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ESPNcricinfo reviews the best and the worst buys from this IPL in terms of money spent on players and how they performed

Hemant Brar13-May-20192:02

The best and worst buys of IPL 2019

Value for moneyJonny Bairstow (Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 2.2 crore)
(Mat: 10, Runs: 445, Ave: 55.62, SR: 157.24, Ct: 9, St: 2)There was never any doubt about Bairstow’s ability, and at a price tag of INR 2.2 crore, he proved to be a steal for Sunrisers. Excluding the inaugural 2008 season, no batsman has scored more runs than Bairstow in his maiden IPL. Among those with at least 300 runs this season, only Andre Russell (204.81), Hardik Pandya (191.42) and Rishabh Pant (162.66) had a higher strike rate than his 157.24. With David Warner, he added 791 runs for the opening stands, including four century and three half-century stands, which were largely responsible in Sunrisers making to the playoffs.Ishant Sharma (Delhi Capitals, INR 1.1 crore)
(Mat: 13, Wkts: 13, Ave: 26.84, Econ: 7.58)Ishant had gone unsold in the 2018 auction, but this season – after being bought by Capitals – he translated his red-ball form into T20s. Primarily used in Powerplays, he picked up eight wickets at an economy rate of 6.85 in that phase. Apart from finding some seam movement with the new ball, he made good use of his latest weapon, the knuckle ball. It was his performances in the first six overs that allowed Capitals to use Kagiso Rabada at the death.Keemo Paul (Delhi Capitals, INR 50 lakh)
(Mat: 8, Wkts: 9, Ave: 26.33, Econ: 8.72)In a bowling attack led by Rabada and Ishant, and backed by the spin duo of Amit Mishra and Axar Patel, Keemo Paul was impressive as the fifth bowler. Before the Qualifier 2, he had nine wickets from seven games at an average of 20.88 and an economy rate of 7.77. He saved his best for Sunrisers. In the away league game, he picked up 3 for 17 in a Man-of-the-Match performance, and in the Eliminator, he scored the winning boundary apart from taking 3 for 32.BCCIRiyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals, INR 20 lakh)
(Mat: 7, Runs: 160, Ave: 32, SR: 126.98, Wkts: 2, Ave: 60.50, Econ: 8.64)Perhaps one of the finds of the season. After Parag’s calm and composed 43 off 29 in a chase against Mumbai Indians, Steven Smith tipped the 17-year-old for a bright future. Parag backed Smith’s statement with the scores of 47 and 50 against Kolkata Knight Riders and Capitals respectively, the fifty making him the youngest half-centurion in the IPL. He also showed he could bowl everything from legbreaks to googlies, carrom balls and cutters. In short, he was the rare bright light in Royals’ otherwise gloomy season.M Ashwin (Kings XI Punjab, INR 20 lakh)
(Mat: 10, Wkts: 5, Ave: 51, Econ: 7.50)A mere five wickets from ten games may not tell the full story, but with Varun Chakravarthy and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struggling with injuries, M Ashwin proved to be a more than handy foil for Kings XI captain R Ashwin. With the intelligent use of his variations, M Ashwin strangled opposition batsmen and was the second-most economical bowler for his side in the tournament, giving away only 7.50 runs per over. His 2 for 25 against Mumbai at home set up an eight-wicket win for his side.High on price, low on performanceJaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals, INR 8.4 crore)
