Common Link Between CSK and GT: The IPL 2023 mini-auctions are around the corner. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the auctions as there are few big-ticket names this time around. Franchises will be keen to get their act right. The hype around a team starts generating right from the auctions. Hence it becomes imperative that the teams get their moves right. But it isn’t always the case where the battle is intense and everyone is vying for the same prize.
Big ticket teams at auction always fair well?
In the inaugural auction in 2008, it was Deccan Chargers who dominated the narrative. They assembled an enviable quartet. The Chargers had acquired Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, and Shahid Afridi.
There was no way they could not finish at the top. But the Chargers managed to do just that. They finished eighth in the points table among 8 teams who played in the first edition. The result was evidence enough that a good auction doesn’t necessarily translate into a good season.
The Chennai Super Kings of 2018:
They are one of the most consistent teams in the IPL. Their consistency is not just limited to on-field performances but also consistency in selection. CSK was coming into the IPL in 2018 after a two-year hiatus. There was a lot of glare about how they would go about their business.
The 2018 auction was a mega auction where teams planned for the future. Teams like Delhi invested heavily in the youth during that auction. But CSK to everyone’s surprise picked players who were either retired from international cricket or were at the fag end of their careers.
The dad’s army:
Their team was mockingly called the dad’s army as the average age of the team was on the other side of the 30s. Nobody gave their team any chance of even qualifying for the playoffs leave alone winning the trophy. But CSK in their comeback season did just that.
They went on to win the trophy in 2018 and were runners-up in 2019, they had a bad season in 2020 but bounced back strongly to win again in 2021. CSK effectively won two trophies in that cycle with a team that many had given up on.
The curious case of Gujarat Titans:
Once again it was a mega auction that resulted in a team being ridiculed endlessly. The newcomers Gujarat Titans had picked a team that on paper seemed to be devoid of match winners.
They had backed people who were on the fringe of national selection but weren’t mainstays. Cricket experts and fans had ranked them the last in their pre-season predictions. But to everyone’s surprise, Gujarat Titans went on to win the title in their very first season.
The common link between the CSK and GT – :
CSK and GT proved that it is the trust in the players that eventually pays off. They didn’t necessarily have the best of auctions conventionally but ended up bagging the biggest prize!
