You know the drill. There’s just one rule: there is no rule. So go on, shoot them in, your wisdom is all that these talent scouts depend upon. Tag @cricbuzz with the hashtag #IPLonCricbuzz, and for you non-tweeters, my id is all yours to spam: [email protected]

SRH have played it smart. Retaining Bhuvi would have meant losing 11cr from their purse. He might not be in the best of form, but he’s clearly a steal at 4.2cr INR. Also,

It’s only with Shardul Thakur that a 10.75cr INR deal could be called underpaid. He’s called Lord for a reason. Delhi fight out an intense battle with Punjab, and bag him, and it really is a bargain buy. Mumbai, meanwhile, it appeared would have gone after him, having lost two of their all-rounders, but no, they’re back in the slumber.

• Lockie Ferguson — He hits the 150kph mark regularly. And he now has INR 666666.66 for every kph
• Mark Wood — 500000 for every kph
• Prasidh Krishna — If Chahar was about pre-auction-runs, he’s about pre-auction wickets. 10cr, and RR
• T Natarajan — 4cr, and more of the TN quota into SRH
• Umesh Yadav — The nice guys are at the tables want him to go to England in the summer. It’s all about the WTC. Unsold.

And our reader, Sathish Murali, is clearly in the 99%, “Seriously confused with CSK strategy.” Another of our readers, Akh, says,”I think MI and CSK are really letting DC get away with bargain buys.”

Deepak Chahar is right on cue. Chennai, as usual, are just not giving up. There’s never a bad time to get runs, but there really cannot be a better time that two weeks before the auction. Chahar has had exactly those. Delhi try, Rajasthan try, but no, CSK refuse to change their squad. 14 crores. And given their body language, they could easily have upped it further.

5:17pm IST: Live again. We’ll kick off with the fast bowlers. This is the real deal. Enough with those trailers. These are the real mind spinners.

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Sanjay Bangar | RCB Head Coach: Very excited and happy for Harshal. He was always in our scheme of things. He has been critical to our plan and getting him back for the performances he had put in, has been important for us. Had we retained hm, we could have gotten him for 9crores, but we wanted to see the strategies of the new teams as well. We spent extra on him, but we wanted to see who retains whom. Chahal and Hasaranga have been critical for us. People who come early in the lot, you go after them. Punjab, RR and SRH have a bigger purse left and that’s where price dynamics come in. That’s why we wanted Hasaranga, who could bat at seven and who bowls leg-spin. DK can deal with pressure and finish games. For the guys batting ahead of him, he gives them a great deal of security. He’s good value for us at six with his attitude.

Manoj Badale | RR Owner: It’s been a pretty dramatic morning. It’s been a busy morning. We’re pretty pleased with where we’re at. We’ve got a gun batting lineup now. We like Devdutt Padikkal because he plays spin particularly well and fills that number three slot, with Sanju batting four this year. Shimron Hetmyer is a player we’ve admired for many, many years, and he has that real ability to play pace and spin at the back of the innings. So we just need some bowlers now. I’m pretty pleased with (Ravichandran) Ashwin. We were expecting him to go for a lot more than that. So that’s a real scoop. We just need to get some leg spin and some pace, otherwise we’ll have to get Warnie (Shane Warne) out of retirement (chuckles).

Ishan Kishan (on Social Media): Really excited to be back at MI. They have treated me like a family.

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A strategic time-out: Crazy bidding, but still not going into the insane category. Anyway, you have 10 minutes, here, consolidate ..

• Dinesh Karthik | RCB | 5.5cr —Not quite the tribute to the 2015 deal they gave him, but he’s back, and CSK trying their absolute best to add some Tamil flavour to their mix, lose him to the neighbours
• Johnny Bairstow | PBKS | 6.75cr — So what if he might not be around for the entire season, his reputation is enough to start a war
• Wriddhiman Saha | Unsold — Being the best Indian keeper isn’t apparently enough
• Sam Billings | Unsold — A recent Ashes cap, who cares

ISHAN KISHAN doesn’t just break bowlers, he breaks banks. And Reliance’s bank of all banks. He’s by far the most expensive buy today. 15.25cr. This is what Mumbai do, put all their eggs in one basket, and make sure they win that bloody basket.

