Desi Tagra League (IPL14 X PSL 6) Mock Auction

My friends and I often like to conduct our own mock auctions. It all began with the Mock Hundred Draft an Aussie friend of ours suggested to conduct, and it snowballed to many more mock auctions since. 

The Desi Tagra League was an idea that I had been pioneering since November. The name was formally coined to add a more "chatpata touch" to the auction. We were finally able to conduct the DTL Auction in May, but before we dive into the contents of the auction itself, here is a quick overview.
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Player Pool Structure

The DTL Auction pool was comprised of players a part of IPL14 and PSL6. Players who were brought in as replacements (such as the second and third replacement draft of the PSL) were also included. However, in instances such as Islamabad United picking Brandon King in place of Janneman Malan in the third replacement draft, the appropriate adjustments were made.

A total of 325 players made up the DTL Auction pool.

Team Naming System

For the auction, ICL, Faysal Bank T20 Cup and retired IPL team names were allowed to be used. However, team owners were also allowed to come up with their own original team names, as long as they were not NSFW and were not using currently existing IPL/PSL franchise names.

Teams are as follows:
Lahore Ladybugs
Royal Gladiators Bengal
Peshawar Shawarmas
Quetta Cobras
Islamabad Leopards
Chennai Chinchillas
Pune Power
Agra Hostels
Mumbai Mavericks

Squad Composition

Akin to the IPL, teams were to have a minimum of 18 players, with a maximum of 25 players in their squad, with a maximum of 8 overseas slots allotted for each team.

Originally, the idea was for Pakistani players to be considered a local player for Pakistan-based franchises and an overseas player for India-based franchises and vice versa. However, a last-minute proposal by one of the co-owners after pinpointing the flaws of the original system saw us change it to Pakistani and Indian players to be considered as a local player, irrespective of which side of the border the team was based. 

Each team started with a wallet of $12M.

Player Base Prices

The player base prices were determined using the PSL6 category salary bands.

Platinum: $130K-$170K
Diamond: $60-$85K
Gold: $40-$50K
Silver: $15K-$25K

IPL players' base prices were determined based on their base price in the last auction they were under the hammer for, which is why there were players like Jofra Archer a part of the Gold category (he signed up for the 2018 IPL Auction with a base price of 40 lakh INR).

Player Set Order

Traditionally in our mock auctions, the player set order would be randomized and not revealed to the team owners. However, for the DTL Auction, we did the polar opposite.

The Player Set was created in the order akin to IPL Auctions, with the exact order revealed to the team owners well in advance.

"Host Country"

I wanted to introduce a new aspect to our mock auctions to change the dynamics up, so I had the idea of having a "host country" for our auction. The host country I decided on was the United Arab Emirates, with the venues naturally being Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Ideally, with this aspect, teams would have to construct their squads taking into account the Emirati conditions.

Auction Pool Spreadsheet

A link to the player set order and hence the auction pool itself: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1VDO1g8slH7MHRwOgIoePHw8G1U9q384MCPk3OVgnQnw/edit?usp=sharing

With the overview out of the way, here is how the auction went:

Day 1

Day 1 of the auction saw 143 players go under the hammer, with 33 of those players going unsold. The first player under the hammer was Steve Smith, who went to the Lahore Ladybugs for $250K, with the last player to go under the hammer on Day 1 being Qais Ahmad, who went to Islamabad Leopards for base price.

This was how squads were looking at the conclusion of Day 1:

Day 2: Accelerated Auction

Day 2 of the auction saw an Accelerated Auction model adopted, akin to the IPL Mega Auction, to prevent unnecessarily prolonging the auction. During the off-hours, team owners were requested to send a list of their players of interest for Day 2, with a maximum of 50 players allowed in their respective list.

The newly compiled list saw 137 players shortlisted for the Accelerated Auction. The first player to go under the hammer on Day 2 was Lockie Ferguson, who unfortunately was not able to go under the hammer on Day 1 due to an error on our end. Lockie was bought for base price by Mumbai Mavericks. Sorry KKR fans! The last player to go under the hammer was Murugan Ashwin, who went to Quetta Cobras for base price. Out of the 137 players, 44 of them went unsold.

