IPL 2018: 5 auction blunders that are costing teams dearly
The Indian Premier League is well underway with almost every franchise having played 5-6 matches. The beginning of the tournament brought with it immense hopes and aspirations for each one of the eight participating teams. While some sides have been able to deliver on their hopes, others not quite so!
The IPL 2018 auctions saw some surprising buys and even more astonishing omissions. In the past few matches, the ghosts of these omissions have come back to haunt some of the franchises and how! Quite a few batsmen and bowlers who were let go from their IPL 2017 franchises owing to poor form in the previous year have bamboozled one and all with their blazing performances for their new teams, leaving their old sides gaping in disbelief.
Take a look at 5 such team decisions at the auctions that are costing the various IPL teams now:
#5 KL Rahul
Lokesh Rahul was introduced into the foray of the IPL back in the year 2013 by the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He flitted back and forth between the RCB and the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a few years, before he was bought back by the RCB in the year 2016. The initial years for him in the IPL can be called scratchy at best, with Rahul playing only 5,11 and 9 matches in the 2013, 2014 and 2015 seasons respectively.
It was in the 2016 season that KL Rahul proved his mettle when he scored 397 runs in 14 matches for the RCB at a strike rate of 146.49 and the highest score of 68*. He also proved himself to be of value by taking on wicket-keeping duties for the side. However, the twist in the tale came in 2017, when Rahul was ruled out of the entire course of the tournament owing to a shoulder injury. This left RCB with a gaping hole in the top-order and needless to mention, the Virat Kohli-led team didn't fare too well.
Come 2018, RCB decided to not opt for Rahul's services in the 2018 auctions and in stepped Kings XI Punjab. The Preity-Zinta owned franchise couldn't have possibly imagined back then the gold mine that they are unearthing. The 26 year-old batsman-wicketkeeper has already slammed 213 runs for KXIP in just 5 matches, including a 27-ball 60 run-innings against the Kolkata Knight Riders.