Time to loosen purse strings again
Cricket Indian Premier League
Last year around the same time, Gautam Gambhir was picked up for an astronomical $2.4 million by an aggressive Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL auction IV. 
The latest player-bidding process, to be held here on Saturday, however, will be of much smaller scale in terms of money when 144 players, including eight Indians, go under the hammer.
Where the likes of Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan, also bought by KKR, alone fetched over $2m each in the previous auction, the maximum a franchise can spend this time to fill in some of their vacant slots is not more than $2m, and even so, there are three teams which don’t have their full amount after retaining or buying players in the trading window last month.
That said, you can expect each team to go all out in a bid to grab a few internationals when auctioner Richard Madley sets the ball rolling at a five-star hotel here. In all probability, Ravindra Jadeja, back in the auction after his team Kochi Tuskers Kerala was disbanded by the BCCI, may cross the $2m mark and go for a tie-breaker as at least three franchises appear determined to net the Saurashtra all-rounder. While Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings can be expected to involve themselves in a close battle for Jadeja, other team owners will not be just mute spectators. The Indians, with deep pockets, are the favourites to pick Jadeja just as they managed to pocket hard-hitting West Indian Kieron Pollard in the third auction.
Jadeja, whose stock has only risen after his recall to the Indian squad during the England series, was bought for a handsome amount of $950,000 but the 23-year-old can look forward to a much bigger purse this year. His team-mate at KTK, R Vinay Kumar, too is likely to be pursued hotly by the franchises. Having fetched $475,000 from a base price of $100,000, the Karnataka paceman is expected to cross the $500,000 mark. Wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel too might find a lot of takers who are looking to strengthen their domestic pool which has been increased by two players to 22 per squad besides 11 foreigners. The same though can’t be said about left-arm paceman RP Singh who attracted $500,000 by KTK. But the UP bowler need not brood if he goes for a lesser sum as the BCCI will compensate him for the difference.
The foreign contingent of the now-defunct KTK can hope for some fierce bidding. While Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum will remain a hot property in this format, Mahela Jayawardene isn’t far behind either. The Sri Lankan skipper went for a whopping $1.1m last time, and while it’s unlikely he will go for the same price given the limited amount at the teams’ disposal, the right-hander may find aggressive bidders for himself in King XI Punjab and Pune Warriors, who will be without their ailing skipper Yuvraj Singh this season.
It will be interesting to see how the team owners react when England off-spinner Graeme Swann, with a base price of $400,000, and Lankan icon Muttiah Muralitharan (base price $300,000) come up for auction. It won’t be surprising if the Australian spin duo of Stuart McGill and Brad Hogg find some willing teams, priced as the two are at a lowly $100,000.
Another point of interest will be if VVS Laxman (base price $400,000) finds any bidder this time. His batting stock is at an all-time low following a poor show in Australia, but will he find a sympathiser in Rahul Dravid who will be at the auction as the captain of Rajasthan Royals?
