IPL 2014 Auctions: 5 best player deals which happened on Day 1
The IPL auctions saw the franchises fighting hard and clever for the players they wanted. Leaving Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, almost all the others went in for a total revamp policy, and now it will be interesting to watch players in the new teams they are playing for.
Yuvraj Singh was bought for a whopping 14 Crore, and Dinesh Karthik fetched the second highest booty, that of 12.5 Crores. There were some really nice players who were not spent heavily upon but still acquired by team owners, and they go in as the best buys so far.
Here are players who can be thought of as the best business done by the franchises:
5. Corey Anderson (Mumbai Indians)
Corey Anderson
This explosive batsman all-rounder from New Zealand was bought for 4.5 Crore ($833,000) and he is a very good addition to a side that retained most of its best performers over the years.
He is just the guy you want for this format of the game, and with players like Pollard already in their ranks, MI have ensured that they have some really good hitters in their side. He will also contribute to the bowling, but since Malinga, Zaheer, Ojha and Harbhajan are already there, he may not have a major role.
He bats down the order, and he can prove to be very useful in piling up the runs ones the top order has given a good start. He will complement Pollard in all probability as he also bats roundabout where he does, and it will be exciting if these two can provide great entertainment to the crowd.
For New Zealand he bats at 5 or 6, and it will be nice to see what role the Indians give him. It could be a tactical move on their side to bring him up the order, if at all they want to experiment.
Anderson grabbed everyone’s attention at the year beginning with the fastest ODI century ever, and it was very clear then that he would be highly sought after at the IPL auctions, which is exactly what has happened.
Another factor that might come into play is how well he is able to adjust to the league that he will be part of for the first time, and a league which is sure to be witnessed by large crowds could really test him, something which he may not have seen playing for New Zealand.
4. Jimmy Neesham (Delhi Daredevils)
Jimmy Neesham
This hard-hitting youngster from New Zealand is a specialist T20 player. He has more T20 games under his belt than any other format, averaging 37.08 with the bat and having an overall strike rate of 161.81, which make him a very dangerous batsman.
No wonder Delhi were so keen on buying him, a time when they have gone in for a complete change of players. He will fit perfectly in the scheme of things as the side has been wanting an all-rounder for long – he is one who can now match the requirement.
He was bought for just 1 Crore ($ 166, 000). He can prove to be a fairly good hand with the ball also, as his recent form shows. Delhi will be banking on his all-round skills as they look to create some impact in this edition of the IPL. They have an excellent pool of overseas players this time.
After Pietersen, it will be Neesham who will be the name most selected in the playing XI, and this means that this IPL we are going to see a lot of this young talent.
He came into the limelight during after his amazing performance in the Champions League last year in the game against Highveld Lions. The Otago Volts needed 71 of the last 7 overs to win, and Neesham steeped in with a 50 off just 25 balls. He succeeded in only levelling the scores, following which his flourishes in the super over which took the Otago score to 13 and some disciplined bowling after being hit for a four and six in the first two balls, resulted in a tie after the over as well. But the Lions lost on the number of boundaries (18 to the Volts total of 19) to end a thrilling contest, one that would give Neesham enough recognition on the international stage.
3. Morne Morkel (Kolkata Knight Riders)
Morne Morkel
It is finally this bowler who will take part in the ‘Korbo, Lodbo, Jeetbo’ anthem. Bought for only 2.8 Crore ($ 466, 000), he is going to add some real venom to the Knight Riders attack. He is easily the best pacer they have now in their ranks, and he will be expected to do the damage early on with the ball.
Vinay Kumar and Umesh Yadav will support him, along with Kallis (if given the ball). The spin department also looks menacing with names like Shakib Al Hasan, Sunil Narine and Piysuh Chawla, all of whom are good T20 spinners.
Morne has more than 150 games under his belt, and more than 180 wickets. He can really clog the runs while bowling during the initial overs, which is what will be expected out of him. What is more, he can hit some slogs with the bat if some quick runs are needed in a tight situation.
Combining all this, it is a very smart buy that the KKR franchise has pulled off, when they have had to spend above 5 Crore to get both Uthappa and Kallis. Delhi might have experimented too much by giving him away, and if he can do really well with the KKR (which is very likely), they are sure to feel the sting.