Price is heavy… Performance is disappointing.
Expecting a ‘value for money’ performance from a player who secured an unexpected price at the IPL auction is sheer greed! In the history of this league that started in 2008, there have been no instances where players who became the ‘most expensive player’ in the auction process have delivered performances that made everyone say ‘where are they…’. The truth has been evident since 2009. When England’s giant Flintoff was bought by Chennai for ₹9 crores in 2009, he scored just 62 runs and took 2 wickets in three matches. As a result, Chennai did not dare to play him in subsequent matches. In the same season, when Bangalore purchased Kevin Pietersen for ₹9.8 crores, he managed only 62 runs in 6 innings. The list continues with Yuvraj in 2015, Ishan Kishan in 2022, and Ben Stokes in 2023. The same situation seems to be unfolding this season. In the auction process held last December, Rishabh Pant hit a record jackpot of ₹27 crores, but his story is the same. So far this season, Pant has played three matches and has only scored 17 runs. He was dismissed for a duck in the first match against Delhi and then got out for just 15 runs in the match against Hyderabad. Recently, in the match against Punjab, he could only manage 2 runs.
Price is heavy…Performance is Disappointing