Here is how the final squads churned out:

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Without further ado, the squad by squad breakdown along with owners' XIs:

LAHORE LADYBUGS:

What can we say about another Lahore team? Star-studded? Check. Captain over the age of 30? Check. Random PDP player? Check. Overrated veteran Pakistani player playing at 4? Check. Coach Aqib janu? Well....anyway, this team definitely is reminiscent of a certain team owned by Srini Mama on the other side of the border! 9 out of 11 players in the playing XI are 30+! Thala would have tears of joy streaming down his face looking at this squad graphic! After realizing the RCB formula was fundamentally flawed, the Ladybugs owner must've taken inspiration from CSK to concoct this squad! 

Lahoris need not fret, for the next time you will dine in Food Street during the cricket season shoving an entire Boti Platter down your throat like its Halwa Puri, it will not be to soothe the pain of choking at the hands of your own kin Zimbabar Azambwe, but to rejoice over 40-year-old Bhajji hitting the winning runs for the Ladybugs!

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ROYAL GLADIATORS BENGAL:

For KKR fans looking for a Bengal-based team to break the curse of finishing 5th, Royal Gladiators Bengal is definitely not your best bet. With de Kock's captaincy tenure with the Proteas too short to fit the orgasmic bill, RGB is not the team to soothe your back-to-back NRR dilemmas, before even mentioning the dreaded SA curse de Kock brings to the table! However for Pakistani fans, after what happened at Wanderers, knowing de Kock is their captain, they won't have to wonder about a repeat of those events at a critical juncture! Aloo Biryani sab Pakistanio ke liye!

While one can argue that the Gladiators are destined to finish 5th, with the bench strength they have, they can ply their trade to infiltrate the Gabba, with Shaw's new and improved footwork to hit the winning shot, and perhaps win AVN's Best Footwork Of The Year Award!

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PESHAWAR SHAWARMAS:

Ah yes, the Shawarma. A tantalizing and very juicy delicacy, originating from the same country as a certain individual who possesses the aforementioned traits in the eyes of the lusty. Shawarmas are all about customization, like how we construct all-time XIs with our personal customization (ie favorite kirket player(s), agendas, heavy Cricinfo StatsGuru filtering to our liking, etc) and proceed to involve ourselves in a royal tussle as if Sachin Tendulkar is warming up in the pavilion, preparing to statpad for the umpteenth time. Sorry for the extra onions monsieur, I hope it doesn't make you weep but you are still paying for them. Onto the meats now!

The pace battery's exotic charge is specifically cultivated from the farms of Meerut, Hyderabad, Tamworth, Chinsurah, Perumbavoor, and most importantly, the Tareen Farms in Larkana, so for our friends with Islamic roots, you needn't fret, for the meat from the farms in Hyderabad and Larkana are 100% Halal, unless of course, the Tareen Farm unironically goes through a change in ownership. Great choices pace simp! Special shoutout to Hetty for the exquisite finishing touches!

Like anything in life, this shawarma also has its fair share of imperfections. Head Chef Francois du Plessis's shawarmas are often at the center of criticism, owing to his South African origins. On top of that, the tomatoes from chinaman Kuldeep Yadav's hometown, Kanpur are said to be as rotten as his current bowling form! To exacerbate the matter, the only available replacement is "Chacha" Iftikhar Ahmed, whose vegetables, like his age, are very questionable!

How much for this shawarma, you ask? A wooden spoon!

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QUETTA COBRAS:

The Cobras won't have the support of the Karachi Mafia with no presence of Sarfaraz Janu, but they will at least be proud of being able to live up to their name, with junior snake Hardik getting the opportunity to gain firsthand experience from senior snake Stokes, Hardik's "black side" will definitely appreciate him being able to slither like a snake in bars as well! And with Ashwin in Cobra colors, Hardik and Stokes will have the opportunity to learn the arts of mankading! They can mankad their way out of regrettable TV show comments, bar brawls, you name it! A win-win for all race sides!

However, the ironic icing on the cake is the fact gentleman Kanos will be leading these snakes! Although, one can argue that with the presence of Playboys such as Hardik, Stokes and Ashwin, Kanos would loseen up his gentleman persona in a heartbeat, like a masoom gurdwara boy going through puberty laying his eyes on a girl for the first time!

Haider Ali stans must look away though, for your fancam edits and ubiquitous filters have only landed him on the venom known as the "Bench!"