(Mat: 11, Wkts: 10, Ave: 39.80, Econ: 10.66)The most expensive buy of IPL 2019 – along with Varun – Unadkat was bought back by Royals for more than five times his base price (INR 1.5 crore). Unadkat had said he would work his “pants off” to wash away the disappointment of 2018 where he was the most expensive Indian buy ever in the IPL, but couldn’t convert it into performances on the field. However, for the second season in a row, Unadkat failed to live up to the expectation of being an effective left-arm seamer who can bowl at the death. Out of the 11 innings he bowled in, only thrice he conceded less than nine an over and only once picked more than a wicket.Varun Chakravarthy (Kings XI Punjab, INR 8.4 crore)
(Mat: 1, Wkts: 1, Ave: 35, Econ: 11.66)Impressive numbers in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and a truckload of varieties helped Varun fetch a hefty amount – 42 times his base price of INR 20 lakh – during the auction. But a shoulder injury kept him out of the action initially and when he eventually played, Sunil Narine carted the debutant all over the park. Varun ended up conceding 25 from his first over, the worst debut over in IPL history. To add to his woes, he then broke his finger and was ruled out of the IPL shortly afterwards.Colin Ingram hits over the leg side•BCCIColin Ingram (Delhi Capitals, INR 6.4 crore)
(Mat: 12, Runs: 184, Ave: 18.40, SR: 119.48)Ingram has made his name in various T20 leagues across the world batting mostly at No. 3. But with Capitals having a strong Indian top order – consisting of Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer – Ingram was almost always forced to bat at No. 5 or lower. The two times he batted higher – at No. 4 – Ingram scored 47 off 32 and 22 off 21 but mostly looked out of position down the order.Shivam Dube (Royal Challengers Bangalore, INR 5 crore)
(Mat: 4, Runs: 40, Ave: 13.33, SR: 121.21, Wkts: 0)Given his six-hitting ability, Dube was expected to be the finisher Royal Challengers Bangalore were looking for. A tall left-hand batsman who can also bowl right-arm medium would have lent the side the required balance. But a couple of failures meant Dube was overlooked after Royal Challengers’ third match into the season. In the second half of the IPL, he returned to play one more game, but his 24 off 16 against Capitals didn’t prove enough to fetch him another chance. With the ball, he bowled just 1.4 overs in all and didn’t pick any wicket.Prabhsimran Singh (Kings XI Punjab, INR 4.8 crore)
(Mat: 1, Runs: 16, Ave: 16.00, SR: 94.11)A hard-hitting wicketkeeper-batsman, Prabhsimran had shown glimpses of his talent with a 37-ball 65 against Sri Lanka in the Under-19 Asia Cup final and then with a 20-ball 54 against Mumbai in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. However, with KL Rahul keeping for Kings XI in the IPL, Prabhsimran’s wicketkeeping abilities became redundant and the team management didn’t trust him enough as a specialist batsman. As a result, just like Varun, he also played only one game but the duo’s combined price tag of INR 13.2 crore burned a massive hole in franchise’s pocket.

