In the analysis of Kolkata Knight Riders, I mentioned that the purchase of Shakib al Hasan was one of the smartest buys of this year’s auction. Another one of those smart buys would be that of Shivam Dube by Rajasthan Royals. An Indian all-rounder on an upward trajectory, with a healthy SR in batting as well as bowling is a good luxury to have in IPL. But RR’s auction wasn’t all roses and lilies.
The IPL is designed to NOT have calm waters for too long – there is a mega auction that happens after every 3 seasons, with one to happen before the
A team perfectly built for the Sawai Mansingh Stadium of English conditions suddenly finds itself in a spot of bother – their premier all-rounder is in NewZealand and will miss at least the first part of the tournament. There is little certainty over whether their captain is available for the first game.
It’s that time of the year but it is not really ‘that’ time of the year. Preparations for the T20 World Cup would have been in full swing right now. Instead we have players converging in UAE almost a month before the start of another IPL season. These are crazy times.
If 5 years ago you told me that Rajasthan Royals purchased players worth 12.5 crores, 8.4 crores, 8 crores, 7.2 crores and 6.2 crores, I’d have laughed at you in disagreement. Last 2 auctions though, RR has been splurging, the result of which is that RR posses a solid arsenal, at least on paper.
Am I the only one or does it feel like this year’s IPL is lacking a certain level of enthusiasm that we have become accustomed to over the years? If you think so too, much of the blame can be accredited to the fact that this is the first time in its 12-year history that the IPL, the ICC Cricket World Cup and India’s General Elections are occurring in the same year.