IPL Auction Pitch: Timing is Everything

Jansen is poised to be a highly coveted all-rounder when the paddles go up in the upcoming IPL mega auction in Jeddah on November 24-25. With his impressive ability to utilize his long levers, he smashed an impressive 83 runs off the last 29 balls he faced in the T20I series against India last week. His big hitting prowess is just an added bonus to his solid bowling performance, where he took 3 wickets for 119 runs at an economy rate of 7.43. It's no wonder he is expected to spark a bidding war among IPL teams vying for his all-round contribution.

Arshdeep Singh became the highest T20I wicket-taker for India in the same South Africa series which India won 3-1. The left-arm pacer would be thrilled with how his decision to refuse retention and try to discover true value in the auction with timely performances have worked. With only six frontline pacers featuring in the 46 pre-auction retentions from the 10 teams, fast bowlers will remain in high demand. Arshdeep’s recent spells may help him nudge the likes of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami when it comes to pricing.

The players know they are being watched. “I don’t think it’s the focus. But as we all know, things like the auction, especially for a big tournament like IPL, a lot of things can fall into place for players,” South Africa skipper Aiden Markram said.

In the Caribbean, Phil Salt’s runs (162 runs, SR 165) in the recent England-West Indies T20Is won’t go unnoticed. The aggressive opener was on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders’ retention wish list but couldn’t come to an agreement with the franchise, teeming with high impact players. Similarly, in Jos Buttler’s case, his form (125 runs, SR 169) in the series will serve a reminder after his long association with Rajasthan Royals ended.

IPL auctions have become more scientific and data driven; but recency bias continues to influence bidding. Think of it as an indicator of current form and it’s a benchmark commonly used for international selections. What makes it harder to use current showings for IPL selection is the cricket calendar, which is still heavily driven by international cricket spread across formats and playing conditions.

That recency bias has such a strong sway can be seen in Sam Curran’s case. In the 2019 auction, the England all-rounder invited a bidding war to win the third-highest price tag ( ₹7.2 crore) based on his all-round showing in a Test series at home against India. His performances though fell short on India’s flatter decks.

Four years later, the same franchise chased the same player to make him the highest priced player ( ₹18.5 crore) of the 2023 auction. Why? On the back of his Player-of-the-Series showing in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. Curran didn’t let down the franchise and even went on to lead in a few matches, although he couldn’t do enough to win their faith to be retained.

With this year’s mega auction ill-timed, only the opening day’s action of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20s would have concluded. Talent scouts, therefore, were seen doing the rounds of Ranji Trophy action to spot talent and gauge form. Test performances would carry more weight, which is where Washington Sundar may have made an impression. For leading the wickets tally in the series loss to New Zealand and for holding his own with the bat, the spin-bowling all-rounder may find favour on the auction table, despite Sunrisers Hyderabad’s reluctance to give him game time last edition.

Rishabh Pant’s brilliance in Test cricket as seen in the New Zealand series continues to overshadow his middling T20 numbers. Even in Kiwi batter Rachin Ravindra’s case his Test showings in India mark him out as a potential future all-format star.

World Cup performances have always had a heavy bearing on IPL bidding. Last year, after the 2023 ODI World Cup, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc hit jackpot. The Australia pace duo delivered. But New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell couldn’t replicate his World Cup showing and justify his ₹14 crore price tag for Chennai Super Kings.

Loss of form ahead of the auctions can hurt your case. Markram struggled for runs and batting rhythm against India. Avesh Khan couldn’t execute his skills in the two matches he played in the series. R Ashwin is such an innovator that he wouldn’t be judged on wickets alone. But teams would have noticed how the 38-year-old’s bowling fitness came under stress during the recent Test series against New Zealand.