• Ambati Rayudu: He was only going one way. 36-year-old. Seeeee-Yessss-Kaayyyyy. 6.75cr. Again, just to reiterate, this is a major auction where you build teams for three years. They’re outdoing their 2018 bidding.
• Mitchell Marsh: An MoS in the World Cup, and now can whack them around at the Kotla. 6.5cr
• Mohammad Nabi: Sadly all his bench warming at SRH hasn’t impressed teams. UNSOLD
• Matthew Wade: He may have done a Hussey and smoked Afridi and Hasan Ali around, but his 2cr base price is way too pricey, even for these guys. UNSOLD

The brothers get torn apart. Lucknow pip Gujarat, and successfully steal Krunal away from Hardik. 8.25cr.Okay, that’s not the fun part. Guess who else is there in LSG. Deepak Hooda, someone who left Baroda after the two of them had a tiff. WOW. And we thought Ashwin and Buttler would have the thunder. Nah, it’s been robbed.

These are no middle overs. This is just pure slogging, you know, the kind where you clear your front leg and target cow corner. But still, for some reason, despite Bangalore altitude and the tiny boundaries, the balls aren’t onto MG yet. They’re still falling in the stands. Washington Sundar starts off a bid war. Delhi, Gujarat, Lucknow fight, but keeping up with SRH’s love for Tamil Nadu players, he goes there for 8.75cr.

Here’s Tanmay Singh, hoping for some normalcy, “I really hope teams pick players like Raina and Smith tomorrow. With the whole ipl likely to be played in 3 cities, the pitches will wear down by the final stages and that’s where their value as anchors is worth its weight in gold. We already saw recently that the Ahmedabad pitch isn’t easy to bat on so these kind of players will be a steal for their base price.”

And Punjab have quietly seen out that over. Wanindu Hasaranga:Officially, SOLD, RCB again. 10.75 crores.

Quite a premature appeal from us. The start has been pushed back by another 15 minutes. Looks like Charu Sharma has been caught up in Bangalore’s traffic. That’s why you should never come via Silk Board. Rookie error. Anyway, it’s a 3:45pm IST resumption.

Session 2: We left that over midway. The pitch has clearly flattened out and the batsmen aren’t afraid to hit through the line. However, amidst it all, Mumbai are playing on a seemingly different pitch, poking and missing. Hyderabad are playing the wrong format, leaving wide half vollies outside off as well. CSK are happy with homeruns. RR are playing for the NRR. And Bangalore, are, well, keeping up with history.

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Some breaking news coming in: Charu Sharma will take over the auctioneer’s role on resumption.We will start on time, and we should be able to finish today’s quota.

Jake Lush McCrum | RR CEO:[On picking Ashwin] We spoke to Jos and he didn’t even think about it. I had to bring it up. He said it is absolutely fine and on the field they are looking forward to play together.

Parth Jindal | DC Owner:Absolutely excited. Can’t believe we got such a legend (Warner) for just 6.25cr. Him opening with Prithvi is going to be explosive. There was a lot of tactical things going on from the other teams. He’s just won the World Cup and we can’t want to have him back at the Capitals with all his insta stories as well.

Don’t worry, our lunch can wait. Here’s the latest from our correspondent, Vijay Tagore: Hugh Edmeades, the IPL auctioneer, is safe. The immediate information tickling in from the ITC Gardenia hotel in Bangalore, the venue of the mega auction, is that Edmeades is responding to the treatment and he is doing ok. More good news is that the British auctioneer, who fell off the dais while going about his business, is expected to continue with his auctioneering post lunch. The auction managers decided to break for the lunch immediately after the incident, which took place while Wanindu Hasaranga was being going under the hammer.