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ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS:

At first glance, Islamabadi burgers will be pleased with the adequate presence of English players, such as Welsh-born Imad Wasim, Samit Patel, and Lewis Gregory. The Karachi Mafia will certainly be wilding though, with the presence of Sarfaraz Ahmed in the Playing XI, so Shabby Bhai can peacefully go to sleep knowing Rizwan will be reminded that this isn't his uncle's team. But wait, Rizzy will be opening for the Leopards! Oh, the agony! 

Like the tail of a leopard, Islamabad's batting tail is quite long, with batting power available all the way down to Vikki Bhai! 

There's nothing else to say really. The Leopards, like their United counterpart, are bound to receive excessive hate irrespective of their future success to come. What can we say though? Haters gonna hate! #KitnaRolaDalega

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CHENNAI CHINCHILLAS:

Thala fans, look away this instant! No presence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in this squad! Unfortunately for the Chinchillas PR team, 90% of their fanbase has automatically ratted the team, hopping onto Dhoni's Helicopter, heading for Pune! Fortunately however, they will have the full support of the ever bombastic Knowledgable Chennai Crowd™, who will be elated to know that they will have the services of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Generator Hasan Ali who will generate 10 wickets against each India-based team, the evergreen Professor Hafeez to teach a free lesson on psychology for the delusional Thalatards and Ahmed Daniyal, a prospect who has the stamp of approval from a noticeable member of the Knowledgable Chennai Crowd™, Al!

Knowledgable Chennai Crowd™ will also be elated to know that the seniors they have invested in are not overrated old hags like Thala, such as David Warner to lead the Chinchillas and make Kaviya Maran and the People's Republic of Sunrisers Hyderabad play Imran Khan's Bewafa on repeat, and also Mr.360, although some members of the Knowledgable Chennai Crowd™ may fear he will bring with him the dreaded RCB curse. Just ask Pep what it feels like to even own a RCB jersey! Knowledgable Chennai Crowd™ mustn't fret though, for the only RIPPED streamer in INDIA, Riyan Parag is in their ranks! The only RIPPED streamer in INDIA will Bihu dance the Chinchillas's way to the trophy!

Unfortunately for DC fans, Nokia is warming the bench here as well. You know what to do, #BoycottChennaiChinchillas I-I mean, Rabada will merely continue to statpad wickets by scalping out tailenders at the death and win the Purple Cap, so all is well. ESPNCricinfo's Smart Wickets is a farce!

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PUNE POWER:

Picture yourself asking an 8-year-old kid at a school in Pune, "Bhai tera favorite players T20 me kaun hai?" (Brother, who are your favorite players in T20?) This kid, having followed cricket since Dan Christian couldn't run for his life in the 2017 IPL final responds, "Virat, Dhoni, Babar, Bumrah aur Hales." You ask him a follow-up question, "Agar aap aik T20 franchise khareedo, toh phir tera team ka kaptaan kaun ho ga?" (If you were to buy a T20 franchise, who would be your team's captain?). The kid, whose intelligence is equivalent to that of Mukesh Ambani, responds with not Dhoni, not Virat, but "Bobby bhai mera kaptaan ho ga!" (Bobby brother will be my captain!)

Ladies and gentlemen, that is how the 2016 Rising Pune Supergiants squad (not to be confused with the 2017 team Risng Pune Supergiant), was formed, and more importantly, Pune Power!

With Virat Kohli not leading this very star-studded team, Viratians are sure to get their propaganda hashtag trend faster than a Kohli dismissal in a playoff match! Even MSDians are sure to boycott this team after not appointing such a prodigious reader of the game as captain, albeit the PP management cannot be blamed; they don't want the nearly 50% of their budget spent on Babar and Kohli to end up sending them packing faster than the bid wars for the duo! More importantly, it is plausible that our beloved Thala's heart deep down lays in Chennai, and hence incapable of leading the team from the front properly! Given how this squad was constructed, you would expect Pune to have done a RCB and fetched Jamieson for over $1M, magically, he was bought for only $110K! Cost-savings everybody!

Naturally, to build a squad as star-studded as the Pune Power, you have to take a substantial amount of risks, such as buying mugs for base price, and that is where Zaid Alam, Saim Ayub and Tom Curran come into the picture! The result of this strategy you ask? A carbon copy replica of the 2016 Rising Pune Supergiants (again, not to be confused with the 2017 team Rising Pune Supergiant) campaign of course!

