The IPL auctions can turn out to be a big deal for some players, but at the same time, could prove equally demotivating for others. Many players who go unsold have a tough time dealing with rejections, and more importantly, getting ignored by teams and watching your peers fetch huge amounts can leave behind an everlasting impact on cricketers. This year at the IPL 2022 mega-auction, out of a total of 590 players who were up for grabs, only 204 were sold, as the remaining hope to try out their fortunes next year.
Of the several players picked up recent franchises, some were considered as late as in the final round after the franchises had almost finalised their squads. Dwelling on the long-run implications of the IPL auction, veteran India batter Robin Uthappa, who was acquired by Chennai Super Kings for ₹2 crore, said the IPL auction can wear down a player mentally. Even though Uthappa was over the moon to be back with CSK, he admitted that an auction system is certainly not in the best of interest of players' mental well-being.
"Playing for a team like CSK was something I desired, it was one of my only prayers: let's get back to CSK. My family, even my son, prayed for that, which is special for me. I'm happy to be back in a place where there's a sense of security and a sense of respect. There's a backing that's given which makes me feel like I can do anything," Uthappa told veteran sports journalist Meha Bhardwaj Alter in an interview with News9.
"The auction feels like an examination which you have written a long time ago, and you're just awaiting the results. You feel like cattle (commodity), to be honest," he said. "It's not the most pleasing feeling, and I think that's the thing about cricket, especially in India… everything about you is there for the world to consume and then judge and express their opinions about it. Having an opinion about performances is one thing, but having an opinion on how much you get sold for is quite something else."
Uthappa reckons there is 'no method to madness' during an auction process. And rightly so. Often, you would see big names go unsold or fetch a lower sum as compared to others. Hence, in order for players to maintain 'sanity', Uthappa has suggested a 'more respectful' draft system to replace the currently-implemented auction process in future.
"You can't imagine what the guys who don't get sold go through. It cannot be pleasant. My heart goes out to guys who have been there for a long time and then miss out and don't get picked. It can be defeating sometimes. Suddenly your value as a cricketer becomes about how much somebody is willing to spend on you, and it's so haphazard… there is no method to the madness," pointed out Uthappa.
"People have tried their best to kind of grapple around it for the last 15 years, and I don't know if they have a clue because if you speak to a lot of the people who have been there at the auction, they'll say 'you know it's so random… if you'd come later you'd probably have made more money… if you'd come earlier there'd have been enough money so you'd have made more'. I really hope for the sake of the sanity of everybody that this goes into a draft system where it is more respectful."