IPL auction fever up but profitability doubts remain

20 February, 2008

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India's Twenty20 format Indian Premier League conducts player auction on February 20, 2008, doubts have been cast about the massive media attention and the huge pay-outs for players as well as the profitability of the tournament.

Indian Premier League, which kicks off on April 18, 2008, will have 59 matches spread over 44 days and eight cities.

Eighty international players are on the block for the teams to bid for on February 20, 2008. Team franchises will have the option to get a maximum of eight international players for $5 million.

That cap would be a deterrent as teams can't go for many top draws like Dhoni and Gilchrist as it would be a drag on their power to buy the six more they can afford to.

But the mix of the teams can play spoilsport with local sentiments.

How many fans would digest a scenario in which Harbhajan Singh teams up with Andrew Symonds?

Another moot question is whether the frenzy generated by the national team would remain when players are scattered across geographies.

Despite these apprehensions, IPL is moving ahead with player auction on Wednesday, February 20, 2008.

Indian One Day International Captain M S Dhoni is apparently topping the wish list of many teams, media reports say. Dhoni has been set a base price of $400000.

Sachin, Sourav, Dravid and Yuvraj, who are not up for auction, are set to play for Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chandigarh and would bag 15 percent more money than the highest paid in their respective sides.

So if any of these teams bag Dhoni, one of the above mentioned will benefit immensely, by bagging 15 percent more than him.

Australian players are high on demand, but uncertainty regarding their Pakistan tour is a cause of worry. Aussie players are reportedly keen to play in the cash rich Indian league, citing security concerns due to the political turmoil in Pakistan.

This has also prompted complaints that such tournaments would distract players from their commitment towards their respective national sides.

Also Cricket Australia has capped the number of their players who can appear in the same side to two.

Nathan Bracken, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Simon Katich, and Cameron White are reportedly the contracted players of IPL.

Retired Aussie stars Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, McGrath, Justin Langer and Gillespie are expected to be present for the entire tournament and hence are in great demand.

But some reports say Haddin and Mitchell Johnson have decided against playing for IPL.

Meanwhile, a race is on to bag the coaches also, with former Aussie international and Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody set to coach them. The team is owned by industrialist Ness Wadia and Bollywood star Priety Zinta.

The hype regarding Twenty20 was basically triggered by the World Cup win in 2007. This time, the Indian team is returning after a not-so-successful trip to Australia, unless they win the Tri-series currently on in Australia.

There hasn't been much of a response to the Indian Cricket League promoted by the Zee Group, despite the presence of international stars like Brian Lara.

Broadcasters too have bet solidly on IPL, on par with the Twenty20 world cup. A ten second slot is slated to cost advertisers 2.25 lakh Indian rupees.