Sameer Rizvi bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 8.4 crore. Delhi Capitals spent Rs 7.20 crore on Kumar Kushagra. Shubham Dubey cost Rajasthan Royals Rs 5.8 crore. Robin Minz went to Gujarat Titans for Rs 3.6 crore.
The chances are high that these players were unknown to the Indian cricket audience before the mini-auction for IPL 2024 held in Dubai. There are more like them. M Sidharth, Sushant Mishra and Sumit Kumar also got Rs 1 crore or more. Unheralded Indians getting big sums from IPL teams is not new. So many of them getting princely sums in one go is.
There is a notion that IPL teams often splurge money on players who are not worth that much. Records show there is truth in this. Many mega-buys have flopped. There is also a thought that astronomical sums create a false impression of ability. Even this is true to an extent. Quite a few have disappeared after showing initial spark.
But the fact is, IPL teams are wiser for the experience. They spend, but only after becoming 200 per cent sure. This investment is not made without sufficient research, scouting and travel to remote corners to see talent. The franchises know exactly what they are doing and what these players are capable of. The risk taken by handing out fat checks is a calculated one.
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The primary reason is simple. An IPL XI can only have four foreigners. The probability is high that the team with the best set of seven Indian players will do better. So the franchises have to pay attention to the domestic circuit and, by an extension of this, to the grassroots.
Many of those attracting big sums are not even regulars for their state teams. Rizvi, the Uttar Pradesh batter, has played two first-class matches, 11 List A games and T20s apiece. Dubey has played only a few more limited-over games for Vidarbha. Minz, the wicketkeeper from Jharkhand, has not played for his state at all. Mishra bowls left-arm medium. He got Rs 2.4 crore from Gujarat despite having played just four T20 games for Jharkhand.
This happens because scouts of the IPL teams watch these matches. One can find the likes of Parthiv Patel, RP Singh and other former India players at these events in non-descript venues. They are hired by the franchises to spot talent. Money is not spent before due diligence. Unknown to the fans these players may be. The franchises know what kind of potential they are betting on.
Another factor which has helped unearth so many talents, who are rewarded even before they have started performing on the big stage, is the proliferation of the state T20 leagues. The Karnataka Premier League, Tamil Nadu Premier League are well known and televised. These are professionally run, in all seriousness. Little wonder then that these two states produce so many IPL players.
Similar leagues have started in other states. That’s why there are so many players coming through from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The IPL scouts watch these and pluck the players they want before they have started playing regularly for their state teams. This is a demand-supply game dependent on procurement, where the team owners strive to be ahead of each other. The not-yet stars of domestic cricket are not complaining.
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