The TATA IPL 2023 will begin on March 31. The T20 game is all about strategy and how one can manage the players. In the TATA IPL at least, you do not need to teach the players their technique, it is a tournament that moves quickly and has world-class players. You don’t teach them to play cricket, you manage them and make sure they are in the right mindset. Over the years, there have been many players who got paid less and bought a lot more value. So, who are these “value for money” players? Here is a look:
Hardik Pandya in TATA IPL 2015 for the Mumbai Indians:
Hardik Pandya was a sensation in the TATA IPL 2015. He was bought by the Mumbai Indians as a fringe player for 10 lakhs only. But it was the scouting process that led to his selection and today Hardik is the captain of the Indian National cricket team. Hardik was scouted from the Baroda Cricket Association camp. He was practicing and giving trials for the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 games when John Wright saw him. Hardik scored a 60 against the Chennai Super Kings and won the Mumbai Indians two games with his bat and 1 with the ball in hand.
Venkatesh Iyer in TATA IPL 2020 for the Kolkata Knight Riders:
Venky dominated the entire UAE leg of the TATA IPL 2020. KKR was a different team while playing that season in India and playing its second leg in the UAE. Venkatesh Iyer chose to drop out from a full-fledged career in the commercial world to move to cricket. Now that is called passion and love for the game. He was sensational. He was the out-of-syllabus question for every team that he played against. Here is a look at his TATA IPL 2020 season:
| Matches | 10 |
| Runs | 370 |
| Average | 41.2 |
| Strike Rate | 128.9 |
| Best | 67 |
Harshal Patel in TATA IPL 2021 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Harshal Patel played the TATA IPL 2021 season at the base price of 20 lakh rupees and went on to win the purple cap. And not just the purple cap, he now holds the joint record for most wickets in an IPL season alongside Dwayne Bravo. Now that is some value for only 20 lakh rupees. He was elite in that season. His slower ball was very difficult to pick. It was like a peak Dwayne Bravo was bowling and the batters struggled to deal with it.
David Miller for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022:
David Miller played for the Gujarat Titans in the TATA IPL 2022 season and was bought for just 3 Crore Indian rupees. This jaw-dropping price was not surprising as Miller was struggling back then. But currently, his market value floats between 10 Crore o 12 Crore Indian rupees. The purchase was so fruitful that Miller did most of the scoring in the Gujarat Titans’ middle order. He was a value pick, and the Titans went on to win the TATA IPL in their very first season of participation. Here is a look at his season stats:
| Matches | 16 |
| Runs | 481 |
| Average | 68.7 |
| Strike Rate | 142.3 |
| Best | 94* |
Mitchell McClenaghan for Mumbai Indians:
McClenaghan is one of the most underrated performers for the Mumbai Indians. The Mumbai Indians have generally bought him in as a replacement bowler for any of the other first-choice bowlers. But in TATA IPL 2016, he was bought for a mere 1 Crore Indian Rupees. That was his registered base price. McClenaghan and the following stats of his do suggest that he was one of the best value picks for the Mumbai Indians:
| Matches | 56 |
| Wickets | 71 |
| Economy | 8.4 |
| Average | 23.4 |
| Best | 4/21 |
To know more go to TATA IPL 2023: Best 5 Overseas Players To Have Played in the IPL.
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To know more go to the official website of the BCCI.