The dust has settled down after two days of fierce bidding war in Bengaluru and the jury is still out on which franchise has stacked up the best squads. The IPL auctions of the past have witnessed many a life changing moment for the players.
IPL 2018
How the IPL Auction has evolved
Batons were raised again and again, bids were beaten, players were acquired and full squads were formed in a two-day mega event in 2018 © BCCI
In 2008, a young Ishant Sharma became a near-millionaire earning more than the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Ricky Ponting & Matthew Hayden. Brian Lara and Sourav Ganguly were overlooked in 2011 while a relatively unknown Saurabh Tiwary became a millionare overnight. Chris Gayle found no takers, but he returned in middle of the tournament to finish as the highest run-getter of the season and redefine the batting in the shortest format.
T20 cricket was still at its infancy when the IPL began in 2008. Ten years on, the format has evolved and the league is now its cash cow, as well as the vehicle for development. The teams have become smarter with the help of data analysis, and terms like balls per boundary and dot-ball percentage have gained prominence in cricket's vocabulary ahead of averages and strike rates.
If it was star power which earned big bucks in 2008, T20 skills came into the fore in the next few auctions. Availability of players was a key metric for some years next, but with IPL now almost having a separate window in FTP, that issue seems to be sorted out. With