Two Iyers, Shreyas and Venkatesh, make a killing at the auction, as Rishabh Pant takes the highest cheque of RS 27 crore

Whilst Pant commanding the hefty cheque was predicted, less expected was the aggressive bidding and the eventual sums the two Iyers walked away with. But IPL auctions function with a mechanics of their own that involves micro-analysis, combination forensics, number-crunching, night-long debates, extensive scouting and beyond it all, a whim, the sudden throbbing voice of the heart. This nonconformity makes auctions all the more compelling, in its ability to make a mockery of assumptions.

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Take for instance the case of Venkatesh, he was brought for almost twofold the sum KKR would have required to keep him (the maximum KKR paid to retain was Rs 12 crore apiece for three players). But then after every team published their list of retained players, they realised that they couldn’t find anyone that fitted his profile in the market, neither an upgrade nor a cheaper version.

The 29-year-old is a rare specimen—a hard-hitting, left-handed Indian batsman who could bat anywhere in the order (he has batted from 1 to 8), and bowl spin and medium pace. He fares high in all the new-age T20 metrics—an average of 31, a strike rate of 137 (last edition, it was 158.80), with a quiet chutzpah and a clutch-moment composure. That KKR didn’t retain him was a mystery in the first place. But a better script awaited him. The World Cup winning England captain Eoin Morgan put this in perspective: ”We normally see the type of supply-and-demand for the kind of player he is in the mini-auction. In many ways, you’ve paid way over but it was a case of two teams who were absolutely desperate for him.”

Maybe, the KKR think-tank didn’t expect his price to hit stratospheric heights. But once franchises set their mind on players, they would go to any distance to gobble them up. Besides, he has been with the franchise for the last four years and doesn’t require any time to adapt. Equally important was when his name was listed out. His was the 23rd name that landed on the auction table. KKR had yet to buy a single player. Desperation crept in. All these minute factors would have played their roles in KKR vigorously raising the paddle for him. Venkatesh had not yet wrapped his head around it. “”Let’s not speak about that [the price tag],” he told Jio Cinema, laughing. “The most important thing is that I’m going back to KKR.”

On the contrary, Shreyas was the third on the list. He was the perfect candidate for Punjab Kings, with the deepest pockets on the table, fuelled to make a strong, early impression, like it were the powerplay overs. It coincided with their preconceived plan to go for broke to snaffle Iyer. Head coach Ricky Ponting later admitted: “I tried to call him before the auction but he didn’t pick up.”

He then listed out the reasons they didn’t take the foot off the pedal in attaching him: “I wanted to work with Shreyas. I’ve worked with him before and he is a great guy and a great player. He’ll be a great leader for our team if we decide to go that way, which I’m pretty sure we probably will. Obviously, he was the championship-winning captain last year. So there are lots of great things about bringing him to Punjab.”

He was the ideal player for Punjab’s reboot (the umpteenth time) under Ponting. A title-winning captain and a dashing batsman, who is reaching his peak years. Last two years, he has batted with more freedom and authority, added more strokes and eliminated some of the flaws in his game. He has matured into a shrewd leader too, someone who enjoys captaincy rather than seeing it as a burden. So teams that sought him—the other was Delhi Capitals, whereas KKR’s interest was fleeting—wanted a potential captain, preferably an Indian. Punjab were on a busy shopping spree, adding Arshdeep, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell among others.

In general, the auction was a triumph of proven Indian talents over hyped overseas counterparts. Five of the most expensive catches were all Indians (Pant, the Iyers, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal). There is a growing realisation within franchises that Indian batsmen and all-rounders are better investments than their overseas counterparts. For example, Liam Livingstone, who arguably has a better oeuvre of skills, but is prone to form fluctuations than say Venkatesh. Resultantly, no team bid for more than Rs 8.75 crore that RCB coughed up to secure him.

Some of the hitherto high-risers in auction were sold for relatively cheap sums. Glenn Maxwell cost Punjab only Rs 4.6 crore, CSK expended only Rs 4 crore for Rachin Ravindra (arguably the steal of the day) and Rs 6.25 crore for Devon Conway. Likewise, wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma earned Rs 11 crore whereas Quinton de Kock managed only Rs 3.60 crore. But the evening belonged to Pant and the two Iyers.