Winners and Losers of IPL Auction 2013

The lone million-dollar man at the IPL auction, Glenn Maxwell was playing for Australia against the West Indies as the news would have filtered through. Unsurprisingly his performances went up after being valued at a million, ultimately picking up 4 wickets in the Australian victory in the 2nd ODI. Glenn Maxwell's stock has risen over the past year, and has found himself a place in the Australian Test squad for their tour of India. He was a constant fixture during the World Twenty20 campaign and the 24-year-old is primed to serve the Mumbai Indians in IPL 6. Glenn Maxwell holds the record for the fastest one-day fifty in Australia's domestic history. The Victoria batsman achieved the feat when he struck a 19-ball half-century against Tasmania during 2010-11 season.

Ajantha Mendis (Pune Warriors $725,000)

He may no longer be a 'mystery' to batsmen, but Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis possess match-winning abilities as he demonstrated at the T20 World Cup. Mendis previously played in the IPL in 2008-09 for defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. Mendis was a rather surprise sought-after player but ultimately went for $725,000 to big-spenders, Pune Warriors India.

Kane Richardson (Pune Warriors $700,000) At 21 years of age Kane Richardson had a dream come true when he represented Australia in a solitary One Day International in the recently concluded series versus Sri Lanka. He was probably fast asleep  at home when the news would have filtered through to South Australia that Richardson was involved in a massive bidding war at the IPL 6 auction. The raises for the young lad came fast and large with the Pune franchise ultimately snapping the youngster for a whopping $700,000. For a player in the infancy of his career, Richardson has an opportunity to make a name on the world stage. With his notable contributions in the lower-middle-order Richardson has the makings of a stupendous T20 player. The Australian pace stock may be large, but Richardson has age on his side to become an Australian legend.

Abhishek Nayar (Pune Warriors $675,000)

Having recently tasted Ranji success with Mumbai, Abhishek Nayar's year just got a whole lot better after being the recipient of a $675,000 successful bid from the Pune Warriors for IPL 6. The southpaw is a veteran of the IPL, having previously represented Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab. He has been a key player in first-class cricket in the past few seasons, averaging 57.16 with the bat and 30.02 with the ball.


Thisara Perera (Hyderabad Sunrisers $675,000)

The Sri Lankan all-rounder is a power-hitter with the bat and can pitch in with the ball as well. He has represented Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and the now-defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in past seasons of the IPL but has flattered to deceive. The burden of his price tag will be on Perera's shoulders as will the responsibility of playing for the newest IPL side. Thisara Perera is on his last IPL legs and he will be pressured to deliver.

Christopher Morris (Chennai Super Kings $625,000)

There was a moment during the IPL auction where one would have been forgiven to asume that the bidding was for either Ricky Ponting or Michael Clarke. Yet it was the unheralded Chris Morris, with a cheap base price of 20,000, who sent the franchises into a tizzy. Mumbai Indians, Hyderabad Sunrisers and Chennai Super Kings fought with their batons, with Chennai placing the winning $625,000 bid. Morris will join his fellow Saffer Albie Morkel at the most successful side in IPL history. An all-rounder by profession Morris has played just the solitary T20 for South Africa. At 25 years of age and an IPL contract under his belt, Christopher Henry Morris is looking at a bright future.


Those who didn't make the cut:

Aaron Finch

The Player of the Series in the 2012-13 season of Australia's Big Bash League, Aaron Finch was a shocking non-candidate for franchises at the IPL auction. Finch has recently found his way into the Australian ODI side and is in a rich vein of T20 form. The fact that no team was ready to pay his rather low bast price of $200,000 raises more questions that answers.

Matt Prior

With his recent experience of playing in India, one would have assumed that Prior would have been an automatic selection for any franchise. He is one of the top keepers in the world and can clear most grounds with his strokeplay. But with every franchise boasting a recognised keeper, Prior will need to wait until next years IPL, to have a shot at the T20 extravaganza.

Ravi Bopara

Like Prior, Bopara has the ungamely distinction of being unsold for two successive auctions. Yet, his all-round abilities would arguably bear dividends for any T20 side. But Bopara, with a rather steep base price of $200,000, commanded no bidders and no interest at the auction. It would seem that the abundance of cheaper all-rounders cost Bopara a shot at IPL 6.

Vernon Philander

Despite being the second fastest player to reach 50 Test wickets, no franchise decided to take a punt on South African pace sensation Vernon Phiander. Among the many surprises of the day, Philander was stamped 'unsold' while many rookie pacers commanded some exorbitant fees. To counter however, Philander rarely features for the Proteas in the limited-overs formats, with his talents focused solely in the Test arena.