IPL auction 3 – Of Pakistani outrage, Calypso mercenaries and KKR follies.

The player auction at IPL3 got over last week and has led to one Godawefully stinking mess of a controversy. We have Pakistani politicians, ex cricketers, cricketers, lawyers, effigy burners, jobless people and their dogs doing some serious IPL, Modi and naturally India bashing. The Pakistani crickets and administrators became one after God knows how many centuries.

It all started innocently. The auctioneer named cricketer and the owner waved their batons (or whatever you call them…drumsticks?) to signal their bids. So far so good. Then Afridi’s name came up and everyone (mainly the media having nothing else to do and Afridi) was curious as to how much dough will the player of the tournament of the last 20/20 world cup go for. The answer was zero. Breaking news, screamed the websites. Afridi not picked! The rest of the Pakistanis also not picked!!

If one thinks of it, are the franchises to be blamed for the “snub” to the Pakistanis? Consider the current India Pakistan relations. 26/11 is still fresh in every Indian’s mind and the Kasab trial is making most of us even more irritated. The politicians in Pakistan are not helping matters by making statements like “cannot guarantee another 26/11 occurrence”. Another occurrence of 26/11 will make the mending of relations as easy as guessing the ages of teenage Pakistani cricketers. In such a circumstance, who will have the guts to spend thousands of dollars in picking a Pakistani player thereby using up a foreigner’s slot without the surety of using him to the optimum? Lots of money is at stake, money which is not easy to come up what with the economic downturn still going on strong. Last year, the Government categorically ruled out giving the IPL first preference when it came to national security. It seems to be a very sound call taken by the franchises in not going after the Pakistanis and it seems to be a business call. That’s all. So can our next door neighbours cool down and concentrate on the real problems they face at home?

Trivia – What connects Somerset, South Australia, Mumbai and Trinidad? Answer is subject of the next paragraph.

Kieron Pollard was picked by MI for a sum of atleast $750000 (achettup put it at $2.75 mn.). Which comes to roughly Rs. 79 lakhs per game if MI does reach the finals. Pretty sure all franchises must have been kicking themselves in not going after him last year when he was listed at a whopping$60000. While the English tabloids are calling Freddie Flintoff the first mercenary, Pollard has become the first active mercenary with contracts to play for four different teams in four continents.

Trivia 2 – What connects Canterbury, Delhi (unofficially) and Kolkata? I am sure you know the answer by now.

This IPL auction thingy sure throws surprises. Their favourite brand of surprises is their strange benevolence to certain players who, well, do not deserve it. IPL 1 had Kaif going for over $0.5 mn. We laughed. IPL 2 had Mortaza go for over $0.6 mn. We raised an eyebrow “The Rock” style. IPL3 now has the injury prone, brittle bones, 30 + Kiwi fastie with no relation to Sean Connery or Daniel Craig going for $ 0.75 mn. We stop whatever we were doing and marvel at the stupidity of whoever thought it a sound investment. Then we saw that the bidder was KKR. I can imagine Shane Bond opening the bowling in front of a packed Eden Garden crowd ably supported by Mashrafe Mortaza. The support being too much, 007 breaks down in the first over itself. Replacing him and trying to replicate his speed is……..Ajit Agarkar.

Such joy…for the opposing team.

In other news, Kaif was picked up by Punjab, no doubt as a ransom to free the Kings’ captaincy from the clutches of his best pal, three potential scene stealers were bought for less than or equal to $100 K (Voges, Abdullah and Kemp) and Rajasthan Royals showed who is boss in their midst by picking the happily retired senior citizen of Aussie cricket Mr. Martyn.

by Dhaanu
blogs at Bakwaas Baatein (Random rambling of a raving borderline lunatic)