IPL Auction 2024 Highlights: SRH and KKR break the bank for Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins | Cricket News
In this age of data and scouts, it is hard for a franchise to spot a talent and keep it under wraps in the hope they can get him at a bargain in the auction.
IPL Auction: Which unknown gem unearthed talent scouts, will walk in Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah footsteps?
It was in 2014, with another edition of the IPL looming large and having arrived on Indian shores early for the preparation, that John Wright had spotted a talent who, nine years later, unleashed a storm being the most high-profile transfer of all time.
It was on the ides of March, to be precise, that Wright – who was still in his role as head coach of Mumbai Indians that season – first had a glimpse of Hardik Pandya, a player who was an unknown commodity beyond Baroda. Against a Mumbai attack that included Zaheer Khan, not just the unbeaten 82 he made, but everything about Pandya stood out for Wright.
Six months later as Wright moved onto his new role as head of scouting at Mumbai Indians, he would convince head coach Ricky Ponting and the Ambanis to spend Rs 10 lakh on Pandya and thus began a career full of glitter. In two successive years, Wright had given Mumbai Indians and India two gems – the first being Jasprit Bumrah – through robust scouting, which was still a novelty for IPL franchises. The likes of Krunal Pandya, Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera keep adding to the l, but with every passing season the element of surprise seems to be reducing. (READ MORE)
