IPL 2016 DRAFT

IPL Draft - Dhoni goes to Pune, Rajkot pick Raina

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

Shane Watson goes unsold in the player draft © Cricbuzz

Hello and a very good morning to you on this lovely Tuesday Morning (in India!). Welcome to the first IPL Player Draft. In the next hour or so, the two new IPL sides - Pune and Rajkot - will have the opportunity to build the core of their teams for the next couple of seasons. 50 Players from the two suspended franchises - Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals - are part of this draft and the two new franchise will be able to pick upto five players from the lot.

The draft is scheduled to begin at 11.30 IST. But before we go there. Here's a quick look at the rules and regulations!

Pune have the first choice in the draft, having bid the lowest amount in the bid

The two franchises will then alternate to pick up to a maximum of 5 players each from the draft pool

The two teams have a cap of 66 crore INR to spend in the draft and the subsequent auction.

The teams will be deducted 12.5 crore for the first pick with the subsequent picks costing 9.5, 7.5, 5.5 and 4 crores respectively

Uncapped players will cost 4 crore each

Remember: These values are only to put a cap on the teams' spending. This is not a reflection on the player's fee. Player contracts with existing teams will transfer over to the new sides.

MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Steven Smith and James Faulkner. MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Steven Smith and James Faulkner.

These are some of the big names. But the teams could spring a surprise for going for another unheralded player. We'll never know.Here's the full list.

While you eagerly await the draft process to start - here's a mock draft. Do you see the actual draft go this way? Let us know. If you were a team owner now. What would your strategy be? Tweet your opinions @kaushik_cb. We'll feature a collection of the best in our blog.

Common logic suggests MS Dhoni would be the first pick in the draft. Why you ask? The reason is multi fold - Despite his waning powers, Dhoni remains amongst the most destructive finishers in the game. His captaincy credentials are unparalleled. But most importantly, for franchises looking to break even within a stringent two-year deal, MS Dhoni - the brand can certainly help draw the big bucks!

But here's the catch - Suresh Raina, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo and Brendon McCullum are IPL powerhouses. Their selection over Dhoni can make cricketing sense. But will the teams play that gamble? Especially when they are in the league for just two years.

Eight seasons of IPL, Over 400 runs in seven of them. Highest run-getter in the tournament's history. Not a single match missed for CSK. Sixes count only next to Chris Gayle, Age on his side. Handy off-spin - Enough reasons for Suresh Raina to even pip Dhoni to become the first pick. Wouldn't you agree?

Suresh Raina is the leading run-getter in the tournament's eight-year history. ©Reuters

Pune - MS Dhoni

Rajkot - Suresh Raina

Pune - Ajinkya Rahane

Rajkot - Ravindra Jadeja

Pune - Ravichandran Ashwin

Rajkot - Brendon McCullum (Overseas)

Pune - Steve Smith (Overseas)

Rajkot - James Faulkner (Overseas)

Pune - Faf du Plessis (Overseas)

Rajkot - Dwayne Bravo (Overseas)

Rajkot - Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Brendon McCullum (o), James Faulkner (o), Dwayne Bravo (o)Rajkot - Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Brendon McCullum (o), James Faulkner (o), Dwayne Bravo (o)

The two teams appear to have approached the draft in contrasting fashion. Pune have 3 Indian players while Rajkot have just the two. Pune seem to have gone with a quite a few "innings builders" out there - Du Plessis, Smith and Dhoni take their time to get going. Interestingly however, the Sanjeev Goenka franchise haven't opted for all-rounders or medium-pace bowlers. Be prepared to see them go for a lot of such players in the auctions.

Rajkot, on the other hand, have picked a bunch of spinning and medium-pace all-rounders. They'll perhaps need opening batsmen and a bunch of Indian players. The Rajkot owner says the key was to get the right balance for the side.

Seven out of the ten players drafter are from CSK. A majority of the Royals will go back into the auction pool. Remember, there are some exciting players available - Watson, Binny, Southee, Samson - to choose from.

Pune franchise owner says Manoj Tiwary and Ashoke Dinda were consulted for draft. Sourav Ganguly remains their business partner in the football franchise but no role on the cards for him in IPL.

Both the teams now have 27 crores to spend at the auctions. That is scheduled for February 6 in Bangalore. The players drafted today cannot be traded but the first draft window will open immediately following this.

First Trading Window: December 15 - December 31, 2015Second Trading Window: January 11 - January 22, 2016 First Trading Window: December 15 - December 31, 2015Second Trading Window: January 11 - January 22, 2016

Rajeev Shukla, IPL Chairman, in the Press Conference:

"The response we have got during bidding process shows how IPL is still popular and credibility is not lost. We are not against Pakistan. Franchise and we will decide on Pakistan players in IPL."

Rajkot - Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Brendon McCullum (o), James Faulkner (o), Dwayne Bravo (o)Rajkot - Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Brendon McCullum (o), James Faulkner (o), Dwayne Bravo (o)

The franchise names and captains will be announced in the coming weeks. IPL 9 promises to be another exciting tournament. But that's some way away. Many important international and domestic tournaments to come before now and then. You can read the full report of the draft process here. Until next time, it's goodbye from all of us here at the desk.

© Cricbuzz

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