Story Indian Cricket League 1993 - Second Half of the Season is on! Who will qualify?

[Bevab]

February 1, 1993​

ICL AUCTIONS​

Spoiler: Round Six

Viv Richards (ODI Avg - 47, SR - 90.20)

Even before the auction started it seemed like an inevitable thing that Lloyd would push for Bangalore to sign his former teammate who loved hitting any attack out of the ground. And that is what transpired. No matter the rising bids from Madras and Calcutta, Lloyd wanted his man and he ensured that Bangalore would get him at 90 lakhs.

David Gower (ODI Avg - 30.77, SR - 75.15)

Another star of the last decade, Calcutta wanted a cheap deal but Bombay's persistence paid off as they got him for 10 lakhs.

David Boon (ODI Avg - 35.77, SR - 66.05, ICC Ranking - 7)

It was quite surprising to see the current international go for 14 lakhs to Delhi with only competition from Bangalore. It is an absolute bargain for a team that previously spent a lot of money on Kapil Dev to sign a quality international batsman at a relatively lower price.

Andrew Jones (ODI Avg - 41.70, SR - 60.15, ICC Ranking - 13)

Despite having a solid ODI record and having some interested looks from team groups, no one in the end bid for the Kiwi batsman. Is this a sign of teams starting to value aggression more than before in this new format?

Allan Lamb (ODI Avg - 39.31, SR - 75.54)

Madras were willing to sign the retired Englishman for 15 lakhs despite his county commitments, hoping that his aggression in the middle order works out as long as he stays with them.

Robin Smith (ODI Avg - 39.14, SR - 69.48, ICC Ranking - 4)

Delhi and Tollywood had a duel for this prolific batsman that would end with Tollywood buying him for 30 lakhs.

Martin Crowe (ODI Avg - 38.33, SR - 72.44, ICC Ranking - 2)

For perhaps the most talented New Zealand batsman we have ever seen and having lost out on Lamb and Smith, Delhi were free to bid aggressively to get him at 50 lakhs after Bombay and Madras were both reticent to go beyond that. For the top scorer of the 92 WC, that doesn't sound like much.

Geoff Marsh (ODI Avg - 39.97, SR - 55.93)

After scorning Jones previously it was a surprise that teams were willing to bid on Marsh and Bombay managed to get him in the end for 18 lakhs.

Dean Jones (ODI Avg - 46.38, SR - 72.97, ICC Ranking - 1)

Despite him being very likely to miss out on the second half of the tournament, three teams were very heavily interested in him. Bombay wanted another big name batsman to share the burden with Tendulkar, Calcutta wanted a number three to finish their middle order set and Madras wanted him because their crowd would have no doubt witnessed his finest hour in the Australian team live. What followed was the perfect storm of three teams going all out to try and sign the definitive limited overs batsman active internationally with a set of crazy bidding action that would only be paused temporarily when Madras pulled out at 95 lakhs. Seemingly not content though the remaining two would continue back and forth until Bombay chose to withdraw when Calcutta made their final bid of 1.2 crores. Without any doubt it is unlikely that anyone else will be more expensive in the rest of the auction and that should ensure Dean Jones's legacy as the highest paid player in the first ICL season.

(The third crorepati of the day)​

 

[Bevab]

February 1, 1993​

ICL AUCTIONS​

We have been informed that these two rounds will be the last for today... and tomorrow's auction will be conducted at a faster speed and so we may not be able to bring you live coverage. However we will still be able to get the information passed on as quick as possible so do not worry!

Spoiler: Round Seven - Indian Bowlers

Maninder Singh (ODI Avg - 30.12, Eco - 3.88, ICC Ranking - 25)

To the absolute surprise of everyone Maninder Singh did not even get a single, token bid from any team. While he has reworked his action to try to make a comeback with moderate success in domestic cricket so far it seems teams have deemed him a lost cause like LSK before.

Javagal Srinath (ODI Avg - 31.55, Eco - 4.16, ICC Ranking - 21)

The new rising star of Indian cricket with the ball and perhaps the first true fast bowler since independence, Srinath had the interest of all six teams and even had three teams interested in the end before Tollywood wrapped it up with a 60 lakhs bid.

Venkatesh Prasad

Another fast bowler from Karnataka with an ever improving record, Prasad was signed by Bombay Tatas for 9 lakhs with other teams unwilling to shell out more for a rookie who is only now establishing himself.

Narendra Hirwani (ODI Avg - 31.26, Eco - 4.49)

Bombay manage to sign yet another Indian bowler for 9 lakhs as teams were surprisingly reluctant to go after someone who has been passed over by the Indian team for others.

Anil Kumble (ODI Avg - 43.82, Eco - 3.90, ICC Ranking - 35)

Kumble's so far failed to make an impression in ODIs but that did not stop the two teams of Bangalore and Madras in wanting to aggressively bid for him to try and get him, perhaps hoping that they get the Test version of Kumble. Madras would sign him in the end for a cool 50 lakhs sum.

