When the auction list for the 2017 edition of the IPL auctions were announced, all eyes were on English players, with many of them regarded as the finest limited overs cricketers in the world. Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Alex Hales are few of the names, which has helped England build one of the most dangerous team in limited overs cricket. But it ended up being a mixed day at best for English cricketers, at the IPL auctions held in Bangalore.
Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills fetch huge amounts
The good news for English cricketers was that the varied talents of Ben Stokes and Tymal Mills were in huge demand at the auctions. Ben Stokes, regarded by many as the best all-rounder in world cricket today, was sold at a massive sum of 14.5 crores to the Rising Pune Supergiants. After a disappointing campaign in their debut season and the controversy surrounding the sacking of ex-skipper MS Dhoni, they needed to make a statement in the auctions to pacify their agitated fan-base and they stepped out in the auctions and did exactly that.
Similarly, Royal Challengers Bangalore needed a quality fast bowler to replace Mitchell Starc and Tymal Mills, who just had a breakthrough in the England squad, turned out to be the answer to their prayers. Mills is a T20 specialist, with frightening pace and many variations in his repertoire. But even he wouldn’t have imagined that he would fetch a whopping sum of 12 crores in the auctions.
Disappointment for others
The likes of Eoin Morgan, Jason Roy and Alex Hales will certainly be disappointed with this edition of the IPL. Both Roy and Morgan failed to attract huge sums as many people expected and were sold for their respective base prices of 1 and 2 crores to Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab. Alex Hales, a consistent performer for England at the top of the order even failed to attract a buyer in the auctions.
So while the likes of Stokes and Mills will be wondering what exactly hit them and whether all of this is a dream or reality, the likes of Hales, Morgan and Roy will be left shaking their heads in disappointment.