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AGRA HOSTELS:

Imagine you're the only child of strict parents who made you go to an all-boys school all your life. You now have to attend university, and your strict parents want to send you off to a hostel. You're choosing which hostel to waste 4 years of your life in, and you stumble upon the opulent Agra Hostels. You happen to be an avid cricket fan, and while browsing through their website, you become exultant reading the roster they house. Want to learn more? Here's a quick overview of the main cast!

Firstly, we have the head bartender, KL Rahul, who keeps the Agra Hostels's prestigious bar intact. KL is capable of concocting a profusion of drinks, ranging from drinks that can leave a slow kick in your mouth, like his 51 ball 61 against the Capitals this year, to zesty and pungant concoctions that will make you want to exceed the legal limit like Symo, such as his knock against England at Pune this year. However, for Kannur Lokesh Rahul, the strike of the liquor is overrated! 

Secondly, we have the great Kamran "Duckmal", an expert on the anatomy of ducks, and dropping tableware during banquets and weddings! Just ask Ross Taylor! Despite Kami's tendency to drop everything he holds, he is handy at striking deals for the Hostel, owing to his 24/7 butterfingers, which have made Kami a virtual attraction here at the hostel!

Thirdly, we have the captain of this fine establishment, Shreyas Iyer! Just like his T20 stats suggest, he is an anchor for the Hostels, ensuring everything is afloat, so the Hostels can statpad meager savings with his coveted tactics.

Fourthly, we have Marcus Stoinis, who was very generous to open a Love Cafe branch here at Agra, so for all our Arjuns, Rahuls, Adityas and Apratims who were forced to spend 16-17 years of their life in an all-boys school with their only interactions with the opposite sex being their mothers, teachers and perhaps relatives, this muscular Oil Rig has got you covered with the aromatic recipes designated for success. Playboy Haris Rauf is also a regular at the Love Cafe, so for our deprived males seeking advice from more familiar kin, you mustn't fret, Rauf will be at your service, arriving at 150 kph! Rishtay Wali Aunties, watch out!

Fifthly, we have Krunal Pandya. He isn't as big of a Playboy as his brother Hardik, but he certainly knows a thing or two about being a ladies' man with his dank expressions! So for those yearning to learn how to earn 8.8 crore INR by just making meme expressions, Krunal is your go-to man here at the Hostel!

Sixthly, we have Sunil Narine, whose motto is "Always keep smiling." Despite the regular controversies he goes through like his former counterpart Saeed Ajmal for his deception skills, Narine certainly knows what he is doing, and is hence well respected amongst the Agra Hostels personnel. As for striking it for the Hostels on the other hand, as Ian Bishop once said, "He either scores quickly or goes quickly." Nonetheless, Narine is a snazzy personality to have around at the Hostel, and the clientele certainly agree!

For the part-timers at the Hostel, we have Sharjeel Khan, who is capable of providing you a seven-course world tour dinner, with his stomach growls and burps. We also have old-timer Sohail Tanvir, who can teach you how to flip off unruly customers like Ben Cutting.

Now if this can't convince you to enroll in Agra Hostels, no wonder you have lived a life as stagnant as a Dravid inning! 

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MUMBAI MAVERICKS:

Danger might be associated with Mumbai, but when it comes to the Mavericks, we're the ones in danger...of being scandalized by them in a flash. On reality television, the Mavericks are owned by Zarina Malik and Mantra Patil, but in the world we live in, the Mavericks are owned by a Mumbaikar who has the valor of supporting RCB over MI, an ASSociate simp and an ardent fanboy of Inside Edge. If you haven't figured it out, this squad is an accurate reflection of who he is! 

The RCB quota is present in the form of Sachin Baby, Mohammad Azharudeen, Daniel Sams and Adam Zampa! Tim David and Paul Stirling make up the ASSociate quota. (albeit, Ireland are Full Members.) Arjun Tendulkar makes for the never-ending Mumbai Lobby quota and Inside Edge fanboy quota, while SKY and Shivam Dube are there on the sole Mumbai Lobby quota. Jos Buttler is a part of the Mavericks on the extravagant Autograph quota.

Owing to the fixing stigma attached with the Mighty Mumbai, you could say that is how they managed to buy Lockie Ferguson for the base price! 

