Mumbai: Indian Premier League (IPL) – India’s annual carnival – is knocking at the door and every spring, cricketers go under the hammer. Couple of days before the IPL 2016 Player Auctions, Deccan Chronicle lists few cricketer names (up for auctions) that are not only humorous, but also connected to bus stations, a cup of tea, a drink and the first president of the United States.
Michael Beer: The Australian bowler looks like a by-product of Foster’s – the premium lager beer brand Down Under. He made his Test debut in 2011 (against England) but since then, has been given a chilled shoulder. The bowler has variations in his brewery, sorry, armoury.
Base price: 30,00,000, Photo: AP
Washington Sundar: The 16-year-old U-19 India all-rounder bats left-handed and bowls right-arm offbreak. His selection in IPL could make George Washington (first US president) – in the signature serious portrait – smile. On top of that, current US president Barack Obama is also left-handed, proud moment for America.
Base price: 10,00,000 (Photo: Facebook)
Ben Cutting: His roots may lie in Brisbane but one of his forefathers must have visited Mumbai (India) and swung the bat outside a ‘tapri’ – the Mumbai term for roadside tea stalls where half a glass is called ‘cutting’. He is an all-rounder too.
Base price: 50,00,000 (Photo: BCCI)
Ashton Agar: The Mumbai connect goes deeper. ‘Agar’ in the Maximum City means bus stations. The slow left-arm bowler did an internship in India (in 2013) when Michael Clarke’s side was swept away by Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Thankfully, there was no Test in Mumbai, he could have been run over.
Base price: 50,00,000 (Photo: BCCI)
Sachin Baby: The Kerala cricketer has been drawing attention for his first name. Another Sachin (after Tendulkar) in cricket raises expectations but then, he is still a ‘Baby’. The 27-year-old is yet to match up to the standards set by the stalwart.
Base price: 10,00,000 (Photo: Facebook)
Travis Head: The Australian cricketer (also an all-rounder) invites figures of speech and puns – ‘hot headed’, ‘cool headed’, ‘headed nowhere’, ‘hedonistic existence’ et al. Luckily, he doesn’t have a sibling like most Australia cricketers, or else, there could be a ‘Head to Head’ situation.
Base price: 30,00,000 (Photo: AFP)
(Disclaimer: The above content is written purely with a purpose to entertain the reader and has no malicious intent to defame any of the characters expressed in the article)