Pavel Sen: “The strategy seems simple for maximum teams: Buy your old team again.” — Yea, precisely what happens when two IPL seasons are held within six months of each other. Nostalgia just doesn’t end.

Sayan Bhattacharyya: “It’s all beautifully set for the two giants CSK and MI to go after Ishan Kishan at full throttle.” — They say Mumbai never sleeps. But this table is certainly not yet awake.

We have confirmation that the auction is set to resume at 3:30pm IST. Go on, consolidate yourselves ..

2:25pm IST: “Update from ground zero! Hugh Edmeades the auctioneer is fine but a bit shaken! Was a physical fall no internal issues with him,” courtesy our man, Gautam Bhimani. Phew, let’s breathe ..

Mohit Burman | PBKS owner: If you look at the nuances of the auction, you will always see a situation where the Indian players will command more due to the unavailability of a lot of foreign players and the less number of Indian players who can play at the top of the order. We’re happy with what we paid for Shikhar. Let’s just hope he performs very well. For us, it was important to get some senior Indian players on our side. Regarding captaincy, I’m not in a position to answer that till the time the auction is over. Our coach Anil Kumble will make that call. Let’s see what he decides. We don’t know who else we’re going to get today and tomorrow. Let’s hope what we put together should change the quotient. There are two more players we wanted to retain but we couldn’t. But this is the biggest auction we will be holding in the next five years. You have to look at opportunities and if someone wishes to move on and see if they can move on and get more at theIPL auction, so be it. There is no lack of good players. Hopefully, after we finish tomorrow I’ll be able to prove to you that we can get an even better team than what we had.

Venky Mysore | KKR CEO:Delighted how the first session went for us. To get Pat Cummins at that price is great. We thought he would go higher, so we’re delighted with that obviously. Shreyas is a quality top-order player. So that’s very long-term from our thinking. So that’s fantastic. As far as captaincy, it’s a decision that the coach and the think tank will take. We need to just digest all the activities of today and tomorrow and take stock. Certainly, between Cummins and Shreyas we have two solid options for us. I’m sure the coach and the thinktank will take the right decision. If you say Shikhar Dhawan is not a gamechanger, you’re making a big mistake. He is an outstanding player. We would’ve also been interested. We’re very happy for Punjab for getting him. At the top of the order, just the way he has played, if you look at his stats, he has got most number of 500 runs a season for any player. Age is a number. If you see his fitness, he will keep going and going. We couldn’t be happier getting Shreyas and Cummins in the first round itself. We may not have that much money and not that much more to do (going ahead in the auction) is better. The heart beats a little more properly. We can also a little more fun looking at what’s going on. We have a few plans in place, and hopefully we’ll fill up that spots also.

They’ve officially taken lunch. It’s just one of those times when everything just feels so small.

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2:15pm IST:Okay, Hasaranga isn’t sold yet. But there’s been a medical emergency in the auction room. The auctioneer, Hugh Edmeades, has collapsed onto the floor, and the doctors have been called in. In all our fun and our gawking, we forget how stressful having a billion eyes on you can be. Oh dear. This doesn’t look good.

It’s a yearly rule that RCB go nuts to buy a bits-and-pieces all-rounder. This year, that lucky duck is Wanindu Hasaranga. Again, who would have thought. 10.75cr. Yuvraj, Negi, Jamieson, Maxwell, Christian. It’s a legacy.

Piggy bank break alert! And it’s Harshal Patel who’s caused it. RCB want him. SRH are equally desperate. But no, this is a new RCB, they’re going all out for some loyalty. They have him, 10.75cr INR. A purple cap, an India cap, and now a lottery. The last year hasn’t been bad for the Patel household.

