Foreign players could be exploiting a loophole in the IPL auction system, Dinesh Karthik has suggested. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter also offered solutions to what he perceives as a problem.

At the 2024 IPL auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad set a new record by acquiring Pat Cummins for INR 20.5 crore. Less than two hours later, Kolkata Knight Riders shattered the record by outbidding Gujarat Titans and eventually paying INR 24.75 crore for Mitchell Starc.

Until Starc and Cummins, the record used to be held by Sam Curran, for whom Punjab Kings paid INR 18.5 crore. At the same auction, Mumbai Indians got Cam Green for INR 17.5 crore, and subsequently traded him with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Each of these amounts are higher than INR 16 crore, the amount the franchises paid to retain their most expensive cricketers at the last mega auction, for IPL 2022.

It is common practice for teams to retain key players, especially Indians, ahead of the mega auction that happens once every three years. With few slots to fill and a substantial wallet at their disposal, IPL franchises often splurge on foreign players at the mini-auctions.

Dinesh Karthik called this trend “an unhealthy one, not one I am a big fan of” in a video for Cricbuzz. “The mini auction is definitely used by players and agents very clearly, where they bring them on into the mini-auction and they go for absurd, unheard of prices, knowing that the teams are coming with a lot of money and have some holes to fill, and hence the price skyrockets.”

Karthik cited the example of Jasprit Bumrah, whom Mumbai had retained for 11 crores: “If a younger bowler comes through or a foreign bowler comes through and gets twice the price or more than that, I don’t know it will sit well, given the skillset of what Bumrah has … at some point it may get out of hand.”

However, he did not blame the cricketers for their mini-auction strategy: “It is not a fault of theirs. They are just prioritising their countries, their cricket, looking after their bodies, and realising, ‘Okay, now I will come in’. But also it is a bit of a tactic. I think players and agents are using this as a tactic.

“Instead of coming to the main [mega] auction, which happens every three years, they let that pass and come in the mini auction that happens the year after … Because of the holes available, they go for some crazy price. I think this unhealthy trend should stop.”

Karthik suggested two solutions to this imbalance. “Anybody coming in the mini auction after they have been released from the major auction can only go to the ceiling of the price they have been bought in at the mega auction,” he said. “In case a player hasn’t been part of the major auction and comes through to the mini auction, I think he can only go to the point of the highest-paid player in that team. Whatever money he is picked for beyond that should be given back to the BCCI.

“I have a feeling that would probably ensure sanity to some point. It is still a tad bit unfair, but I think that is the best way to go.”

Huge payday for #MitchellStarc & #PatCummins 💰

Are big overseas players maximising the 'mini' auction❓@DineshKarthik shares his thoughts around some key trends from #IPL2024Auction 👇#IPLAuction #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/hjB9GWIUEI

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) December 20, 2023

Karthik also tweeted his thoughts: “I’m not a big fan of players coming straight into MINI auctions and I feel foreign players and their agents seem to use it cleverly because they see a loophole there. I feel BCCI can clamp down on this problem.”