Journalism of Courage
South African all-rounder Chris Morris on Friday surpassed Yuvraj Singh to become the most expensive buy in the IPL auction history with Rajasthan Royals shelling out Rs 16.25 crore for his services after a bidding war in Chennai. (File)
Chris Morris (RR, Rs 16.25 crore) He is the overseas equivalent of what Dinesh Karthik and Yuvraj Singh would be at auctions. Virat Kohli must have punted on Maxwell banking that there will be that one season when he would produce some magical performance like he does often for Australia or in the BBL. The timing is always impeccable as it happens just before auctions. But RCB would like to hope that his six-hitting abilities coupled with fast off-breaks and fabulous fielding would win them a few games as they look for their maiden title. (File)
Kyle Jamieson (RCB, Rs 15 crore) He has been literally unplayable on green New Zealand wickets with the steep bounce off length and the movement off the pitch. Virat Kohli and his team had first-hand experience. But as a T20 bowler for Auckland in his local T20 competition, Jamieson has blown hot and cold. On a Wankhede track or the Chinnaswamy with his mid-130 kmph speed, he could be blown away. He is a big hitter but how much he can adjust batting lower down the order on slow tracks is questionable. That Mike Hesson was at the auction table was also a clincher.
Jhye Richardson (Rs 14 crore, Punjab Kings) Again a case of lack of supply compared to greater demand. Punjab Kings, the erstwhile Kings XI Punjab, over the years have not had great luck with the fast bowling unit but roping in the injury-prone Australian quick doesn't speak much about their talent scout team, which hasn't been very impressive. An economy rate of 8.44 at times can't be worth nearly USD 2 million but such has been Punjab's plight that Richardson had his pay day despite going for runs in the business end of the recent Big Bash League. However, he ended up as the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 29 scalps.
Riley Meredith (Rs 8 crore, Punjab Kings) ========================== If Jhye Richardson wasn't shocking, Riley Meredith at more than USD 1 million as his like for like cover is a jaw dropping amount, in fact the highest for an uncapped foreign player. The talk in Australian cricketing circles is that he has potential but currently is down with a serious shoulder injury which no one knows will heal or not by the time IPL starts. Richardson-Meredith will be a very ambitious pair of fast bowlers that Punjab have picked, a logic only chief coach Anil Kumble, who was at the auction table can explain. (Source: Instagram)
Moeen Ali (Rs 7 crore, CSK) ================= Possibly, the best bargain buy among the multi-skilled foreign players and that too at less than a million dollars. MS Dhoni was bullish about an off-spinner all-rounder, something that forced CSK to chase Maxwell till Rs 14 crore. Once they didn't get him, it was anybody's guess that he would be chased by CSK. On a slow Chepauk track, he and Krishnappa Gowtham will be Dhoni's preferred men during the middle overs. Add his ability to hit big, the Chennai crowd saw that, could be another incentive. (Source: PTI)
Sachin Tendulkar's son Arjun Tendulkar's nascent cricketing career got a major fillip on Thursday when he was picked by Mumbai Indians at the IPL players' auction, the last name to go under the hammer in Chennai. The franchise for which his father didn't just play but also took up mentorship of youngsters, bought Arjun for Rs 20 lakh, which was his base price. It was hardly a surprise given that he has been a net bowler for the franchise for the past two-three seasons. (Express photo by Kevin DSouza)
