Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has reacted to the ongoing debate about the future of mega-auctions in the Indian Premier League. The subject has been making rounds ever since the next edition of the cash-rich league is scheduled and has expectedly created a lot of controversy amongst the franchises and the cricket pundits. Notably, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and some other teams are against conducting another mega-auction.
However, according to several reports, the Punjab Kings have been pitching for a full-fledged overhaul of teams and have written to BCCI to include a mega auction before the next season of IPL. The final call will lie with the BCCI but the chances of a mega-auction are pretty high. On this very matter, Aakash Chopra felt that some franchises, especially those that haven’t tasted success in the IPL yet—such as Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bangalore—will jump at this idea of a mega-auction.
Aakash Chopra felt that, for these teams, a mega-auction would be seen as an opportunity to reset the squad and build up a successful combination once and for all. He further reminded them that despite these auctions every three to five years, the teams have not been able to win the IPL title on any of the occasions.
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“Some franchises argue, ‘How will we win if you don’t allow the reset or reboot button to be pressed? Our current team isn’t good enough, and we want to dismantle it completely. We might keep a few players and release the rest, starting afresh. Otherwise, it’s unfair because you have to hold a mega-auction every third or fifth year,’ they argue,” Aakash Chopra explained on his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra further added that it is the Punjab Kings—along with possibly Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore—who must be behind the mega-auction more strongly. He jokingly asked them what the logic was when, despite the mega-auctions happening every few years, these franchises have not been able to win an IPL title.
“You haven’t won even though it was happening every three or five years,” the 46-year-old commentator added. More importantly, Aakash Chopra felt that frequent mega-auctions would dissuade franchises from investing in a player for the long term.
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“The good teams in IPL invest a lot in player development. They have an academy, sometimes even more than one, and they groom talent for the future. But with constant mega-auctions, the teams’ interest in these investments will go,” he said. “If you keep playing auction-auction repeatedly, IPL franchises won’t be interested at all in investing in any player,” he concluded.
Chopra’s statement throws light on the perpetual tug of war between stability and an urge for newness in the entire IPL set-up. While the debate is still rumbling, with franchises and fans alike awaiting a final verdict from the BCCI, the future of mega-auctions has come under scrutiny.
