10 best all-rounders bought in the IPL 7 Auctions

Limited overs cricket is not just about a pure batsman or a complete bowler. It is also about a unique set of players who excel in both aspects.

The formats of the game might have undergone a plethora of changes since 2000, but let’s face it: every team, aspiring to be world-beaters, needs the bits and pieces lot. I’m not quite sure whether they belong in Test cricket, but the ODI and Twenty20 forms would lose their sheen without these guys around.

Glory days of the past are peppered with the feats of legends such as Collis King, Kapil Dev, Richard Hadlee, Gary Sobers, Ian Botham and the likes. In recent times, Shane Watson has wielded the baton rather well, along with many others.

At the recently concluded auctions for the seventh season of the cash-rich Indian Premier League, there was some fierce bidding done in order to gain the services of such players. After all, in the lightning-paced format of instant cricket, they are extremely vital to the success of the team as a whole.

Here is a look at ten of the best all-rounders purchased in the auctions this time.

Albie Morkel (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Albie Morkel – From Yellow to Red & Gold

I am of the opinion that the Chennai Super Kings erred by not choosing to bring back the South African power hitter for another shot at IPL glory. Seam bowling is a tough job on the subcontinent’s dust bowls, but if the IPL shifts to the Rainbow Nation, it becomes a very useful asset on lively tracks.

Albie may have been wondering why the yellow brigade decided to dump him despite his consistent exploits for them over the past six seasons. I didn’t quite get the logic of picking Dwayne Bravo over the towering southpaw, but one thing is certain: Virat Kohli must be relieved that he won’t be suffering at Morkel’s hands anymore in the tournament.

His skills are the stuff of IPL lore, and with the Royal Challengers already in possession of an explosive line up, it will be interesting to see how he fits into their plans. He has basked in the glory of being on the winners’ podium twice; it remains to be seen if he can steer the red and gold franchise to its maiden title this time around.

I, for one, would love to see him dominate his old franchise!