• Suresh Raina: The once Mr. IPL. And it’s probably the end of an era. UNSOLD
• Steven Smith: The best Test batsman in the world. A gun fielder. A possible captain. Alas, you said logic? Hah. UNSOLD
• David Miller: He has the fastest T20I century. Again, logic? Hah. UNSOLD
• Shakib Al Hasan:He’s refused to go to South Africa with the Bangladesh side to make himself available for the IPL. Oh you ungrateful lot! UNSOLD

Dhoni: 40-year-old. Bravo: 38-year-old. Uthappa: 36-year-old. This is some serious loyalty bonus programme. CSK refuse to let DJ go by, 4.4 crores! Again, they’re defying normal logic, but if logic were to win you titles, the Daredevils would have won all of them.

Rajasthan Royals are in the mood. They want to finish this off quickly. They are the opposite of what SRH have been. Most teams haven’t picked up anybody, but they’ve sorted out their batting lineup already. Shimron Hetmyer: 8.5cr. Devdutt Padikkal: 7.75cr.

• CSK doing CSK things.Loyalty, dad, near-retirement, and he fits the bill perfectly. Robin Uthappa, is picked up for his base price.
• Manish Pandey: He might not be in the best of form, but an experienced Indian middle-order batsman is white-tiger-rare. He’s Lucknow’s — 4.6cr.
• Jason Roy: He might be the cleanest T20 hitter in the world, but this auction has NEVER EVER made sense, he’s gone to Gujarat, FOR HIS BASE PRICE :/

Take 2:Five fielders are now allowed outside the ring. But that doesn’t mean you can’t tonk them over at the Chinnaswamy. Tonking is always welcome.

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Mike Hesson | RCB Head Coach: We are very happy and Faf was bang on budget. He is a proven IPL performer and is available for the entire tournament. We are looking at him as an opener. We are looking at a squad of 22, and we have a lot of work to do. We were very keen on Faf and are delighted to get him for 7 crores. We have a number of younger players we’ll be looking to get.

Warner-Shaw. Quinton-Rahul. Dhawan-Agarwal. Faf-Kohli. Quite a few of them are sorted up at the top.

Sherlock Sampath: “SRK are just like gen Z kids who go to family function just for the sake of it and leave after eating. They are not even bidding let alone buying any players.” — Detective turns analyst

It’s a nice mix of science, tactic, luck and philosophy that Pratham K Sharma has for you: “Not being a part of the Marquee Set might just go in favour of Ishan Kishan. Teams, a bit reluctant at the moment. Some absolute steals in Iyer, Warner and Shami.”

“Really happy for Shreyas Iyer. Getting a good team with hard-working players in KKR. A perfect team for his captaincy goals.” — Prateek Dubey

Aakash Jain, has it sorted out, “Here’s my two cents on acquisition of Warner’s services by DC: The writing was more or less on the wall, but eventually when it came to it, it did hurt to see SRH not even bid for Warner; he’s loved insanely by people of Hyderabad…but excited to see him back with Delhi!” — There’s nothing better than going back to your first home

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Break time | 15 minutes. As you get out of the disappointment of nothing crazy having happened, here, consolidate.

Powerplay done. Nobody broke the bank. Nothing went haywire. Nothing took long. And shockingly, everybody seemed happy to stop short of buying back their former players. Booooo. Okay, we get it. This pitch is a belter, and the openers have been conservative. Very conventional cricket. No switch hit. No reverse sweep. 50/1 (6 overs). We’re just warming up.

MORE DAYLIGHT ROBBERY. Quinton de Kock: 6.75cr. Mohammad Shami: 6.25cr. David Warner: 6.25cr.Something. Is. Seriously. Wrong.

He may have retired. He may be 37. He may only be available only for one season. But he’s Kohli-approved. And perhaps AB-approved. Faf du Plessis, congratulations, new skipper!He’s with the RCB, 7crores.

So KKR need a captain, and they get a captain, a gun Indian batsman, and a possible long-term prospect, for another steal. 12.25 crores — Shreyas Iyer. Okay, it might be a little too early, but most teams have been ultra conservative. Nothing so far seems beyond what the CAs would have allowed.

