IPL 2013 Mini Auction

A million for Maxwell

Mumbai Indians paid US$1 million for Glenn Maxwell, then a little-known Australian all-rounder with a reputation for improvisation. He played three matches. The price was a bet on a type of batter the league did not yet have enough of, and the bet came good for other franchises later: Maxwell's next auction price, in 2014, bought one of the most destructive seasons any overseas player has had.

Hyderabad starts again

Deccan Chargers had been terminated in 2012, and a new Hyderabad franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad, took their place. Their first auction buys included Thisara Perera, who took 19 wickets. Pune Warriors India spent more than anyone else in this auction, on Ajantha Mendis and Kane Richardson among others, and finished near the bottom of the table; 2013 was their last season.

The season after

Mumbai won their first title in 2013, built largely on players they already had. The season is remembered as much for what followed: three Rajasthan players were arrested in May in a spot-fixing investigation, and the inquiries eventually led to two franchises being suspended. From 2014 the auction moved to Indian rupees, so this is the last page in the archive where prices were set in dollars. The Rajasthan Royals page covers the scandal and its consequences.

Reading the numbers

Overseas players took four fifths of the money in 2013, one of the highest shares of any auction, and most franchises bought only a handful of players. Pune were the biggest spenders and Mumbai second; Rajasthan and Kolkata spent the least.

Mumbai are the rare case of a franchise that spent near the top of a mini auction and won the title the same year, though their winning side was built on players they already had rather than on Maxwell. Aaron Finch, James Anderson and Matt Prior were among the capped players nobody bought.