KPL Auctions, 2018: Mayank Agarwal could be center of attraction despite questions on availability

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Bellary Tuskers will enter the Players Auction for the seventh edition of the KPL with the largest remaining purse. With each team allotted a maximum purse of Rs 30 lakh, Ballari Tuskers managed to retain four players, including Ranji Trophy wicketkeer-batsman CM Gautam and Under-19 opener Devdutt Padikkal, at a total cost of Rs 5 lakh, leaving them with Rs 25 lakh. Will they take a chance with the availability of say Mayank Agarwal, who’s been in red-hot form for a while now, was the big question on the eve of the Auction.

At the other end of the spectrum, Hubli Tigers had to shell out Rs 12,10,000 to retain their four players and so will enter the Auction Hall at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday morning with only Rs 17,90,000, the least amount among the seven franchises. But then, having retained the likes of veteran Vinay Kumar, the promising Abhishek Reddy and Praveen Dubey, all from Pool A, as also Abhishek Sakhuja from Pool B, they already have the nucleus of a good side, so may not chase any remaining big names.

Of course, the main issue facing the Team owners and the coaches is the availability of players like Agarwal, R Samarth, K Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal and Prasidh Krishna, all of whom may miss the entire KPL or a part of it, if as expected, they are picked for the Duleep Trophy and the India A teams. But as most team managements made clear they see it as an opportunity for new stars to emerge. We are in the business of creating stars seems to be their credo, something that is very gratifying to the Karnataka State Cricket Association.

Balance is what each time will strive for as can be seen in the case of defending champions Belagavi Panthers, who by retaining Manish Pandey, Stuart Binny, Stalin Hoover and Avinash D, too, like with Hubli Tigers, are already a force to reckon with. With the batting more or less taken care, they are likely to target bowlers, and this is where veteran Abhimanyu Mithun or talents such as Darshan Machiah and Mohd Niyaz Nizar will play a part.

If Belagavi Panthers have their star batsmen in place, Bijapur Bulls by retaining pacer Ronit More and mystery spinner KC Cariappa, along with all-rounder Naveen MG and veteran batsman Bharath Chipli may have to look at the batsmen, perhaps someone like Mir Kaunian Abbas from Pool A or opening batsman Nischal D from Pool B.

Somewhat similar is the case with Mysore Warriors, whose sole Pool A retainee is left-arm spinner J Suchith. With all-rounder Bhareth MP and young pacer Vyshak Vijayakumar also retained, Mysore Warriors will need to add some batting depth alongside the hard-hitting Manjunath SP. KV Sidharth, who scored a timely double hundred in the ongoing Dr K Thimmapaiah tournament, could be the lad they seek.

The Bangalore Blasters, who retained left-handed batsman and part-time offie Pawan Deshpande at a tidy sum of Rs 4,60,000, as also left-arm spinner Mitrakant Yadav, medium pacer Koushik V and A Bhat, will look at adding some experience to the squad. A bunch of all-rounders led by the likes of Amit Verma, who with K Gowtham, went for the highest bid of Rs 7.20 lakh last season, and Sunil Raju, will probably attract their attention.

Shivamogga Lions, with Rs 21 lakh in their kitty and the sought after Aniruddha Joshi (Rs 5.80 lakh) already in their fold alongside Mohd Sarfraz Ashraf, Liyan Khan and Nihal Ullal will look for the right mix of experience and youth. The likes of pacer HS Sharath, as also someone like the dependable Shishir Bhavane and MD Taha will all be looked at seriously.

In the spinners category youngsters Kishore Kamat and Shubang Hedge, along with the experienced duo of Abrar Kazi and KP Appanna, all in Pool B, could land themselves a good deal.

Of course, in this shortest format of the game, all-rounders are gold and players like Aditya Somanna, Bhavesh Gulecha, David Mathias, Manoj Bandege, Kratni Kumar, Prithviraj Shikawat and Shoaib Manager should figure prominently.

As per the tournament rules each team has to have a squad of minimum 15 players and a maximum 18 players plus two additional players from their respective catchment areas.

The Players have been divided into two Pools, Pool A and Pool B. The minimum bid for a Pool A player is Rs 50,000 while for a Pool B player it is Rs 25,000. The Franchises can spend a maximum of Rs 18 lakh on Pool A players and Rs 12 Lakh on Pool B players. These amounts include what has been spent on retaining players. A team has to have a minimum of two players from Pool A, with the maximum being five.