Irrespective of how the Mavericks constructed their squad, it certainly is a force to be reckoned with, whether by its on-paper strength, and/or the fixing capabilities Mumbai franchises have in general. And with VadaPav Sharma coincidentally steering this Mumbai ship, who knows how they will truly lift the trophy! 

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The bios for each team above are satirical. Please do not take offense to them, otherwise, Maxie will reverse sweep your dry humor for a maximum!

After the auction was concluded, the owners were interviewed, with each owner being asked the same set of 6 questions:

1.How did you approach the auction?
2.What is the reasoning behind your first choice XI?

3.Is there any player you regret not going for/pushing for, and why?

4.In your opinion, who are the Top 5 most overpriced buys of the auction, and why?

5.In your opinion, who are the Top 5 steals of the auction, and why?

6.In your opinion, who are the Top 5 value/surprise buys of the auction, and why?

Here are the responses:

LAHORE LADYBUGS:

1. I didn’t really approach this auction in any way. I never even planned on participating, but at the very last second, I decided to give it a go, and I pretty much just told myself not to bet more than 2 million on a player at the start, so that worked out well

2. My first choice XI has a powerful batting lineup. Saha opens with Dhawan as Saha was great as an opener in UAE as we saw last year. Followed by the likes of Chris Gayle, Pollard, Malik, etc which makes for a strong batting lineup, and even the bowling itself isn’t too shabby.

3. I regret not pushing for a good pace bowler/spinner. I think I could’ve gotten a way better bowler than Harbhajan and Mirza, but given the circumstances, that’s just what I was faced with. 

4. 5. Harbhajan, 4. Rashid, 3. Rizwan, 2. Shaheen, 1. Kohli. Don’t get me wrong, these are all great players, but Harbhajan isn’t really a great T20 bowler; Rashid, Rizwan, Shaheen are too new with either their form or career to go for as much as they did, and then Kohli was just extremely high given the fact we only had $12M. 

5. 5. Saha, 4. Gayle, 3. Morgan 2. Smith, 1. Rohit. I think Saha went for a bit less because he’s a pretty good player in UAE. Every other player after him just could’ve gone for way more compared to the other players 

6. 5. Mirza, 4. Harbhajan, 3. Uthappa, 2. Rahane, 1. Jadhav. I didn’t really expect many people to buy these players, so they were pretty surprising, but I guess desperation gets the best of us.
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ROYAL GLADIATORS BENGAL:

1. Well the usual save first buy late approach, except it changed a bit in the end where I bought some placeholder players in order to save money for other players. This didn't work well in this auction since the randomness wasn't present. The better players were available earlier and thus were bought. Although some of the player listings did help me like Archer in the Gold category.

2. Shaw, Padikkal, and De Kock were automatic picks. Kishan is a devastating wicketkeeper and can be a finisher. Rana is a good player of spin. Jadeja and Curran can finish hard. Archer and Boult as bowlers is OP along with yorker master Natarajan.

3.Warner, Rohit and Bhuvi.

4. 1. Bhajji - 1M

     2.SKY - 2.7 M ( Ridiculously expensive for a player like him)

     3. Ishan Kishan - 2M (way too expensive)

     4. Babar - 3M (ridiculously expensive)

     5.MSD - 1.6M (is not at his peak)

5. 1. Tahir - 350k

    2. QDK- 570k

    3. Warner- 1.35M

    4.Arshad Iqbal - 880k ( this price may not look like it, but I could have bought him at 200k if I wanted to)

    5.Behrendorff -210k

6. Idk man, every buy was handpicked by us.
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PESHAWAR SHAWARMAS:

1. No definite approach.

2. Needed to get an XI on the board ASAP, so I did.

3. Colin Munro, went for a lot lower than I expected. 

4. Ishan Kishan, Wahab Riaz, Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav. Overpriced.

5. Steve Smith, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dawid Malan, Josh Hazlewood, Imam Ul Haq. Cheap.

6. MS Boomer, Harbhajaboomer, Pujara, Basil Thampi, Arjun Tendulkar. Shite players.
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QUETTA COBRAS:

1.I wanted to split my 8 internationals with 4 bowlers and 4 batsmen. I wasn't overly interested in signing an international keeper and concentrated on getting Rizwan or Rahul. Ended up with Pant which was still a good result. Once I had Ashwin and Axar secured I stopped pursuing international spinners and went extra hard at top-tier international pace bowlers. 

