With regard to the IPL salaries of uncapped players, former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar spoke about how much money is actually paid to them. He said that the unnamed buyers of Dhoni as an uncapped player for CSK got the top limit for salaries for uncapped players increased to Rs 4 crore. Further, Gavaskar believes that players bought in the mega auction for huge money normally don’t perform well, for they believe their ambitions already have been fulfilled.
He said: Many players who are bought for huge amounts just seem to disappear. Franchises might not mind, but it’s a hit for Indian cricket when any player, no matter their past success, goes missing. He pointed out that the limits have been adjusted so as to accommodate Dhoni being uncapped before last auction.
He went on to say that he hardly remembers the glitz and glitter of a big auction barely years ago when a few of the uncapped players who bought for big money delivered good performances in the IPL. It’s hard to remember an uncapped player for a big price who really created an impact. With time and experience, they may improve; if they just remain stuck in local leagues, it does not really help their growth much. If their price comes down in the next auction, they liberate themselves from pressure and start performing.”
One wonders how MS Dhoni, uncapped, took up the reigns of CSK following Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury, yet somehow the team hasn’t managed to improve; in fact, they’ve gone on to rank as the first team to get eliminated from the tournament ever after terribly disappointing matches.