Does he deserve to be an 18 crore player?- Tom Moody casts doubt on ace MI all-rounder ahead of mega-auction

The slabs indicate that two players will be valued at INR 18 crore, others at INR 14 crore, and one at INR 11 crore. Tom Moody, a former Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach and Australian, revealed his selections for the different slabs. While naming his initial two picks for that exact classification, he also explained why he believed Hardik Pandya was not one of the players to warrant the INR 18 crore price.

A few days ago, the 18th Indian Premier League player regulations were issued by the Board of Control for Cricket in India. A rule about the maximum number of retentions (six) that any franchise may make and the retention slabs that have been released was one of the many restrictions.

“I believe that, given how the previous IPL season went, Rohit Sharma may have become a little disillusioned with the events of the previous six to twelve months. At eighteen, Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav, and at fourteen, Hardik, would be my. It’s up to him to leave, or you might say it depends on his form, performance, and fitness.

Does Hardik Pandya deserve to be an 18-crore player when you analyse all of those areas with him? Does he have value? To be an 18 crore player, one must consistently win matches and be a true match-winner. Due to his difficulties during the previous IPL season, Hardik Pandya was having trouble with his performance and level of fitness. Absolutely, Tilak Varma,” said Moody.

They’ll need to make a few difficult choices: Tom Moody

The head coach of MI, who won the IPL in 2016, went on to discuss a tactic that the team has been using in recent editions that has put them in a difficult situation. To make his point clearly, he used conclusive examples from Ishan Kishan and Jofra Archer to support his viewpoint.

“Over the past few years, they have had some difficulties at the auction table. They have paid a heavy price for trying to keep or get players back into their squad after becTom Moodyoming in some cases far too loyal. Two famous examples that came at a high cost were Ishan Kishan and Jofra Archer. Did they receive the refund? I think to myself as I see Ishan Kishan that he is an exciting player.

but also swings extremely hot and chilly. With his bat, has he won how many matches? You need to ask yourself that question. Will you receive performance-based compensation for the approximately 14 crore you are paying him as part of your retention policy? They will need to come to some difficult conclusions,” said Moody.

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Considering how many skilled and experienced people they have at their disposal, MI may be among the few franchises experiencing a problem of plenty. When the teams have until October 31, 2024, to finalise their retentions, it will be intriguing to see what roster of players they choose.