Inexplicable idea of WPL auction

The area had known unknowns. Similar to the 2008 IPL auction, where the owners and their representatives were inexperienced and naïve, the Women’s Premier League (WPL) franchises might not have accurately predicted how the auction would turn out. The clubs were aware of who they wanted but were unsure if they could get them because three of the five franchises had 15 years of IPL experience and two others had played in more recent tournaments.

The pay cap was the biggest hindrance. The IPL franchisees are used to building their teams with far greater budgets—Rs 95 crore for the most recent IPL auction, for example—and Rs 12 crore was pennies in that context. It follows thatThe weakest part of their strategy was the amount of money set aside for players.

All the teams seem to have set aside roughly Rs 2 crore – give or take – for the best Indian players, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Around Rs 2 crore was spent on the auction prices of Richa Ghosh (Rs 1.9 crore), Jemimah Rodrigues (Rs 2.2 crore), Shafali Varma (Rs 2 crore), Pooja Vastrakar (Rs 1.9 crore), and Deepti Sharma (Rs 2.6 crore). That apparent tactic seems to have helped some while hurting others, but Smriti Mandana (Rs. 3.4 crore) was an exception. As the first bidder in the auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore claimed they would have gone to any lengths to secure the vice captain of India. However, the skipper of India did not fare as well. few anticipated Mr. Harmanpreet Kaurto receive just Rs. 1.8 crore (by Mumbai Indians). When the teams were discussing the cost of Harmanpreet, there was a sense of dishonesty.

Lack of information regarding domestic women cricketers in India, if not about the foreign stars, complicated the issue for the owners. The franchises did not have much time to spread out their scouts after the club auction ended less than three weeks ago.

There were still certain trends, and unlike the IPL, the owners of the WPL appeared to favour Indian all-rounders. Parth Jindal, a co-owner of the Delhi Capitals and the person in charge of using the paddle for his team, stated, That, I think, was the plan across the board. Mike Hesson, the Royal Challengers Bangalore team’s director of cricket, concurred but hadhis own evaluation of the events.

Also Read : The list of sold and unsold players for the 2023 WPL auction

The New Zealander pointed to the purchases of Ashleigh Gardner (Australia, Gujarat Giants, Rs. 3.2 crore), Ellyse Perry (RCB, Australia, Rs. 1.7 crore), and Tahila McGrath as examples of fast-bowling all-rounders who were still foreigners (UP Warriors, Australia and Rs 1.4 crore).

The Monday auction’s lethargic pace might surprise someone who regularly attends IPL auctions. Similar to Lalit Modi’s team in 2008, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), its managers, and the auctioneer were flexible to the franchise needs, giving the teams enough time to consider their options.

AFranchise representative, who had seen both auctions, noticed parallels between the two happenings 15 years apart. Like in 2008, when we had no information, the BCCI was gracious this time as well. They attempted to be as helpful as they could after realising the severity of the issue, the spokesperson stated.

Nita Ambani of the Mumbai Indians was one among the select few who attended both occasions. The proprietors of the Mumbai Indians did not discuss the similarities between the two auctions, but she did talk about the thrill an auction generates.

Although auctions are always fascinating, today was particularly noteworthy. The first auction is usually exciting, and this was the first one. Women’s cricket had a very memorable day today. It’s aa momentous day. The sight of everyone applauding and praising the amazing talent of women cricketers was so overpowering, more so than all the names and numbers. We are thrilled to have Harmanpreet as the second Indian captain for the Mumbai Indians (the first is Rohit Sharma), and as a team, we are pleased with how our auction went.

Later in the proceedings, there were a couple more surprises if Harmanpreet’s price wasn’t enough. Prior to the final round, Megan Schutt, an Australian fast bowler who was briefly ranked No. 1 in the world, was still available for INR 40 Lakh. Alyssa Healy of Australia and Heather Knight of England both went for low bids, but unexpectedly no one was interested.for Suzie Bates of New Zealand.

Also Read : WPL 2023: International captain not sold in the initial round