| The Best and the Worst |
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| Written by HW SquadStats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thursday, 21 February 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Most of the IPL purchases would be accompanied by either a 'How did they think of that?' or a 'What were they thinking?!' reaction. There is no clear way to find out exactly what kind of thinking, planning and plotting went into the bids made by the businessmen, but there are ways to evaluate them. Comparing the prices paid for each player with some of their key T20 statistics helps get a good idea of what was a good buy, and what was a deal you would want to forget. There are also some X factors to be taken into account, such as a player's 'Brand Value', general unpredictability etc. All said, here is a list of some of the best and worst buys, the promising gambles and the teams that have done the best business, atleast on paper. A basic set of parameters have been used to evaluate players including a set of stats that are most relevant to Twenty20. These are For Batsmen Strike Rate (S/R) Number of 4's/6's per innings (since entertainment quotient and the ability to draw audiences are primary considerations here) Frequency of big innings i.e. the frequency with which the batsmen cross the 50 run mark, which marks a significant score in a T20 game. For Bowlers Strike Rate (S/R) Economy Rate (Eco) A Four Over projection of the average figures the bowler will have at the end of a four over spell Wickets per innings - since wickets do both, peg the run rate back and drive spectators wild. Best Buys Matthew Hayden It would be worth paying Hayden just to stroll around the ground and intimidate the opposition players. To add to that you have a grand strike rate of 143.92, an average of nearly 6 boundary hits per innings which is miles ahead of almost anyone else and a 50+ knock once in nearly 2 innings is a fantastic package at $ 3,75,000. Plus, they say he can cook up some great meals.... S/R: 143.92 Boundaries per innings: 6 50+ frequency: 2.25 Price: $ 3,75,000 Chris Gayle Fantastic batting, great bowling and a Mr.Cool image that has always found takers on the popularity charts, it is a surprise he wasn't snapped up earlier in the bidding process. A look at the statistics suggests he has something to offer on almost every parameter. And there is also the fact that you have a guaranteed party-starter thrown in. Batting S/R: 164.95 Boundaries per innings: 6 50+ frequency: 2.50 Bowling S/R: 25.5 Eco: 6.23 Projection: 25 for 1 Wkts per innings: 0.40 Price: $ 8,00,000 Umar Gul A relatively unheralded player with an economy rate below 6 per over and projected bowling figures of 21 for 2 in his four overs, there has to be a significant loosening of purse strings to get Umar Gul. Well, there isn't - he is one of the cheapest players around at $ 1,50,000. S/R: 14.1 Eco: 5.28 Projection: 21 for 2 Wkts per innings: 1.63 Price: $ 1,50,000 Loots Bosman Available at basement bargain rates ($ 1,75,000), Bosman has a fantastic strike rate of 135, has an average of 4 big hits per innings, and gives you a fifty on an average of once every 3 innings. He has been carving up domestic attacks in South Africa, and the only thing you can hold against him is a relative shortage of experience at the international stage. But at that price there really is little to lose. S/R: 135.08 Boundaries per innings: 6 50+ frequency: 2.50 Price: $ 1,75,000 Bad Buys Joginder Sharma We are not sure if the Chennai camp knew exactly which Sharma were they bidding for when they put up $ 2,25,000 for Joginder. They might have been under the impression that it was Ishant or Rohit who was being offered. Much of Joginder's last over heroics in the T20 World Cup were really the outcomes of general pressure that the situation held, and errors made by the batsmen. He has his worth, but surely he ought to have not been more expensive than a Styris or a Vaas. S/R: 21.7 Eco: 9.5 Projection: 38 for 1 Wkts per innings: 1.00 Price: $ 2,25,000 Mohammad Asif It is true that Asif follows in the long line of Pakistani pacers who can control the ball like they are holding on to it with a thread even after release, but none of that shown itself on the T20 stage. With projected bowling figures of 31 for 1 off his four overs, at best batsmen will see him off, and at worst he will be carted around. At a price of $ 6,50,000, four times that of Umar Gul, none of that sounds good. S/R: 17.4 Eco: 7.72 Projection: 31 for 1 Wkts per innings: 1.33 Price: $ 6,50,000 Harbhajan Singh A great buy in the form of Loots Bosman has been easily offset by Harbhajan. It is not that Bhajji is a bad T20 bowler - an economy of 7.12 with projected figures of 28 for 1 is something you could use. It is just that he is overpriced at $ 8,50,000. S/R: 21.3 Eco: 7.12 Projection: 28 for 1 Wkts per innings: 0.90 Price: $ 8,50,000 Jacques Kallis There has to be some kind of miscalculation here. Kallis is one of those who fit into your ideal Test player settings. To put him alongside Geoff Boycott might be an insult to someone, we are not sure who, but he would easily hold his own along the likes of Michael Atherton. He hasn't had a great deal to show in terms of bowling figures, so unless the owners of the Bangalore side brought its players with a labour intensive policy, the $ 9,00,000 price seems a bit too high for Kallis. S/R: 108.33 Boundaries per innings: 2 50+ frequency: nil Price: $ 9,00,000 The Promising Gambles Shahid Afridi Doesn't exactly have great stats to boot despite his slam-bang aura, but adds great utility through his consistent bowling. There is also the X factor - he will draw in crowds, he will draw in revenues, and most importantly, he is capable of turning a match on its head. So there are enough possible benefits to outweigh the $ 6,50,000 price tag. And apparently he never ages so there's the long term benefit. Batting S/R: 173.62 Boundaries per innings: 2 50+ frequency: nil Bowling S/R: 16 Eco: 6.96 Projection: 28 for 2 Wkts per innings: 1.40 Price: $ 6,75,000 Gautam Gambhir Is a local favourite and drives loyalty. Has also shown great consistency in the T20 World Cup. His biggest promise, of course, is the fact that so far he has delivered a fifty once every 2 innings. Difficult to keep that up, but all in all, worth a shot. The gamble factor comes in only because of his high price. S/R: 128.32 Boundaries per innings: 5 50+ frequency: 2 Price: $ 7,25,000 Other mentions Dale Steyn, Glenn Mc'Grath and Zaheer Khan all hold great promise with extraordinary projected figures of 15 for 3, 39 for 3 and 15 for 2. And with each coming well under $ 4,50,000, the only risk factor here is the fact that they haven't played enough games to secure their figures and exhibit consistency.
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