Venkatapathy Raju (ODI Avg - 38.60, Eco - 4.12, ICC Ranking - 31)

After signing one Southern state based spinner, Madras wanted another from another neighbouring state and went after the left arm spinner with equally aggressive bids, fending off competition from Tollywood to sign him for 45 lakhs. Are we going to see a complete dustbowl that the likes of Tiger Pataudi would be proud of in Madras's home this season?

Madan Lal Sharma (ODI Avg - 29.27, Eco - 4.05)

He hasn't bowled in close to two years and is above forty years now. These concerns did not stop a cash strapped Calcutta team from signing him for 5 lakhs, perhaps hoping for a bargain that the other teams would miss on.

Spoiler: Round Eight - Overseas Keepers

Dave Houghton (ODI Avg - 29.39, SR - 66.93, ICC Ranking - 53)

Madras only had to fend off a token bid from Bangalore to sign him for 7 lakhs. It is a bit of a surprise that no other team challenged them for a very capable batsman.

Andy Flower (ODI Avg - 42.30, SR - 65.07, ICC Ranking - 47)

Tollywood ended up signing him for 30 lakhs after Bangalore and Bombay submitted bids. Two Zimbabwean keepers yet one goes for as much as four times as the other. What am I missing?

Alec Stewart (ODI Avg - 32.50, SR - 68.89, ICC Ranking - 18)

Stewart's talents were pursued by Bombay and surprisingly Madras but the former would sign him for 40 lakhs after Madras decided to no longer bid owing to the rising cost. This is incredibly the first time since McDermott that they have broken the 30 lakhs mark while other teams have been lavish with their spending. Is this a sign of a new strategy from Bombay to secure some valuable players?

Ian Healy (ODI Avg - 20.57, SR - 89.44, ICC Ranking - 43)

Healy has shown himself to be an excellent keeper so far in his career and Bangalore were only too happy to sign him for 6 lakhs. Teams may have backed away fearing that average of his but his ability to hit hard will no doubt impress coach Lloyd.

Mark Greatbatch (ODI Avg - 29.87, SR - 73.26, ICC Ranking - 26)

He may have revolutionised the opener role in the last World Cup but only Delhi were willing to be serious about signing him and they get him for 16 lakhs. Having stayed quiet till now in this round they will have to be delighted at getting their primary target without competition.

Jack Russell (ODI Avg - 20.07, SR - 72.50, ICC Ranking - 83)

More of a keeper than a batsman, Madras still wanted him and bid 4 lakhs to sign him. It may well be that they are seeing him as a serious keeping option for games at their home ground where the spinners will be key.

Dave Richardson (ODI Avg - 14.37, SR - 70.12, ICC Ranking - 90)

Ranked among bowlers, no one was interested in him which made Calcutta sign him for 3 lakhs to boost their squad depth at a cheap price.

That is all we have today folks, we will be back tomorrow with more coverage of the remaining auction.

 

[Pinch hitter]

Prestige Bangalore renamed as Vivian Prestige Bangalore Richards

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Absolute steal for Bangalore to get Viv at 90 lakhs

He is going to dominate the league for sure

 

[Bevab]

Absolute steal for Bangalore to get Viv at 90 lakhs

He is going to dominate the league for sure

He’ll do alright indeed.

 

[Till Valhalla]

Always rated Srinath.

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

He’ll do alright indeed.

Thanks for the validation

 

[Bevab]

Always rated Srinath.

Super solid pacer and absolutely quick back then, what’s not to like?

 

[Bevab]

February 2, 1993​

ICL AUCTIONS​

Welcome back for the second day of the auction. Due to time constraints each team was given the option fill in a list of players they want to appear for the bidding process to speed things up. The auction is also supposed to happen quicker today so we will only be able to pass on information with periodic updates rather than individual ones today. We hope you still stick around and enjoy today's coverage.

Spoiler: Round Nine

• We were informed that this would be for Indian bowlers.
  
  
• Rajesh Chauhan and Abey Kuruvilla have been sold to Hero Delhi Nationals for 9 lakhs and 6 lakhs respectively.
  
  
• Vivek Razdan had a bidding war between Bangalore and Chennai but Bangalore have confirmed his siging for 15 lakhs.
  
  
• Salil Ankola and Saradindu Mukherjee will be signed by Tollywood Cricket Nagar for 7 lakhs and 1 lakh respectively.
  
  
• Margashayam Venkataramana has signed for Calcutta for 3 lakhs.
  
  
• Subroto Banerjee will be a Bombay Tatas player after they bought him for 13 lakhs fending off interest from both Bangalore and Madras.
  
  
• Prestige Bangalore have confirmed a double swoop for Atul Wassan and Arshad Ayub for 17 lakhs and 16 lakhs respectively. Madras were very keen on the former and Bombay on the latter but Bangalore have been firm and that has got them their targets in the end.
  
  
• The likes of Rashid Patel, Bhupinder Singh, Raju Kulkarni and KN Ananthapadmanabhan failed to attract any bids during this round.
  