15 crores to 7.25. KKR successfully get back who was theirs, with a serious paycut — Pat Cummins. Also, Kagiso Rabada moves north, literally, in his stocks, and in his franchise. The Punjab Kings bag him, beating Gujarat, 9.25 crores INR. It might look a lot, but both of them are real steals!

Well, well, well. Whodathunk! After all the mankading taunts that their social media handles have put him through, theRajasthan Royals have snapped up Ravichandran Ashwin. Some serious truce-calling. 5 crores INR. Buttler can officially shake his hand now, and probably give him a bonus high-five after grabbing an outside-edge.

Shikhar Dhawan gets the Muhurat trading shot. He’s kicking off the actual Samvat-2079. And it’s the Royals who have brought out the auspicious coconut to break and get it started. But it’s the Punjab Kings who’ve done what they couldn’t in 2018, when SRH’s RTM denied them Dhawan. Nobody’s stopping them this year, 8.25crores. Welcome, Punjabi Gabbar!

Wohoo,just a ten-minute speech. Wow, Brijesh Patel, you’ve outdone yourself! And officially, let’s play. Please.

12:00pm IST: We’re live. Okay, let’s play. 1st Powerplay .. Hello Sharks, Namaste ..

And our much-loved Auction Tracker is up and live. Do keep hopping over for a blow-by-blow account of who does what and who goes where and who wants whom. Seriously, we haven’t slept all night to get this ready.

11:50am IST: We’ve successfully whiled away the whole of 2021. Just hang in there, we’re 10 minutes away from bullseye!

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Another reader, Satyam Kumar, lays out a foolproof strategy, “If a player is unknown and MI is bidding for them you better get them because these players are treasures discovered by the MI scouting system.”

Here’s Shashwat Sanghvi with the only real fear that exists: “I have my classes the whole day, and I have opened live IPL blog in another tab. Your last update shows 11:16. Are the auctions happening? Don’t tell me there’s covid outbreak in the auctions as well.” — Ah, don’t worry, most of CSK people are 60+ and booster jabbed ;)!

“I think CSK has had the toughest luck with this auction and maybe DC too. MSD has been critical in the rise of Chahar and Thakur, now at the peak of their powers they had to be let go.” — Employee retainer benefits are a joke across the globe, Akh

Also, John Vinoth gets philosophical, “People talk about a perfectly balanced team which never found in any sport. A dark horse on the day will do magic. Still so much madness around auction/drafting.” — Alas, we clearly don’t have anything better to do in life!

“I remember last year how you had compared the mini auction with test cricket but this year the mega auction is going to be very similar to t20 cricket with teams that do well in the initial stage(powerplay) will very likely go on to win the auction(match).” — Well, well, here’s The Outcast, and you really cannot not publish praise

11:00am IST: No hi, no hello, here’s our reader, Dhir Kothari asking what needs to be asked straight up, “At what time will the auction actually start(after all the boring speeches are over)?” — Well, an Indian function without long speeches is no function at all

The IPL auction is actually an anti Shark Tank. Nobody here needs to pitch themselves. Nobody here backs out here owing to the lack of expertise (even when they clearly should!). Nobody here cuts your equity. Counter offers mean nothing. Nobody here asks you what your future plans are before throwing their monies. And nobody here even bothers with net profit.

Here’s an everything about everything around the auction, why it started, how it started, how it’s going, where it’s going, straight from the horse’s mouth. And here are the domestic Indian players, the perfect target market for these yearly underdog stories, talking about what the IPL means to them.

** It’s THAT time of the year ** Hello, hello. You happen to have 90cr INR in your back pocket by any chance? No? Good, you’re in the right place, as we, the eternal victims of paycuts and price rise, watch in jealousy and excitement as a bunch of cricketers turn into millionaires overnight. Two days, 600 players, ten teams, potentially 217 slots to fill, and it is Bangalore playing host here where the wicket is permanently flat. See player, bid player. Welcome, to our yearly ritual, to this mad blog ..