In a Batting-Friendly Format, IPL Franchises Give More Value to Bowlers in 2021 Auction

The highest-paid batsman on the list was Steve Smith who went for nearly at his base price - Rs 2.2 crore to Delhi Capitals.

The 2021 IPL Auction showered massive moolah on the players as Rs.145.30 crore were spent on Thursday in Chennai by the eight franchises. A total of 57 players were sold, of which 22 were overseas who interestingly received more hefty paycheques compared to their Indian counterparts.

South Africa fast-bowling allrounder Chris Morris had a day to remember as he shattered the IPL auction records commanding a whopping Rs 16.25 crore. It was Rajasthan Royals who decided to break the bank for the Proteas star in the quest to rejuvenate their side under new captain Sanju Samson.

Kylie Jamieson was the other fast-bowling allrounder who started an intense bidding war between several franchises, eventually, Royal Challengers Bangalore brought him for Rs 15 crore.

The 2021 IPL auction somehow made a statement that in a batting-friendly format, bowlers are getting more value than their nemesis. The highest-paid batsman on the list was Steve Smith who went nearly for his base price – Rs 2.2 crore to Delhi Capitals. While in the bowling category, it was Jhye Richardson who hit the pay dirt and was sold for Rs 14 crore to the renamed Punjab Kings.

The total amount spent by the franchises on batsmen was only Rs 6.6 crore, an average of around Rs 60 lakh/batsman. While, when it comes to the money the fast bowlers fetched in IPL 2021 Auction, it was Rs 41 crores at an average of around Rs 2.27 crore.

Looking at the allrounder’s category most of the bowling allrounders were targeted at a much higher price as Morris and Jamieson fetched Rs 16.25 crore and Rs 15 crore respectively. While Krishnappa Gowtham, Tom Curran also attracted massive bids with Rs 9.25 crore and Rs 5.25 crore.

In the batting allrounder category, Glenn Maxwell and Moeen Ali were the only players who drew significant interest as the Australian was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 14.25 crore while the Englishman got Rs 7 crore from Chennai Super Kings.

Interestingly some out-of-favour and uncapped bowlers fetched got more attention than some experienced batting campaigners. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Milne and Riley Mederith were sold for massive Rs 5 crore, Rs 3.2 crore and Rs 8 crore respectively. However, big-hitters like Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Aaron Finch, Alex Carey and Evin Lewis went unsold.

The fascinating numbers somehow suggest that the batting-friendly format is changing with the time as teams seem happy on spending more on quality bowlers.