The new concept is unlikely to find favour with many of the franchises © Associated Press
Related Links
News : Franchises fine-tune plans before auction
News : 66 overseas players in final IPL auction list
Series/Tournaments: Indian Premier League
An important question ahead of Tuesday's IPL auction is: If there are equal bids for a player, how do you break the deadlock? After weeks of uncertainty, the league has finally devised a 'silent tiebreaker bid' that, according to the organisers, would end the impasse. The proposal, though, has met with objections from various franchises.
The method may be used in a scenario where a player has attracted the maximum bid - each franchise has a cap of US$750,000 in total to spend at the auction - from more than one franchise. The franchises would then have to put in a separate, additional bid - to which there will be no cap - to break the tie. Whoever submits the higher additional bid will get the player. However, the controversial part is that the additional amount would go to the IPL and not the player.
To simplify the new rule: take an example where two teams are bidding for a player at $750,000. Both would then be asked to submit a fresh bid. In case one of the two submits a new bid of $800,000, the player still receives $750,000 and the additional $50,000 goes to the IPL.
Understandably, the franchises are reluctant to shell out more money, especially when they know the investment would last only till the end of the year. The proposal was suggested to the franchises on Saturday but most of them objected because they strictly do not want to spend more than the $750,000 purse available to them for the auction on January 19.
"Most of the franchises are not at all happy with it and objected to the proposal on the basic principle that the sanctity of the purse must be protected," a franchise official told Cricinfo.
His suggestion, echoed by few other franchises, to resolve the issue was there should be a lucky draw. "If there are equal competing bids, then you draw lots".
However, Lalit Modi, on his Twitter page made it clear that the tie-breaker rule "will be enforced". "It's part of the 2010 IPL auction rules, so anyone not agreeing is a non-issue."
Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at Cricinfo
Feeds: Nagraj Gollapudi Comments: 18 Email
ShareThisShare Email Feedback Print
+ Add comments Login/Register to post comments | Read all 18 comments
Posted by Murtaza83 on (January 19 2010, 08:46 AM GMT)
Quite ridiculous here, Modi is on a crazy power trip. Everyone can see whats happening here and modi knows theres nothing we can do about it. Really, someone needs to take a stand here. I've been following the auction too, no Pakistani players picked. I cant take that to be a coincidence. You cant tell me that no one wants to pick either of the two best bowlers (gul and afridi) in the short history of this format but are ready to shell out $610,000 for wayne parnell.
Posted by Edassery on (January 19 2010, 08:42 AM GMT)
That additional bid money must be going to Modi himself... As per the latest advanced tax paid list, he is the highest individual tax payer in India - thanks to IPL.
Posted by dibbu on (January 19 2010, 06:44 AM GMT)
players need to unionize, asap.
Posted by sahil_cricrazy on (January 18 2010, 19:06 PM GMT)
BCCI is a shameless body which can to ny extent for the sake of money and uses it's power and clout in an unaccountable manner.I remember once over a broadcasting dispute BCCI put across the argument that it's the BCCI for whom the players are playing not for INDIA....utterly shameless and greedy vultures.The treatment it meted out to the great Kapil who while receiving ' Indian Cricketer of the Century' award said that he's played for INDIA not for the BCCI gives a slap on BCCI's face.But ofcourse they are taking as much advantage they can take us of our passion for cricket as they can and filling their coffers.Instead of cricketers politicians are running the game because they are attracted by immnense money in the game and making a hey while the sun is shining....
Posted by anObserver on (January 18 2010, 19:01 PM GMT)
It is the right of the player to get the extra money being spent by franchise on his buy out in the auction process. The rules like this to make the money higher than the maximum level to go to IPL's sponserers is a dirty trick to earn more money by modi and company and should be stopped at once.
Posted by CricketisMyPassion on (January 18 2010, 18:53 PM GMT)
If they insist on the bid to break the deadlock which in itself is fair and at teh same time not let the highest price to the player (inexplicable!) let the extra money go to the Indian non-Test players! Someone has suggested tl let teh player himself decide - thats a good suggestion - but I dont see how any player wd want to make such a choice and spoil his PR image!
Posted by justincredible29 on (January 18 2010, 11:33 AM GMT)
Only in India can an organisation holding millions of "auction" money be termed a charitable organisation.And all charitable organisations must have their earnings/ expenses in the public domain. I have been told that in India 85 pct of the income earned by these charitable organisations have to be spent in the same year on the aims & objects of the organisation and the balance 15 pct within 5 years. If the bids are over 750k then the player together with a representative of the franchisee should be the ones deciding how this extra money should be spent- see how Steve Waugh has started a Trust in Kolkutta and other players have also done so- Mr Modi & Co must not have anything to do with this extra money. 50K USD will go a long way to help the poor n the suffering in India where the poor are becoming poorer which the rich are becoming richer. Is this not a suggestion worth considering by the Franchisees.
Posted by segarmv on (January 18 2010, 11:02 AM GMT)
this is rubbish,lalit modi is making a mockery out of the game,the stars and now the franchises,who would be happy to give that bid amount to modi for free,just for his own benefits modi is starting to dictate terms now...
Posted by fbd11 on (January 18 2010, 10:45 AM GMT)
What next? Will this lead to Modi taking a cut from all the players salaries? Modi is a businessman who has to keep expanding his business model to include more income streams. He is compulsive about it. The IPL players should form a union straightaway.
Posted by Xtermin8 on (January 18 2010, 07:05 AM GMT)
This is the strangest thing I have ever heard, but after all this is India and it is the IPL. It almost sounds like a legal "bribe to the IPL" might as well call it a "silent bribe"
Lets face it, if the bids are locked at 750k, and a tie breaker bid to end the dead lock, would sound a little rational, almost like negotiating blindly where the franchises final bid, really prices the player based on how much they really want them. But as soon as you ask for the higher bid to go into the administrators (IPL) pockets, that sounds like some sort of a black market dealing for the player, and gives the sentiments the player is not what is valued any more, if they ever were valued that is, given the fact they are auctions like some piece meat in the first place. Such great marketing potential is this great game of cricket, sad it is not being treated the same way.
