CHENNAI: In the lead-up to the mini auction, the talks were inevitably about who would be the most expensive player and how far teams would go with the purse. The names that were discussed included overseas stars Shabnim Ismail, Chamari Athapaththu, Danni Wyatt, Annabel Sutherland and so on. There was a very valid reason for it.
However, as it is often the case, the auction in Mumbai on Saturday threw a bit of a surprise. Australia all-rounder Sutherland was the joint-most expensive player, with Delhi Capitals signing her for Rs 2 crore, but joining her was a young, up and coming pacer from Chandigarh — Kashvee Gautam — as Gujarat Giants spent the same amount.
The name will ring a bell. She was the same pacer who took all ten wickets in an innings against Arunachal Pradesh in an U-19 One-Day meet three years ago. In the time since, Kashvee has come a long way as she got her maiden India-A call-up and bowled well in the recent series against England A. While she was always going to be signed, the battle to secure her services between Royal Challengers, Giants, UP Warriorz was something to watch.
After Sutherland and Kashvee came Vrinda Dinesh, an aggressive Karnataka batter who was expected to get picked, and the contest was between UP and GG before the former signed her for Rs 1.3 crores. Two Indian uncapped players getting signed for more than a crore is something no one would have had on their auction bingo. If this came as a surprise, what came as a shock was Chamari not getting picked. The Sri Lanka captain was also ignored by The Hundred. In the WBBL, she was not signed initially, but came on as injury replacement and finished as the Player of the Tournament. While it seemed like they did not want to get into a bidding war early on, Chamari was expected to come back in an accelerated auction, but that wasn't the case.
India international Devika Vaidya also did not get a team in the auction. Former West Indies all-rounder Deandra Dottin also did not get picked. But there were a few overseas signings like Phoebe Litchfield (Rs 1 crore to GG), Danni Wyatt (Rs 30 lakh for UPW), Georgia Wareham (Rs 40 lakh for RCB), Kate Cross (Rs 30 lakh for RCB). ICC Associate Cricketer of the past decade Kathryn Bryce became the first Scotland player to get a chance as she was signed by Giants for Rs 10 lakh. While the auction was an indication of how teams operate — while DC (Sutherland) and Mumbai (Ismail) went all out for their target — RCB bid for only a few players and got them — it also said something else. With the number of players who were not picked, there could be scope for at least one more team or an increase in purse for next year.
However, the bottom line of this auction was one thing. It is about the number of lives the tournament has already changed.
Take the case of Kerala all-rounder S Sajana, who has been toiling in the domestic circuit for more than a decade. She has captained the state, played the challengers on several occasions. She has had to struggle to stay in sport. Sajana was speechless when she was signed by Mumbai for Rs 15 lakh. "I don't think I would have earned this much in playing all these years," she said. "When you are playing for these many years, it is the opportunity that matters more. Playing for India has been my life's dream. In the past, there have been occasions where I didn't get chances despite doing well, but I kept faith and now I have got a chance," she added.
Sajana isn't alone, Gouher Sultana has been playing senior domestic cricket since the mid 2000s. The 35-year-old left-arm spinner has played for several teams, including India, and is a household name among the players. She will be showing all her experience in WPL for UPW. Similarly, another experienced left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht, after a good domestic season, was snapped by RCB and Veda Krishnamurthy will be playing for GG. After giving it all for the sport, it seems fitting for them to get a chance at this stage.
To summarise, despite the unpredictability and the chaos, this auction was a representation of the good health and the abundant player pool in the country. The rise of youngsters on one side, and the value of experience on the other. Now, there is only one direction to go — upwards.
