In Indian Premier League 2016 Auction, Old is 'Not' Gold
The likes of Mahela Jayawardene, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin and Tillakaratne Dilshan all went unsold in the first round of bidding in the Indian Premier League 2016 auction.
- Santosh Rao
- Updated: February 06, 2016 05:58 PM IST
They say 'Old is Gold', but this phrase seems to have been completely ignored by owners and coaches at the Indian Premier League 2016 auction. (Old Workhorses Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar Still in 'Wanted' List)
The likes of Mahela Jayawardene (Rs 1.5 crore), Michael Hussey (Rs 2 crore), Brad Haddin (Rs 1.5 crore) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (Rs 1.5 crore) all went unsold in the first round of bidding for the IPL season 9 on Saturday. (Watson, Yuvraj Singh Receive High Bids; Chris Morris, Mohit Sharma the Big Surprises)
The list of unsold players included Owais Shah (Rs 1 crore), David Hussey (Rs 1 Crore), Ravi Bopara (Rs 1 crore), Munaf Patel (Rs 50 lakh), Ajantha Mendis (Rs 50 Lakh) to name a few. This came in as bit of a surprise - maybe even for them, considering they were key members of various franchises in previous editions of the IPL. (Chris Morris Pulls Off a Seven-Star Stunner)
But such is the cold, hard truth of this format. You are on top of the world, on one day and on the other, only a footnote in the history pages.
Jayawardene, Michael Hussey, his brother David, Brad Haddin - were all part of the recently concluded Big Bash League, and had even done well for their respective teams.
However, the only thing they got in the first round was a cold shoulder from all teams. Maybe, their base price was too high for the owners and maybe they are picked in the next round, where they will all go under the hammer again. But there is no denying their fall from grace.