February 17, 2015
NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Singh might not be part of the Indian World Cup squad due to his sub-par form in the recent times but that didn't stop Delhi Daredevils from clinching the south paw with a record bid of Rs 16 crore at the IPL player auctions.
February 17, 2015
NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Singh might not be part of the Indian World Cup squad due to his sub-par form in the recent times but that didn't stop Delhi Daredevils from clinching the south paw with a record bid of Rs 16 crore at the IPL player auctions.
The Test discard failed to perform last year after Royal Challengers Bangalore picked him up for the previous record bid of Rs 14 crore. Though he did make a quick fire 83 off 38 deliveries for RCB against Rajasthan Royals last year but failed to make the kind of impact that the Bangalore team was expecting and he ended up being dropped eventually.
So the big question after today's auction was, why is Yuvraj Singh still so saleable? "The new owners are hoping that he would do a Chris Gayle this season. He has done well in the domestic season," says Vinit Karnik, national director, sports and live events at GroupM ESP.
Despite being dropped from the Indian team for the World Cup, from RCB and also from BCCI's contract list, Yuvraj has also done well in domestic cricket. He smashed three centuries in three games in the Ranji season and many were surprised when his name didn't find a mention in the Indian World Cup squad. That is probably why RCB decided to bid for the 33-year-old again, taking it all the way up toRs 15.5 crore before the Daredevils sealed the deal.
As Delhi Daredevils CEO Hemant Dua puts it, his was the only team that was missing an iconic Indian player and Yuvraj brings in charisma and a brand appeal to the team. And on his day, Yuvi can still turn the game single-handedly. "Brand Yuvraj is still big in India. That will help the team not just on the field but off it as well. I am sure the sponsors would like that," he says.
Indranil Das Blah, COO of sports management firm Kwan likens Yuvraj to David Beckham. "What Beckham was to world football, Yuvraj is to Indian cricket. Everyone knew that Beckham wasn't best around but because of the persona, because of the brand built around him, he was always the most expensive," says Blah.
Courtesy: ET
