2016 Hockey India League player auctions: 5 bargain buys

The auctions took place on the 17th of SeptemberThe much-anticipated auction for the upcoming edition of the Hockey India League took place in the capital city of New Delhi. A total of 271 players went under the hammer in which only 86 players were sold and other 185 players were put in the reserve players list.With the new rules in place for the upcoming edition of the HIL, the franchises showed great vision while selecting players for their 20-man squad. According to the new rule, the weightage for field goals will be double compared to the goals scored from the penalty corners which means while a successfully converted short corner will still count as one goal, a field goal will be considered as 'two'.Due to the new rule in place, the franchises went for youth and skillful players instead of selecting veteran players, who have served the game of hockey for than a decade. Here is the list of 5 players who are bought for a low price but can make a huge difference in getting the results for their franchises:

#5 Jamie Dwyer

Base Price: $30,000

Bought by: Uttar Pradesh Wizards

Bought for: $57,000

The Australian veteran Jamie Dwyer has been playing for the Kookaburra’s for the last 15 years. He was bought by the Uttar Pradesh Wizards for a mere $57,000 and can be the difference in the standings at the end of the season.

The 36-year old forward was awarded the ‘Best Player of the Year’ in 2004 and 2007 by the International Hockey Federation and was named the captain of the World XI side in 2007.

He has been part of a (mammoth) 6 time-Champions Trophy gold and 3 time-Commonwealth gold winning Kookaburra team. He has also been part of the 3 Olympic teams that went on to win 1 gold(2004) and 2 bronze medals(2008 and 2012).

The forward has represented his national team on 341 occasions making him the most capped player in the Australian Hockey history. He has also scored 222 goals for the Kookaburra’s.