2. Kanos picks himself, Stokes settles into the top order there too, and then some quality all-rounders. Shakib might get a game at some point of the competition, replacing Jhye and moving Axar and Ashwin down to 8/9. Tyagi/Dilbar/Umesh all rotate as 3rd seamer.

3. Yes there was one, but my memory is bad and I've forgotten

4. Rauf $2M, SKY $2.7M, Kishan $2M, Bairstow $900K, and AB $2.2M.

5. Zaman $500K, Ashwin $760K, Axar $730K, Shakib $535K and Roy $190K.

6.  Dhoni, Harbhajan, Ishant, Lockie, and Nortje.
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ISLAMABAD LEOPARDS (OWNED BY ME):
1.About a month before the auction, I began doing my homework on the players I would target in the auction. I originally categorized 37 players of interest under 3 categories, Confidence Picks (players I would purchase 100% irrespective of price), Value Picks (the name says it all), and Secondary Picks (backup players in the event that my value players of interest would go for higher than anticipated.

I categorized my players of interest based on the stat patterns in the UAE grounds and their stats in those venues (if applicable).

Given how the dynamics for this auction were vastly different, I steered away from playing the inflation game and opted to solely target players I am interested in.

2.Rizwan has become a completely reinvented beast in T20, so let alone buying him, playing him in your first choice XI is a no-brainer. Usman Khan opens with Rizzy because of his form in the Emirates D20 tournament and his 86 on PSL debut. For a player who has barely played quality domestic cricket, I believe he is quite the solid player (predominantly a pace hitter) and has the capability of pulling off more surprises like his 86.
Everyone knows how big of a Maxie simp I am. I predicted him to win the Most Sixes Award in the IPL last season, and we all know how well that turned out! At the end of the day, Maxie is Maxie. His twin 95s in the 2014 IPL season came one down and is statistically the best at that position, hence why he would play one down for the Leopards as well. 
Sarfaraz is my captain solely because of his stellar captaincy record in the UAE, whether it is for Pakistan or Quetta Gladiators. Sarfaraz seems to have found some form at no.4 during the Karachi leg of PSL6, hence why he would play at that position for the Leopards. We all know how greatly talented Pooran is. For teams who would plan according to the pitch report rather than matchups would most definitely have their spin attack muscled all over the park by Pooran. While I am aware of his severe weakness against the short ball and 140+ pace, I believe a player as talented as him is soon going to make that his strongest suits, so I would not write him off just yet.
Chris Morris will begin my very potent hitters contingent. At #6, Morris played that very memorable 32 ball 82 knock against the Gujarat Lions and is hence the best candidate for that position. Morris would also be a part of my death bowling attack. At #7, Imad Wasim comes in, who will also open the powerplay. On his day, Imad is very much capable of winning you matches with the bat singlehandedly. #8 is Holder, who would bowl from the other end along with Imad during the powerplay. #9 is Amad Butt, who is akin to Faheem but of course not as good, but definitely a handy new ball bowler to go with his lower-order cameos.
My #10, Wahab is also more than capable with the willow. In the UAE, Wahab has quality stats in all phases, although I would utilize him as a death bowler and an end middle overs bowler. Lastly, Hasnain would be my sole middle orders bowler, with perhaps one over dedicated to the death if needed.
3.I don't have any regrets pertaining to not going/pushing for a particular player. However, I definitely was disappointed in being unable to procure Babar and Rauf. Admittedly, they were a part of my "Confident Picks" contingent, however, I realized if I would continue pushing for them (both players went for $3M and $2M respectively), I would most definitely go bankrupt and not have the money for other players I planned on targetting. So, I backed out of the bid for Babar at $2.95M, and Rauf at $1.75M. As you could plausibly tell, in their places, I went for Rizwan for $2.15M and Hasnain for $925K, who was the very next player to go under the hammer after Rauf. 

