There is an absolute love affair of Indian cricket and money, and the Indian Premier League is a lottery of a sort for everyone involved with it. This has only been possible because of the unmatched craze for the game of Cricket in India.
A lot has been said about the IPL being a commercial event, and hampering the performance of the blue brigade in ICC events, but there is little, that is true about this.
The tagline of the IPL is, Where Talent meets opportunities, and my word it is true. The likes of Bumrah, Rahul, Surya, Siraj, and many more who have managed to knock the doors, and eventually make, not only an entry, but an impact for the national side.
The biggest positive of the IPL is, it breaks the barriers between the big guns of the game, and the new talents busting onto the scene, not only for India, but for world cricket as well.
It has been one and half decade and every time franchises break their bank for drafting some big names into their side. Sometimes, the players justify their price tag, and sometimes, it is the other way around.
The 15th edition was no different, and the franchises went big on players making them the million-dollar babies of the season. Let us see, that who went for whooping prices, and what are the chances of them, justifying the amount that they have got.
Sam Curran
Before the auction, there was a lot of talk about the English all-rounder going for big money, considering his efforts in making England the T20 World Champions.
The kings from Punjab won him in the bidding war for a whooping 18.5 crores, and considering the form and the composure that he showed in the last match against RR, give an indication that he is a good buy, and there is a fair chance of justifying the price tag, because of his all-round abilities.
Cameron Green
Next in the list is another all-rounder, but from down-under, Cameron Green. He was included in the team of the 5-times IPL champion, Mumbai Indians, for 17.5 crores. He also brings to the table, what Curran does, all-round abilities, and his big-hitting abilities as a plus. He was suffering from a back injury, and was away from the game for sometime before the commencement of the IPL. He can hit a long ball, and can also give you for overs. Looking for a like for like alternative for Hardik Pandya, Mumbai went big on Green.
KL Rahul
The Skip of Lucknow franchise, who was not retained, but was bought back by the team from the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, for a good 17 crores. It was his consistent batting and captaincy that helped Lucknow to reach the finals of the previous edition. Rahul, a player winning the orange cap, a few times has got all the goods to justify that, he is worth every penny spent on him.
Ben Stokes
It is nothing new for the Big Ben to bag big money in the IPL. He has been a million-dollar baby on several occasions before this as well. There was a bidding war between Rajasthan and Chennai, but Chennai came on top and bought him for 16.25 crores.
He captained England to a world cup win in the T-20 version, both with his all-round skills and also captaincy. But there is a doubt that will Stokes be able to bowl. If this is the case, his bat will have to do a lot of talking, to make a big impact on the league.
Nicholas Pooran
The Caribbean has produced some of the most stylish 6 hitting players, and this ability always counts big in the shortest format. The aggressive Nicholas Pooran was brought again by the Super Giants from Lucknow for 16 crores. For both his batting and keeping abilities.
And considering the talent that he has got, he can prove a good buy for the Lucknow franchise, and can also propel them to their maiden title, in only their second-season.
With a big price-tag, comes a big responsibility of justifying the same, and the franchises will be hoping the same from these big players.