The WPL auction’s illogicalities

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) clubs might not have accurately predicted how the auction would turn out. The clubs were aware of who they wanted but were unsure whether they could acquire 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 aspect of their strategy was the player money allotment.

Wittingly or unconsciously, all the franchises seem to have set aside around Rs 2 crore – give or take – for the best Indian players. Deepti Sharma’s auction price was Rs 2.6 crore, Jemimah Rodrigues’ was Rs 2.2 crore, Shafali Varma’s was Rs 2 crore, Pooja Vastrakar’s was Rs 1.9 crore, and Richa Ghosh’s was Rs 1.9 crore. In that apparent plan, some appeared to gain and some appeared to lose, but Smriti Mandana (Rs. 3.4 crore) was an exception. The Royal Challengers Bangalore team said they would have gone to any lengths to get the India vice-captain, who was the first in the auction list. However, the skipper of India was not as fortunate. few expected Admanpreet Kaurto receive just Rs. 1.8 crore (by Mumbai Indians). When the teams were discussing the cost of Harmanpreet, there was a feeling of dishonesty.

Lack of information on local women cricketers in India, if not about the foreign players, 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 proprietors 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 club, 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.

The New Zealander pointed to the purchases of Ashleigh Gardner (Australia, Gujarat Giants, Rs. 3.2 crore), Natalie Sciver (Mumbai Indians, England, Rs. In India, Sophie Ecclestone (UP Warriors, Rs. 1.8 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 management, and the auctioneer were flexible to the franchise demands, giving the teams enough time to consider their options.

A franchise agent who had attended both auctions and saw parallels between the two occasions 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 usually fascinating, today was particularly noteworthy. The first auction is usually thrilling, and this was the first one. Women’s cricket had a very memorable day today. It’sA momentous day. The sight of everyone applauding and praising the amazing skill 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 being 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 last round, Megan Schutt, an Australian fast bowler who was once ranked No. 1 in the world, was still available for INR 40 Lakh. There were unexpectedly no higher offers made for Australia’s Alyssa Healy (70 lakh) or England’s Heather Knight (40 lakh). Suzie Bates of New Zealand has takers.

Also Read : Women’s Premier League auction 2023: Everything you need to know, when and where to watch