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Shreyas Iyer- (Source:@Johns/X.com)
On Sunday, November 24, Shreyas Iyer scripted history as he broke Mitchell Starc's record and became the most expensive player in IPL history. Notably, Punjab Kings bought Iyer for a whopping 26.75 crores.
It was a bidding war for Iyer as both Punjab and Delhi Capitals wanted Iyer on their side, but eventually, PBKS got Iyer as they had a bigger purse than Delhi. However, the decision has baffled many as there is a debate about whether Iyer deserves to earn 26.75 crores. Is it a tactical genius or a massive blunder?
Iyer was earning 12.25 crores with KKR, and he left the side as he wanted to test his auction value. Eventually, his confidence proved to be right, but it seems that Punjab Kings spent a little too much.
Iyer had a great 2024 season as he amassed 351 runs with the bat and also led his side to the title last season and ended their trophy drought. While Iyer is a great captaincy material and is also consistent with the bat, the franchise should also be aware that he is injury prone and his strike rate has come under criticism more than often.
It is worth noting that before IPL 2024, Iyer had a great IPL 2022 but missed IPL 2023 because of back injury that came as a major shock for Kolkata Knight Riders.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that before the start of the auction, Iyer was touted to be one of the biggest buys, but spending 26.75 crores has come as a shock. It is fair to say that it has been a blunder by Punjab and they were blinded by the purse value they entered the auction with.
Punjab should have looked at the cons that he is injury-prone and the right range should have been around 18-20 crores for Iyer.
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