Multi-dimensional cricketers are the hottest selling property in the game’s shortest format. Their ability to impact the game with both bat and ball is why most teams wish to have quality all-rounders in their ranks. 

If we take a look at the history of IPL auctions, it clearly shows that acquiring a world-class all-rounder has always been among the top priorities of most franchises, for that they don't even mind paying a premium price.

India is not known for producing world-class all-rounders but there was a time when the majority of the players in Indian cricket used to be multi-dimensional. Just look at the squad that won the 1983 World Cup, it was full of multi-utility players. 

From Kapil Dev to Ravi Shastri to Roger Binny to Mohinder Amarnath, the team was filled with all-rounders who had the ability to turn the tide with both bat and ball. There was no doubt that had they been playing cricket now, all of them would have created chaos in the IPL auction and raked in huge paychecks. 

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recently shared how much he would have gone for in the IPL auction had he been playing cricket now.  

The former India all-rounder, who was known for his left-arm-spin and power hitting, said that he would have easily become one of the highest-paid players in the tournament, attracting a bid in the region of Rs 15 crore. He didn't even flinch his eyes once, that's how confident he was in his assessment. 

“Comfortably in the 15 crore bracket. Comfortably! And captain of the side. No question. It's a no-brainer,” Shastri told ESPNCricinfo. 

Shastri, whose coaching stint with the Indian team ended in November last year, also added that apart from getting big bucks he would have also gotten the captaincy of a franchise. 

The former India all-rounder represented India in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs during his illustrious international career, which began in 1981 and came to a sad end in 1992 due to a recurring knee injury at the age of 31. 

The tall all-rounder from Mumbai accumulated 3,830 and 3,108 runs in Tests and ODIs respectively and finished his international career with a combined tally of 280 wickets across both formats. 

Given Shastri’s impressive record at the international level and the IPL auction dynamics, we have to say his assessment is spot on.

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