Injuries uncover IPL franchises' lack of control over major assets

The IPL auction isn't just a giant marketplace where fortunes are made and hopes are dashed. It is also a deeply thought out team building exercise where analysts and coaches are searching for key players within clusters so that they have a team that can be competitive over a gruelling seven weeks played in different conditions. Most franchises create what they believe is a well balanced first eleven and then start filling in replacements since rest and rehab is a big part of the IPL. Players that help the team achieve that balance earn lots of money and, as you would imagine, are difficult to replace.

But unlike football which is the most recognisable league format sport to most Indians, cricket is played across formats and teams. Till a few days before the IPL, key players can be straining every muscle, giving everything they have in a format that is completely different from the one they are earning a lot of money in.