India, Dec. 15 -- It is only in the Indian Premier League that a franchise owned by a corporate house with a market cap of Rs.21 lakh crore comes to the auction with Rs. 2.75 crore, the least spending power in the room.

The cap on player salary has always acted as a safeguard against unevenly constructed squads, a recurring gripe in major football leagues. But this is also a nod to the different strategies employed by the teams. Some choose to retain, others look to reorganise.

One of the unique selling points of the IPL has been the unstaged drama of player auctions. In as much as their dynamism goes, auction strategies are now more scientific, aided by copious work done by analysts, talent scouts and rehearsed through multiple rounds ...