Data, drama, and big bucks: The IPL Mega Auction is here

Algorithms, analytics, and data have become the buzzwords for franchises gearing up for the mega Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, set to take place over the next couple of days in Jeddah. Most franchises have enlisted, consulted or brought to the Saudi city a team of analytics experts, or data crunchers, to establish a competitive edge over others.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by an Englishman as their Director of Cricket, have partnered with an analytics company that also works with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB); Kolkata Knight Riders are reported to have engaged another English expert for their data-driven strategies and another franchise has hired the expertise of IBM. Yet another has built its own in-house expert analytics team, holding strategic meetings in Bengaluru and Doha before arriving in Jeddah.

But do the science of numbers, analytics, and data-centric strategies truly work in the high-pressure environment of an IPL auction hall? Over the years, auctions have been marked by personal rivalries, ego clashes, and unpredictable bidding strife. In one notable instance, Royal Challengers Bengaluru released Yuvraj Singh, valued at INR. 14 crore, only to outbid themselves. They went as far as INR. 15.5 crore in the auction. That they could not secure him is another point but Vijay Mallya, the former owner of RCB, known for his flamboyant approach, brought his own unique style to the auction process.

In one season, Chennai Super Kings, who have a reputation of being very professionally run, declined a trade offer from Kolkata Knight Riders for Piyush Chawla at INR. 4.2 crore, only to later purchase the veteran leg-spinner for INR. 6.75 crore in the auction. CSK officials revealed that MS Dhoni was insistent on Chawla, leaving them with no choice but to comply. With Dhoni's unpredictable yet influential decisions, one can only wonder what his directives will have been this time around.

The 2009 bidding war between Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders and Preity Zinta's Kings XI Punjab for Mashrafe Mortaza is a well-documented one. Starting with a base price of $50,000, the bidding went on and on, and Mortaza was eventually bought by Knight Riders for a whopping $ 600,000. All that the former Bangladesh captain managed that season was to play just one game.

The buzz ahead of the auction revolves around how much the wealthiest teams, like Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will spend on the top three purchases. Will it exceed INR. 43 crore? One might wonder why INR. 43 crore has become the benchmark here. This figure corresponds to the retention slabs set by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) - INR. 18 crore for the first player, INR. 14 crore for the second, and INR. 11 crore for the third, 43 altogether. That would establish whether it is wiser to retain or bid.

Another focal point, of course, has been the