4. #1 is Babar, as much of a  quality of a player he is, an anchor is most definitely not worth $3M in my opinion.
#2 would be Rauf. Rauf is no doubt very fast and has the potential to become one of the best death bowlers in T20 cricket, however it does not justify him being more expensive than the likes of Bumrah and Archer. Rauf also has the occasional moment of being a sole pace merchant (ie relying solely on his speeds rather than line and length, which results in him going for plenty in slow conditions where you need to rely on variations, like Abu Dhabi.)
#3 would be MSD. As great of a player MSD is, he is way past his peak and no longer offers power-hitting value. As it currently stands, MSD is a mere $1.6M glorified cheerleader who can only offer his vast leadership experience.
#4 would be SKY. Irrespective of how massively he has improved, there is absolutely no way he should have been worth more than ABD in my opinion.
#5 would be Kishan. No doubt a quality prospect who is bound to serve India for a very long time, but no way he is up there in terms of price yet in my opinion.

5. #1: Imran Tahir - In spite of the years waning on him, he is still crafty on conditions that suit him. One would expect him to go for a relatively high price tag, but it was not to be.

#2: Jason Holder - One would ideally expect Holder's stocks to be raised considerably given his unscheduled exploits for SRH last year, but I was surprised to be able to snipe him for only $310K. Was expecting him to break the $500K+ barrier if anything.

#3: Jonny Bairstow - Definitely was expecting him to break the $1M barrier; sniping him for <$1M is quite surprising in my opinion, especially because the Emirati conditions very much suit his style of play (ie spin hitting)

#4: Nicholas Pooran - I would say Pooran's price tag would reflect how significant of an impact recent form has on it. I was genuinely expecting him to go for >$1M+ and ready to engage in a heavy bidding war for Pooran, however, only 7 bids were placed in total for the Trinidadian (170, 180, 190, 500, 550, and 555).

#5: Hasan Ali - Given his major surge in form recently, it's genuinely surprising to see the Generator go for only $1M. You would expect him to go for more, no?

6. #1: Kedar Jadhav - Why would any team want him in the first place?

#2:  Basil Thampi - I needn't explain.

#3: Arjun Tendulkar - I know it was because of the Mumbai Lobby quota, but surely there are more deserving players from Mumbai!

#4: Zaid Alam - Makes sense to buy base price mugs when you've blown nearly half your budget on Babar and Kohli alone.

#5: Saim Ayub - Definitely a stylish player, but he is not an ideal investment for T20s in my opinion; a better investment for ODIs and Tests, though you never know, at some point down his career, he could reinvent himself like Rizzy did. 
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CHENNAI CHINCHILLAS:

1.I wanted one good batsman for each phase and also 4 good main bowlers. I looked to get one elite leggie and good pacers for each phase.

2.For my first XI, openers are self-explanatory. ABD's batting position is not fixed, his entry point can be delayed or sent earlier. Shahbaz will be a pinch hitter since he is the only LHB. Bowling is pretty straightforward. 

3.I would've liked to get Pant or Kishan but obviously, they were unaffordable.  Maybe I should've pushed more for Shaw.
4.Most overpriced buys in no particular order are MSD, Babar, Rauf, Bhajji, SKY. 

5.Best steals are Jadeja, Pant, Morris, Hasan Ali, and Lockie. There are more steals but they're on the benches. 

6.Surprise buys are Pujara,Rahane, Sam Ayub, Arjun Tendulkar and Thampi.
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PUNE POWER:

1.I came into the auction with zero plan, all I really wanted to do was buy Kohli. It was only after that when I began to realize I was developing a solid team, pretty much by accident. So, the plan pretty much developed as the auction progressed. 

2.In the simplest terms possible, it is the best XI I could have made with this squad. There was a juggling act between including Ben Cutting or Sam Billings, but I thought Ben Cutting being an all-rounder added more depth to the team.

3.The biggest regret for this auction was buying Dhoni, would not have done it looking back.

I don't know what else to add for the third, it isn't a lot of information.
4.Harbhajan Singh, Haris Rauf, Ishan Kishan, Archer and Dhoni.
5.Jamieson, Gill, Khawaja, Bumrah and Stirling.
6.Dhoni, Bhajji, Kohli, Babar and Bumrah.

AGRA HOSTELS:

1. The approach taken for the auction was strategic bidding, and conservatism in the use of money. However, if I had to do it again. I would have gone for a different strategy. Instead of saving early on, going big early seem to be more rewarding.

2. I went based on career stats, not caring about recent form or the conditions. I know a lot of other participants would disagree with how I picked my players and XI, but that is just what I find to be the most enjoyable. 