  
• From what we have gathered it seems that Madras desperately wanted a fast bowler to bolster their ranks and support the Kumble-Raju spin duo but have failed to sign anyone in the end due to Bangalore scuppering their plans. For their part Bangalore have probably overspent in pursuit of these three domestic bowlers but they now have solid cover and options for their bowling attack due to it. Bombay have craftily managed to sign a bowler with international experience to supplement the rising Prasad for lesser money than Bangalore spent.
  
  
• Calcutta will be pleased that they didn't ruin their remaining budget to sign a cheap and reliable domestic spinner with experience. Tollywood's signings don't inspire much confidence but Ankola has worked on a new action that has yielded more consistent results while Mukherjee could be a surprise factor after success at Bengal in recent years.

Spoiler: Round Ten

• This round will feature more foreign all-rounders.
  
  
• Simon O'Donnell was the first beneficiary as he received 40 lakhs from Bombay Tatas to sign with them, not bad for someone on the verge of retirement.
  
  
• Shoaib Mohammad also signed for Bombay Tatas for 14 lakhs with Delhi trying to steal him. He is another player who participated in the thirty overs match a year ago.
  
  
• Madras Rubbers would then sign World Cup star Chris Harris for 30 lakhs and follow it up with a 10 lakhs successful bid for Adrian Kuiper. More all-rounders to cover their lack of bowling seems to be the way forward for this team.
  
  
• Amidst all of this the likes of Tom Moody, Dermot Reeve, Peter Taylor don't get any bids. One player who does get a bid is Sanath Jayasuriya, who signs for Prestige Bangalore for 1 lakh. Despite showing lots of potential in domestic cricket as a spinner he hasn't done the same in international cricket so far.
  
  
• Tollywood Cricket Nagar have made two noteworthy deals with Hansie Cronje for 28 lakhs and Paul Reiffel for just 3 lakhs. With how much money has been splashed around till now signing these two, especially Reiffel who has averaged 24 till now in ODIs seems like a huge steal even if Reiffel leaves early.
  
  
• Asanka Gurusinha and Asif Mujtaba both failed to attract any bids.
  
  
• Other teams were only to happy to let Brian McMillan go to Wills Classic Calcutta for 5 lakhs. It looks like a smart signing on the surface.
  
  
• Bombay Tatas seemed to have two clear targets in Cronje and O'Donnell. When they succeeded with one and failed in another they just opted to sign Mohammad instead. It is a very odd signing.
  
  
• Madras Rubbers must be happy to have signed their main target in Harris. They managed to compensate for missing out on Cronje and O'Donnell with Kuiper being a decent backup.
  
  
• Calcutta will also feel elated that they didn't break the bank to sign a capable all-rounder in McMillan. Bangalore opting to sign Jayasuriya who has flattered to deceive internationally so far seems more of a Lloyd signing who can be molded into what the team wants. Delhi will be frustrated that they couldn't sign any of the players they targetted while Tollywood will be very pleased at signing two players at prices they would not have expected to.
  
  
• Some of the all-rounders like Moody and Gurusinha will have every right to feel frustrated after not receiving any attention despite being known current international players.

(Having beaten cancer in a courageous and successful playing career, O'Donnell will be hoping for one last hurrah in the ICL)​

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

How is Dean Jones costlier than Viv Ric

 

[Bevab]

How is Dean Jones costlier than Viv Ric

Viv’s 40 years old at the time of the auction.

You’re underselling Deano too, he was the Virat Kohli of ODI cricket back then. Would aggressively rotate the strike and run for doubles when they weren’t a concept back then, piling pressure on the fielders. He was every bit a pioneer as Viv was before him.

 

[Bevab]

@Verified Enigma If you wanna point out a travesty, I’d say that Reiffel earning 3 lakhs when his predecessor who is on the verge of retirement gets more than ten times that amount of money is far more of a scam. Same goes for Razdan earning more than Banerjee (the latter averages close to 40 whilst the former close to 80 with the ball in their limited ODI experience with Banerjee also being better in domestic cricket IIRC).

 

[Sherlock Holmes]

@Verified Enigma If you wanna point out a travesty, I’d say that Reiffel earning 3 lakhs when his predecessor who is on the verge of retirement gets more than ten times that amount of money is far more of a scam. Same goes for Razdan earning more than Banerjee (the latter averages close to 40 whilst the former close to 80 with the ball in their limited ODI experience with Banerjee also being better in domestic cricket IIRC).

Whatever you say man, I know peanuts about the 90s. I was in my diapers during the time. I am just trying to act cool by flaunting my crooked knowledge here.

 

[Bevab]

Whatever you say man, I know peanuts about the 90s. I was in my diapers during the time. I am just trying to act cool by flaunting my crooked knowledge here.

I wasn’t there either to be fair, all I say is from references, highlights and multiple articles.

The 90s was a good time for the competitive scene of international cricket by the mid point of the decade. Not sure if we’ll get back to that level in the current world.

 

[Till Valhalla]

Salil Ankola will be signed by Tollywood Cricket Nagar for 7 lakh

Yes! Yes! Yes!