Some say there should not be an auction in the first place while others defend "player power" even if it comes at a seemingly high price in these times of recession. While the jury is out on the morality of bidding for cricket players in the Indian Premier League, the third season will see some fresh pair of legs - 14 in total and including four Indians - being infused with a bit of reshuffle. The Australians have been excused since they were not available for the major duration of the tournament. Big names from Pakistan, the world champions in the Twenty20 format, were available after much ado over getting clearances from their board and the government but they were completely ignored. While Shahid Afridi is furious and taken it as an affront, the franchises may have thought it better to invest their resources as wisely as possible in this financially trying period on candidates who are a surety. Who knows when a political event changes the mindset of either government. Besides the fan support matters and the franchises may not be sure of how welcome the Pakistan player would be on their emotional curve.
With very few slots available and in the current scenario, those who made it were: Kieron Pollard: Mumbai Indians - $750,000-plus, unofficially $2.2m Shane Bond: Kolkata Knight Rider - $750,000, unofficially $1.3m Kemar Roach: Deccan Chargers - $720,000 Wayne Parnell: Delhi Daredevils - $610,000 Mohammad Kaif: Kings XI Punjab - $250,000 Eoin Morgan: Royal Challengers Bangalore - $220,000 Damien Martyn: Rajasthan Royal - $100,000 Justin Kemp: Chennai Super Kings - $100,000 Thissara Perera: Chennai Super Kings - $50,000 Yusuf Abdullah: Kings XI Punjab - $50,000 As is always the case, the perfect ratio of demand and supply is never accurate enough to reflect in the price each player got. What do you think?