It was a reassuringly predictable squad for England, but there were a couple of difficult conversations for selector James Whitaker to have

George Dobell25-Apr-2017Squad lists, like flights and trips to the dentist, are probably better if they don’t contain surprises.So, whereas, in the past, England have tended to abandon long-held plans at the last moment – think of the 2015 World Cup, where Eoin Morgan took over as captain at the last minute, Gary Ballance was drafted into the team and Chris Woakes replaced as new-ball bowler – the squad announced for the Champions Trophy is wonderfully predictable.So there is no repetition of 2011, when Steven Davies – pencilled in as opening batsman and wicketkeeper – was replaced by Matt Prior at the last minute (a decision branded as “poor thinking” and “unhealthy” by the then captain Andrew Strauss in the book 28 Days Data; “The team was relatively settled,” Strauss said. “And that just sent shockwaves through it.”)And there is no repetition of 1999, when Nick Knight was replaced by Nasser Hussain, or the World T20 of 2010 when England stumbled across a winning format at the last moment.

England one-day squads

• England squad for Champions Trophy and South Africa series Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

• Squad for Ireland ODIs Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Sam Billings, Ben Duckett, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, Mark Wood

It all means England should go into the event with a settled squad who know their specific roles. In a format where role definition and experience is so important, it bodes well.Whether it justifies the bookies’ – well, Bet 365’s anyway – decision to make England the favourites for the tournament is debatable. They have never won a global List A event – though they have made it to the finals on five occasions – and they face significant competition. Whatever happens, they have made impressive progress since the 2015 World Cup and they go into their event with confidence high.Perhaps Liam Dawson or Steven Finn might feel unfortunate not to be in the squad. But it probably wasn’t necessary to include three spinners for a tournament in England (and Wales) in June and Jake Ball, who has just been awarded an incremental contract, has moved above Finn in the selectors’ minds by virtue of his greater variations with the ball.Changes could, in theory, still happen. England have the opportunity to alter the squad without ICC approval until May 25, but James Whitaker, the national selector, has confirmed that, even if the likes of Ben Duckett (who is included for the Ireland games but omitted from the Champions Trophy squad) scores a double-century in both ODIs against Ireland, he will not force his way into the Champions Trophy squad. Only in the case of injuries will changes be made and only those in the Champions Trophy squad will be invited on the training camp to Spain in mid-May.Whitaker described the conversation informing Finn he would not be included as “the trickiest” but admitted that Jonny Bairstow was also “disappointed” to learn that Sam Billings had been preferred as wicketkeeper for the ODIs against Ireland. “Clearly he thought he would be given a go again,” Whitaker said. “But it gives him a chance to concentrate on his batting again.””It is tough on Steven, because he’s a highly capped international,” Whitaker said. “But we feel we’ve picked the best available for what they need to do. He was disappointed but he’s still a young guy and has plenty of years to keep pushing for a place. We felt Jake’s variation and good new-ball skills gave him the edge.”Jonny Bairstow’s position in the wicketkeeping pecking was one of few contentious issues in England selections•AFPBearing in mind that Mark Wood, David Willey and Liam Plunkett are all returning from injuries at present (Plunkett is expected to play this weekend) there remains a chance that Finn could be recalled as an injury replacement.While Whitaker suggested the decision to give the gloves to Billings was just “to have a look at him” – “We’re purely giving Sam the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of the captain,” he said – and insisted “it doesn’t necessarily follow” that Billings would keep in the Champions Trophy if Jos Buttler was injured, it does seem part of a longer-term policy. At the end of the ODI series in the Caribbean, Paul Farbrace – who is not officially a selector but is highly influential as the assistant coach – expressed a view that he thought Billings was now the No. 2 keeper in white-ball cricket.Perhaps a couple of young players will feel aggrieved, too. Both Tom Curran and Liam Livingstone were discussed by the selectors and surely have a future in international cricket. It may well be that the T20 series against South Africa, or the ODIs against West Indies at the end of the season, present an opportunity to rest some players and provide opportunities for others.”Liam is a very good player,” Whitaker said. “And he’ll keep knocking on the door. But we felt that to keep the order and integrity, Ben Duckett should get the nod for Ireland.”Tom was talked about but he’s now in the next generation, making headway. He made a good impact on the Lions tour. We recognise him and his brother Sam as talented cricketers.”It all left Whitaker feeling “very confident”.”This squad have earned the right to be selected and Eoin Morgan has done a very good job as captain,” he said. “We’re very happy that we’re in a good place. We’re very confident.”The only time Whitaker stumbled was explaining the decision to rest Bairstow from the early rounds of the County Championship having made him available for the IPL.”Well, that’s something we have no control over,” he said. “I don’t know how to answer that. We are comfortable with it. I haven’t thought about what sort of message it sends out.”It is not a major issue now. But if Bairstow is a non-playing member of the Champions Trophy squad – and there is every chance he will be – he could reach the Test series against South Africa having played two first-class games this year and only one of them against a red ball.In terms of the Champions Trophy, though, England are better placed then seemed possible when they departed the World Cup two years ago. And the fact that the squad – the team, even – is predictable at this stage reflects well on the form of the players and the consistency of the management.

At least South Africa had Dean Elgar. On a day in which the ghosts of India came back to haunt them they did not have much else

Firdose Moonda in Durban28-Dec-2015At least South Africa had Dean Elgar.On a day in which the ghosts of India came back to haunt them so vividly that they could not even get past their highest total from that tour (214), at least Elgar exorcised his own demon.He smoked out the spirit that saw him get starts in all seven innings in India before squandering them and gave South Africa an inch of safety. Of all the questions they are now facing – and there are many – at least they have one answer.