3. I regret buying Rauf for 2 million, I was just desperate for a good domestic bowler. I feel like I had some quality international bowlers to fill the majority of the lineup, however, I needed a good domestic bowler in order to get an international batsman in. A lot of the early batsmen that went up to sale were very undersold since I think everyone was not sure where the auction was going. So I would have bought someone like David Warner or Chris Gayle.

4. My purchase of Rauf for 2 million is a shocker. Babar Azam, Virat Kohli, both great t20 cricketers but were overpriced in comparison to some other names on the list. Suryakumar Yadav is not worth close to 3 million, and Ishan Kishan doesn't deserve 2 million. 

5. I know people will point towards his recent form, but Narine was still a steal. Amazing bowling record, T20 legend material, and is very handy with the willow. My trio of bowlers in Mustafizur Rahman, Jason Behrendorff, and Andrew Tye were all steals, in my opinion, purchased at a low amount considering their records. Colin Munro and James Vince are two names that also stand out for me. 
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MUMBAI MAVERICKS:

1.I approached the auction in a new way of getting Proper 11 players and the rest just bench fillers. 

2.My first choice 11 has the best combinations so hence it's that. 

3.I regret not going for Morgan, ABD, Jamieson, Since both were expensive and weren't on my budget while for Jamieson I thought I would get someone else but then realized Jamieson would have been a better option. 

4.The top 5 overpriced of the auctions are:

Harbhajan Singh

Shahid Afridi

Arshad Iqbal

Kedhar Jadhav

Haris Rauf

They aren't worth the amount they have been bought for, they are worth $250K less than the amount they have been bought for. 

5.The top 5 Steals of the auction are

1. Kyle Jamieson

2. James Vince

3. Azam Khan

4 Usman Qadir

5  Lockie Ferguson 

6.The top 5 surprise buys of the auction are:

1 . Paul Stirling

2. Tim David

3. Asif Ali 

4. Pujara

5.Cameron Delport
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Here are some general/interesting stats pertaining to the overall auction:

TOP 5 MOST EXPENSIVE PLAYERS:
1.Babar Azam - $3M (Pune Power)
2.Virat Kohli - $2.75M (Pune Power)
3.Suryakumar Yadav - $2.7M (Mumbai Mavericks)
4.AB de Villiers - $2.2M (Chennai Chinchillas)
5.Mohammad Rizwan - $2.15M (Islamabad Leopards)

TOP 5 MOST EXPENSIVE LOCAL PLAYERS:
1.Babar Azam - $3M (Pune Power)
2.Virat Kohli - $2.75M (Pune Power)
3.Suryakumar Yadav - $2.7M (Mumbai Mavericks)
4.Mohammad Rizwan - $2.15M (Islamabad Leopards)
5.Ishan Kishan and Haris Rauf - $2M (Royal Gladiators Bengal and Agra Hostels)

TOP 5 MOST EXPENSIVE OVERSEAS PLAYERS:
1.AB de Villiers - $2.2M (Chennai Chinchillas)
2.Rashid Khan - $2.1M (Mumbai Mavericks)
3.Jofra Archer - $1.7M (Royal Gladiators Bengal)
4.David Warner - $1.35M (Chennai Chinchillas)
5.Glenn Maxwell - $1.1M (Islamabad Leopards)

MOST EXPENSIVE PLAYER FROM EACH CATEGORY:
Platinum: Babar Azam - $3M (Pune Power)
Diamond: Haris Rauf - $2M (Agra Hostels)
Gold: Suryakumar Yadav - $2.7M (Mumbai Mavericks)
Silver: Mohammad Rizwan - $2.15M (Islamabad Leopards)

TOP 5 INTERESTING AUCTION FACTS:
1.There is no player in the auction that received a bid from every team.
2.Pune Power bought the most consecutive millionaires (4: Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, MS Dhoni, and Jasprit Bumrah)
3.Peshawar Shawarmas are the only team without a millionaire in their ranks.
4.Every team but Lahore Ladybugs has base price players.
5.The lone bid for Hasan Ali was by the Chennai Chinchillas ($1M)

So with everything about the DTL Auction covered, which team do you think would win the league? Vote down below!

If you did read the entire article, thank you very much for deeming this article worthy enough to take time out of your day to read. I hope it was an entertaining read.

Au Revoir!