What can be understood from these bids? Mumbai Indians' Kieron Pollard bid, a hot one, with an undisclosed (so far?) price, may be very useful for that team. Here's a batsman with a massive strike rate, who can also chip off wickets regularly. We don't know if Sanath will get all the games (they dropped him once), and hopefully their dependence on Duminy will end, but he lends balance to this team, lacking once Shaun Pollock retired.
Kolkata's bid for Shane Bond may be a victory in bidding, but will this help their on-field performances much? Their bowling, good as it is man for man, has crumbled under pressure a few times, though Shoaib Akhtar once won a game for them. Their butter-fingered, ungainly fielding may not be helped much by this selection, but they've got a player for the whole season.
Kemar Roach has just played two T20 games, so it's a surprise that they chased him. Their bowling attack is, frankly, rather flimsy, and though this may fortify that attack a little, it won't be much.
Bangalore bid for Eoin Morgan, but he won't get much of the season, given that they've got Taylor, Ryder, Pietersen, Steyn, Roelof and so many other classy internationals. Besides, he'll be coming after a series with the national team, then go back for the domestic event. Not really worth the chase. The bid for Ashok Menaria is an interesting one.
Punjab have gone in for Yusuf Abdulla a second time, and it's worth it, despite the shortcomings. He served his team well until Smith, Ojha and their Royal teammates smashed him all around. The hard-fought bid for Mohammed Kaif is an interesting one- he was offloaded by Shilpa Shetty's team, but Preity-Ness got him so that they could get better Indian players, well aware of the rule here. Kaif wasn't really one of the best, but was the only Indian in the fray, so they tried for that. Their inadequate strike rate won't be helped much, though.
Rajasthan have two value-for-money bids here. Damien Martyn has good T20 figures, but his lack of action in the last few years may go against him. Adam Voges isn't the most spectacular T20 player, but may at best get the job done. They'll surely miss Tyron Henderson, though Shane Watson will be available again, albeit briefly.
Chennai's bid attempts were very, very tame. First, they picked up Justin Kemp, who adds little or nothing to that team. Then, they went in for Thissara Perera, who's very much a rookie, in comparison to Thilan Thushara, whom they already have. They've picked two to warm the bench, nothing more.
A correction- Delhi have got Wayne Parnell, though he won't have as much of an impact as the one he'll replace. He's not much of a run-scorer, though he's touted as one. They should have tried harder here, and outbid Kolkata for Bond.