I was amused and at the same time felt aghast at the way human beings were auctioned in the so called “ Great IPL auction†which was held yesterday and today. The way the auctioneer called the bids one should think as though he was auctioning the art works or an antique article at the Christies. But it was not so. He was putting under the hammer human beings and calling for bids. I could see how these franchises raised the bids. The way they ogled at each others made one feel that the human beings to be auctioned and bought had been decided before they met there. That is besides the point. But what was demeaning was to put a tag on each human being and call the bids. The auctioneer cheerfully says when the final bid was announced that so and so has been “sold’ if there are no bids then it was said “unsoldâ€. Should human beings be reduced to such trading terms.
We are told that in ancient times there used to be auctioning of slaves and they used to make them stand on a platform and the bidders were allowed to have a good look of the person. The same used to be the case when women were auctioned. Here only I would like to say about the animals which are are being sold in auction. When race horses are sold the bidders would come and open their mouth to test their teeth or raise their legs to see the condition of the hooves etc. The same case with donkeys also. Perhaps all the animals. The animals cannot protest nor the slaves of yester years. .But I wonder whether the same could be the case with players. They were also put up for sale and highest bidder got them.
The entire auction drama appears to have been held to defame some players. It is evident from the way the entire tamasha was conducted and especially the way they handled the senior players, when they were put up for sale and when there were no bidders. BCCI perhaps knowing the mood of the franchisees had washed it’s hands stating that it was the sweet will of the franchisees to decide whom they should take or not. The reason alleged is not far to seek because all the franchisees said at the end of the auction we wanted “young teamâ€. O.K. no problem with their intentions or motives. Let them have a very young team. They are the pay masters and they had the privilege to offer the bids. Then why senior players were put up for auction in the first instance especially Saurav Dada. He could have been told in advance that the franchisees were interested only in those players who were less than a particular age or who are “actively†involved in test cricket.. But now the BCCI and the IPL have in fact put this senior player to such an embarrassment that whatever he had achieved in his entire life has been washed off by showing him that he was not needed anymore like the cattle which do not give milk. What a sad state of affairs. Did he deserve this inglorious treatment Is it not an insult? Was it done deliberately? All the newspapers wrote that the bidders at the auction “looked down” when Dada’s name was called out!! Why in unison! He was insulted over and over again at every stage of his career when he started showing his mettle. But he was denied selection for one dayers and T20 alleging that he had opted out. I personally feel that there was cricket in Saurav which was terminated without any valid reasons due to various circumstances.
But we know that even if a diamond is thrown into a ditch, it’s shining will not go. It will always remain a diamond and KKR will know his worth when they play IPL with the present team. I am happy that Saurav increased his bid amount showing to the BCCI and the IPL Franchisees that diamond does not lose its dazzle by age or time.