Ranking the Top 5 Wastes of Money at the IPL Auction
The Indian Premier League has made a few millionaires out of some players. Some of those players have lived up to their price tag and earned their millions. Some, though, haven't really provided the return on investment their franchise owners might have been hoping for. Luckily for the players involved, their wages aren't directly proportional to their performances.
Here are five players who haven't quite lived up to the sum of their price tags.
Glenn Maxwell
1 of 5
Player: Glenn Maxwell
Auction year: 2013
Price: USD 1 million
Return: Maxwell's cost surprised a few people, considering he was a relative unknown who ended up being the most expensive player at the 2013 IPL auction. He played for the Delhi Daredevils in 2012 but featured in just two games. In the 2013 season, he played three games for Mumbai Indians, scoring just 36 runs in total and not taking a single wicket—meaning Mumbai paid over $27 777 per run.
Kane Richardson
2 of 5
Player: Kane Richardson
Auction year: 2013
Price: USD 700,000
Return: Richardson is another Australian whose price tag baffled many. Bought by Pune Warriors for a hefty sum, Richardson played just three games, scored 34 runs and took two wickets. He is primarily a fast bowler, meaning is wickets have come at $350 000 apiece.
Saurabh Tiwary
3 of 5
Player: Saurabh Tiwary
Auction year: 2011
Price: USD 1.6 million
Return: Tiwary's 2010 season with Mumbai Indians was relatively productive. He scored three 50s in 16 games and 419 runs in total at an average of 29.92. The next season, he moved to the Royal Challengers Bangalore but flopped spectacularly. He averaged just 23.37 in the season, didn't score a single 50 and managed just 187 runs in total.
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Ajantha Mendis
4 of 5
Player: Ajantha Mendis
Auction year: 2013
Price: USD $725,000
Return: It's as if 2013 was the year of lessons in how to waste money by the IPL franchises. Mendis was bought for a hefty sum and ended up playing just three games in which he took just two wickets. Pune Warriors were the culprits in his purchase and failed to get any sort of real return on investment out of the Sri Lankan.
Abhishek Nayar
5 of 5
Player: Abhishek Nayar
Auction year: 2013
Price: USD $675,000
Return: Another bad business decision from Pune Warriors India. Although Nayar has a solid first-class record, his T20 performances haven't been gripping. He has played in the IPL since 2008 but has never averaged more than 30.00 and he has never scored a 50.
That didn't stop Pune from forking out over half-a-million for him. In return, he scored just 66 runs in 11 games at an average of 11.00. It's not really his fault, Pune clearly just haven't got a clue when it comes to doing business.
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