CHENNAI: It’s payback time. Cricket’s most lucrative tournament is about big bucks being shelled out for players expected to deliver. With millions of dollars put up by team-owners at auctions, there is no room for sentiment. Offering value for money remains the bottom-line in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Not surprisingly, in each edition of the tournament, while lesser known players have snatched their share of the limelight, heavyweights have found their reputations dented. Season V promises the same thrills and spills. Quite a few marquee names, with fat pay cheques to their names, are yet to make a mark.
With the league approaching mid-stage, and the fight for positions on the points table building up, there is bound to be chopping and changing in teams, with even established names being forced to sit on the bench—Murali Vijay of Chennai Super Kings, with a Rs. 4.68-crore auction price and 31 runs in five matches, presents such a case.
Equally, there will be criticism. Kolkata Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir, disappointed with stars in his team being unable to deliver even in favourable situations, has told them to “take up responsibility” or face “drastic decisions”. Most worrying for Gambhir has been the form of Yusuf Pathan. Arguably the biggest disappointment this season, Yusuf, with a Rs. 10.92-crore price tag and the fastest century in the IPL to his credit, has managed a mere 23 runs in six matches at Rs. 17.81 lakh per run. Team-owner Shah Rukh Khan wouldn’t be amused.
Then there is Virat Kohli. With 113 runs in six matches, India’s new vice-captain in limited-overs cricket has under-performed. Other top Indian names who have failed to fire include Harbhajan Singh, who has just one wicket in five matches and a Rs. 6.76-crore seasonal salary; Praveen Kumar, who is yet to take a wicket for Kings XI Punjab in six matches but has a Rs. 4.16-crore pay cheque.