season as Delhi finished second last.
Angelo Mathews (IPL 2015) | DD | Salary INR 7.5 crores
M 11 | R 144 | Ave 20.6 | SR 138.5 | W 7 | Ave 35.1 | Econ 8.2
Mathews’ signing in 2015 for INR 7.5 crores was another big disappointment for the Delhi franchise. Much more was expected from the Sri Lankan veteran.
Deepak Hooda (IPL 2016) | SRH | Salary INR 4.2 crores (per season)
M 27 | R 222 | Ave 13.1 | SR 128.2 | W 5 | Ave 27.8 | Econ 8.2 (2016 and 2017 season)
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s search for the Indian all-rounder continues. In the same quest, they picked Hooda for 42 times his base price. Though SRH won the tournament in 2016, Hooda’s performance over the next two seasons was nothing less than disappointing.
Tymal Mills (IPL 2017) | RCB | Salary INR 12 crores
M 5 | R 8 | W 5 | Ave 30.6 | Econ 8.6
When RCB emptied INR 12 crores from their purse to make the winning bid for the English pacer in the quest for a death bowler. Mills did not set the stage on fire and picked just five wickets. The other way to look at the ROI would be RCB paying Mills INR 2.4 crores per wicket.
Deepak Hooda (IPL 2018) | SRH | Salary INR 3.6 crores (per season)
M 20 | R 151 | Ave 15.1 | SR 104.9 | W 1 | Ave 45 | Econ 9 (2018 and 2019 season)
Despite two disappointing seasons in 2016 and 2017, SRH once again picked Hooda in the auction for INR 3.6 crores. He was retained for two seasons and remained a liability for the franchise.
Glenn Maxwell (IPL 2018) | DD | Salary INR 9 crores
M 12 | R 169 | Ave 14.1 | SR 140.8 | W 5 | Ave 26.4 | Econ 8.2
Delhi made another poor investment in Maxwell. Little returns from the Australian all-rounder forced them to release him.
Jaydev Unadkat (IPL 2018) | RR | Salary INR 11.5 crores
M 15 | R 49 | SR 129 | W 11 | Ave 44.2 | Econ 9.7
Banking on his experience and riches for the Pune side in IPL 2017, RR shelled out INR 11.5 crores on the left-arm pacer. The returns were poor, but they still decided to back Unadkat.
Jaydev Unadkat (IPL 2019) | RR | Salary INR 8.4 crores
M 11 | R 1 | W 10 | Ave 39.8 | Econ 10.7
RR again broke the bank to fetch Unadkat’s services. Unfortunately, he ended up more expensive in the 2019 edition. Did Rajasthan learn? We shall come to that.
Varun Chakravarthy (IPL 2019) | KXIP | INR 8.4 crores
M 1 | W 1 | Ave 35 | Econ 11.7
Banking on Chakravarthy’s meteoric rise in the TNPL, Kings XI Punjab nabbed him for INR 8.4 crores, making him the joint-most expensive buy in the IPL 2019 auction. However, Chakravarthy played only one match, and was expensive.
Punjab showed little faith in him and released him. KKR were quick to capitalise on the gaffe, and he remains one of the mainstays of the Kolkata-based franchise.
Jaydev Unadkat (IPL 2020) | RR | INR 3 crores (per season)
M 13 | R 50 | SR 119 | W 8 | Ave 49.5 | Econ 8.8 (2020 and 2021 season)
In 2020, RR again went for Unadkat. For someone drawing INR 3 crores a season, he has not quite been a mainstay over the next two editions, and he made sporadic appearances and remained a disappointment.
Glenn Maxwell (IPL 2020) | KXIP | INR 10.75 crores
M 13 | R 108 | SR 101.9 | W 3 | Ave 56.3 | Econ 8
Maxwell returned to Punjab in 2020. In what was viewed as a homecoming, the Punjab fans remained excited for the Big Show, but their joys evaporated as the Australian had a terrible season that ended up hurting the franchise big time. It was among the worst ROIs a sporting team could anticipate. A few months later, Maxwell found a home in RCB.
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Kyle Jamieson (IPL 2021) | RCB | INR 15 crores
M 9 | R 65 | SR 118.2 | W 9 | Ave 29.9 | Econ 9.6
RCB went by Jamieson’s massive returns in Test cricket and signed him for a whopping sum of INR 15 crores. The giant from new Zealand turned out to be a pale shadow of his reputation.
Jhye Richardson (IPL 2021) | PBKS | INR 14 crores
M 3 | R 15 | W 3 | Ave 39 | Econ 10.6
No one expected Richardson to bag INR 14 crores in the auction, but Punjab Kings pulled off a surprise, presumably due to his BBL success. The Australian pacer just played three matches and made no difference.
Riley Meredith (IPL 2021) | PBKS | INR 8 crores
M 5 | W 4 | Ave 42.3 | Econ 9.9
Another BBL hit with a high price tag in the IPL, Meredith,turned out to be another disappointing investment for the Punjab side.
Chris Morris (IPL 2021) | RR | INR 16.5 crores
M 11| R 67 | Ave 13.4 | SR 136.7 | W 15 | Ave 25.1 | Econ 9.2
At a salary of INR 16.5 crores, Morris became the most expensive overseas player in the league’s history. But RR underused him as a batter, and despite having a couple of decent outings with ball, his economy rate was much higher, almost 2.5 times more than what it was for RCB in 2020.