Elgar hopes for character

Dean Elgar could not escape the reality that South Africa are staring at a fourth defeat in five matches and the prospect of falling behind in a home series they cannot lose if they are to keep their No. 1 ranking.
“We have to try and chase down or block out possibly four sessions and get a draw out of this – it will show great character,” he said. “The Test series in India didn’t give anyone much confidence.”
South Africa were exposed in what they have termed “extreme” conditions as they attempted to rebuild following months of inactivity and retirements of key players.
“We have a new batting line-up and sometimes it takes a little longer to find your feet. We are very capable of turning out and playing in home conditions, I am sure it’s going to work out for us,” Elgar said. “We don’t play a lot of Test cricket. If we played as much as the English, we wouldn’t have to worry about when our next Test series is. We have a lot of lay-off time.”
The extended break between the retirement of Alviro Petersen in January this year left little time to test an opening partner for Elgar. South Africa promoted a regular No. 3, Stiaan van Zyl, but he only had two innings on a rain-hit Bangladesh tour before looking the weakest link in India. He was replaced by Temba Bavuma in the final match.
With Bavuma still in the squad and specialist opener Steven Cook scoring runs at the Lions, van Zyl’s future could hang on the second innings. “It’s a new role for him and he is very capable of doing the role. A lot of senior guys are on his side,” Elgar said.
“When we came home from India we spoke about going back to basics and that really hit home with me. India didn’t do us a lot of confidence but it did me the world of good. Sometimes your comfort zone needs to get broken a bit.”

Since taking over the opening position permanently 13 Tests ago, Elgar has racked up three centuries and three fifties. He averages 44.58 and has gone from being a sprog to a senior.At Kingsmead, he stubbornly stood his ground for six hours and 26 minutes, spread over two days, and showed mental strength his team-mates have struggled to find, becoming the first South Africa opener to carry his bat since Gary Kirsten against Pakistan in 1997.Understandably, not all of it was pretty and even less of it was perfect. Of the 246 balls Elgar faced and 66 scoring shots he had, only four stand out: his first boundary – an assertive push through point; his milestone moment – a swot over mid-on to bring up fifty; and two pin-point on-drives on the third morning. But the beauty of this knock was in the bruises.The 10th ball Elgar faced found its way onto his forearm after he shaped up too early to play the pull. The 59th he faced, when his strike rate hovered a touch under 40%, was fielded so fiercely that the return throw stuck him on the small of the back. In between that, Elgar watched his opening partner and his captain fall; after that, he took two more blows to the arm and the hand from Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes respectively.If felt any pain from any of those, he did not let it show. What would have hurt more was watching his batting partners form a procession to and from the pitch.For a brief period, Elgar found someone else with some staying power in AB de Villiers and was immediately more comfortable. Their partnership was the highest of the South African innings and a study in contrasts – the difference between a classically-trained chef and a home-cooking enthusiast.What Elgar lacked in finesse, de Villiers provided; what de Villiers lacked in bloody mindedness, Elgar provided. When they were separated by a good ball from Stuart Broad and questionable shot selection from de Villiers, South Africa lost their best chance of getting close to the England score. But they had not lost their only chance because Elgar clung on.He did not panic when Faf du Plessis left him to finish day two alongside Temba Bavuma and he did not panic when Bavuma and then JP Duminy left him with the tail after five-and-a-half overs on day three. Perhaps most importantly, he played spin better than anyone else. Even without the delicate touches that flexible wrists and soft hands can provide, Elgar did well to get forward, smother the turn, ignored any instinctive aggression which could have caused him to do something reckless and stayed industrious.He was rewarded for that with his fourth and probably hardest-fought century, the strain of which splattered on his face when he celebrated. Elgar allowed himself to let go. He repeatedly punched the air with his fists while he let it out with his breath. He pulled on the Protea badge with passion while he pointed towards his peers as trying to tell them, “You’ve still got me, and I’ve got all your backs.” He may even have glanced to where his predecessor Graeme Smith looked a proud parent.Then he went back to batting with match awareness and maturity, something this South African side needs. They lack for leadership because both Amla and du Plessis’ confidence has crashed, de Villiers is wrapped up in the retirement rumours doing the rounds and Steyn is injured again. That has left Morne Morkel, who has done his bit with the ball, and Elgar to fill a void. As a result, Elgar’s relative inexperience has been erased.At just 22 Tests old, he is already a go-to man, sometimes even with ball in hand. Elgar carried more of the load than the man South Africa have trumped up as an allrounder in the making, JP Duminy, who has only bowled one over in the match. Elgar has delivered 14, even if in that department he did not really make a difference.England have taken the sort of lead which will require South Africa to confront and conquer the ghosts of India again if they are to avoid falling behind in the series. At least they have Elgar. The problem is that he may also end up being the most they have.