What happens if there is no mega auction before the next IPL?
Recent reports suggest the likelihood of the BCCI shelving the mega auction prior to the next season of Indian Premier League has come as a frightening shock for the franchises and players. The auction held in 2019 was meant to be the last before the franchises were to prepare and assemble fresh squads from scratch for the 2021 edition.
Many might not pay heed to the nuances of IPL auctions, yet the reality remains that half of the IPL is won at the auctions. Over the years, the smarter and stronger teams have shrewdly drafted their tactics at the auction and their strategies have evidently paid off.
Certain teams have stuck to a core and made subtle changes around them while some others have formulated their strategies with few star players and retained them perpetually. It is in these senses that the mega auction would have been a great leveller. The fact that retentions are restricted in the mega auction helps the franchises to acquire services of their favourite players.
The auction dynamics
The last one was a mini-auction meant to fill the small gaps of all the teams. There were only 332 players who went under the hammer for 73 spots at stake for the eight different franchises. It is obvious that with a mega auction around the corner, many franchises, if not all, would have been eyeing a revamp of their units completely. And it is these franchises that must be the most disappointed should the mega event be cancelled.
Over the years of this marquee league, some teams have looked more settled than the others. However, teams such as those of Rajasthan, Punjab, and of late even Kolkata, have found their teams off balance. There is no chance that these franchises would not have been benefited from this once-in-a-while chance.
Even for the teams that appear formidable otherwise, there are certain unapparent concerns. A team like Chennai Super Kings- one that has stuck and built itself around a settled core- should be concerned with most of its players being on the wrong side of the thirties, some even in their early 40s. To expect MS Dhoni (39), Imran Tahir (41), Shane Watson (39), and du Plessis (36), to hang around for too long would be being too optimistic. Therefore, there are unanswered questions for even teams that appear out of trouble from the outside.
To answer what will happen if there is no mega auction (or even a routine auction for that matter) from the perspective of fans, not much will change. As cricket fanatics, the fodder for us is witnessing the game and cherishing the actions of our beloved players, but for the franchises that were plotting different plans, for the players searching for new opportunities and ventures, the cancellation of the mega auction is nothing short of a huge setback.
