The IPL-4 auctions has thrown in its share of surprises. On one hand, legends such as Brian Lara, Sourav Ganguly went unsold, players such as Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Robin Uthappa and Irfan Pathan made big bucks.
The auctions have shown that franchisees are willing to shell out money if they are convinced that a particular player will fit in their scheme of things. Deccan Chargers sport a fantastic side with players of the calibre of Kevin Pietersen, Dale Steyn, Cameron White and Kumar Sangakkara to name a few.
The Chargers have a good mix of pace and spin in their bowling department. When it comes to their batting, White and KP are the aggressors while Sangakkara can change gears at will. Sangakkara also is a superb wicket-keeper which only increases the options for the Chargers.
White is a useful all-rounder and could roll his arm for a few overs. But, the best pick was Steyn. He is the man in form and has done exceedingly well in the sub-continent conditions.
The Chargers arrived at the auction with a plan and executed it to perfection. Other teams too bid smartly but Mumbai Indians, I thought were at a slight disadvantage since they had spent a chunk of their money in the initial stages itself. That hampered their bid to some extent but they still have a great outfit in place.
While all the 10 teams look good on paper, it will be interesting to see how they perform on the field when the IPL-4 season starts in April.
The blogger is a student of Hyderabad Public School.