We have seen some deals in the IPL auctions over the years which have surprised everyone. West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell going for INR 8.5 crore during the 2020 auction was one such for the former Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir. He felt that Kings XI Punjab (Punjab Kings) spent that much money because of desperation.
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Former Indian captain Anil Kumble was Punjab’s Director Of Cricket Operations at that time and was on the auction table. Gambhir has hailed Kumble as the ‘best-ever’ captain and he once said that he can even give his life for him. However, he felt that the legendary spinner was not right in Cottrell’s evaluation.
“I think Anil Kumble picked him up in desperation since they couldn’t get Chris Morris or Pat Cummins. I still don’t think Sheldon Cottrell has enough quality to become an 8.5 cr bowler. He’s still to build on accuracy and speed yet he can bowl at 145 speed,” Gambhir had said to Star Sports.
Ahead of the IPL 2020 auction, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh and Hardus Viljoen were the key pacers of the side. It was clear that they would go for the overseas placers. Since it was a mini-auction, there were not many great options available. Current Australian captain Pat Cummins was bought by Kolkata for INR 15.50 crore but Punjab didn’t show any interest in that bidding war.
Punjab went after South African all-rounder Chris Morris but lost the race as Royal Challengers Bangalore grabbed him for INR 10 crore. It was expected that Cottrell would fetch some good numbers. He played six T20Is against India in 2019 where he scalped seven wickets at an economy of 6.75. Moreover, he was a left-arm pacer with a good amount of variations.
As soon as Cottrell came in the auction, the Kings were in the race and captured him as well. They even went for Indian pacers such as Jaydev Unadkat and Kartik Tyagi but Rajasthan Royals acquired both of them. Apart from Cottrell, Punjab also bought English pacer Chris Jordan for a price of INR 3 crore.
In hindsight, Gambhir was right in talking about Cottrell as Punjab used him for just six matches in the season. In those six matches, Cottrell scalped six wickets at an economy and strike rate of 8.80 and 20.00, respectively. He was released by the franchise after the season and hasn’t received any kind of bids since then.
Was Gautam Gambhir Desperate In Signing Mitchell Starc For IPL 2024?
Gambhir was back on the auction table this year as KKR’s mentor. Even when he was playing in the tournament as a player, he was consistently involved in the process. Kolkata’s budget was INR 32.70 crore ahead of the IPL 2024 auction and they had the task of building their team again after releasing 12 players.
The dynamics of the auction are such that a franchise can become desperate to sign a player because of their needs. This was proven yet again when KKR made Australian pacer Mitchell Starc the highest earner in the history of the tournament with a bid of INR 24.75 crore. They spent more than 75% of their budget on a single player.
Gujarat Titans were fighting with KKR for Starc and they had the luxury to go for such a higher amount as their squad was already settled. Because of this, the Knight Riders were forced to consume so much of their budget. The auctions are like this and none can be blamed for the same.
Had KKR not gone all-out for Starc, they could have made their attack stronger with the likes of Gerald Coetzee and Dilshan Madushanka. Both of them were acquired by Mumbai Indians for a combined price of INR 9.60 crore. Even after Starc, KKR needed an overseas pacer and they had to compromise with England’s Gus Atkinson.
Only the future will tell how Starc will fare in the upcoming season of the IPL. Kolkata bought Starc for a big price in IPL 2018 as well, but he didn’t play a single game. Looking at the KKR’s squad right now, they seem to be quite weak on the pace-bowling front as apart from Starc, they don’t have any experienced players in their Arsenal.
