'He’s very overpriced': Wasim Jaffer doesn't agree with Rs 16-crore player's IPL price tag

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer is of the opinion that Lucknow Super Giants have overpaid to secure the services of West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran at the IPL 2023 auction. LSG spent a whopping sum of Rs. 16 crores to buy Pooran at the mini-auction in Kochi. There was a bidding war between LSG and Delhi Capitals when Pooran's name came up at the auction, where the KL Rahul-led side eventually beat Rishabh Pant's team to buy the left-handed batsman.  

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer said that Pooran is very overpriced but acknowledged that he is a quality player. Jaffer said that LSG bought a couple of good players like Daniel Sams and Romario Shepherd for Rs. 75 lakhs and Rs. 50 lakhs, respectively, adding that they were good buys even though there's a question mark about them delivering in the IPL. Jaffer further added that Pooran falls in the same category even though he is a quality player. 

"They’ve got good players, Sams and Romario Shephard, I think was a good buy, even though there’s a question mark about them delivering in the IPL. Nicholas Pooran again falls in that category even though he’s a quality player, but I think he’s very overpriced," Wasim Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo.

Pooran's IPL career

Pooran was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad setup for IPL 2022. He had moved to Hyderabad from Punjab Kings, which had bought him in IPL 2019 auction. 

The 27-year-old has played 47 matches in the IPL thus far and has scored 912 runs at an average of 26.06 and with a strike rate of 151.24. He has four half-centuries to his name. In the previous edition of the cash-rich tournament, Pooran played 14 matches and scored 306 runs at an average of 38.25 and with a strike rate of 144.34. Pooran's best season with the bat came in 2020 when he smashed 353 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 169.71.  

LSG squad: KL Rahul, Avesh Khan, Ayush Badoni, Deepak Hooda, K. Gowtham, Karan Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Manan Vohra, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Mark Wood, Quinton De Kock, Nicholas Pooran, Jaydev Unadkat, Amit Mishra, Prerak Mankad, Yash Thakur, Romario Shepherd, Daniel Sams, Yudhvir Charak, Naveen Ul Haq, Swapnil Singh.

Image: IPL/WasimJaffer/Twitter