IPL mega auction might see silent tie-breaker for Jofra Archer

Archer is recovering from a second operation on his injured elbow. The 26-year old has placed himself in the top bracket of potential recruits with a base price of Rs 2 crore.

However, IPL chief operating officer Hemang Amin’s mail to the franchises says that Archer had been registered primarily ‘with a view to potential participation in 2023 and 2024, as due to his current injury, it is unlikely that he can participate in IPL 2022.”

“Therefore, his name has been included in the auction list but he won’t feature in the marquee or other sets to be presented,” Amin added. “He will be available to be called during the accelerated auction andd whoever picks him up will ot get a replacement player for IPL 2022 season.”

Despite that, the silent tie-breaker rule cannot be ruled out for Archer, who is listed as number 171, on February 13 which begins from player number 161.

What is the tie-breaker rule?

The IPL tie-breaker rule was designed in 2010 to be used in smaller auctions to break a deadlock in case of equal maximum bids for a player.

A total of three players have been bought via the tie-breaker rule so far: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) and Shane Bond (Kolkata Knight Riders) in 2010, and Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) in 2012.

Even though this rule has never been used in the mega auction so far, the method may be used in a scenario where a player has attracted the maximum bid to spend at the auction – from more than one franchise. The franchises would then have to put in a additional bid – to which there will be no cap – to break the tie. Whoever submits the higher additional bid will get the player.

However, the additional amount would go to the IPL and not the player. If the silent bids were to be equal, then the process would be repeated again.

The secret tiebreaker rule has had its controversies. In 2012, Lalit Modi had rationalised the rule thus: “The tiebreaker only came in because, how do you determine when you have a fixed purse for the tournament,” he had told CNN-IBN. “And this is well researched, that you reach the cap and still two teams are bidding, secret tie-breaker came as a penalty clause where the team actually pays back a higher fee but it goes back to the BCCI, which is then used to offset other player costs.”

But an unnamed senior official from a franchise had told Cricinfo then that the rule was an example of favouritism. “There has been favouritism in the sense, if you create a rule like the tiebreaker, you know it favours only certain franchises. That rule was made by Modi himself and Mumbai Indians were able to get Kieron Pollard in the auction.”

Why Archer?

A franchise with 20 players on their side and not much money left in the purse might go in for all-rounder Archer, if he remains unsold the first time in the accelerated round.

The 15th edition of the IPL will feature 10 teams who will have 590 cricketers, including 220 overseas players, to choose from in the two-day auction beginning in Bengaluru on Feb. 12, the board said in a statement.

Aaron Finch, who led Australia to their maiden T20 World Cup last year, is among the 20 players entering the auction with a base price of 15 million rupees.

England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan is also in the auction alongside team mates including Jason Roy, Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow and Adil Rashid.

Holders Chennai Super Kings have retained all-rounder Moeen Ali and his England team mate Jos Buttler will be seen in Rajasthan Royals colours again.

Kolkata Knight Riders have retained Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, while fellow West Indian Kieron Pollard will continue to represent Mumbai Indians.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya will lead Ahmedabad and batsman KL Rahul will captain Lucknow when the franchises make their IPL debuts.This year’s IPL will begin in the last week of March but exact dates and venues have not been confirmed.