Disciplined and prepared - Gujarat Lions tick the right boxes

With all the noise surrounding Ben Stokes, Tymal Mills and the uncapped Indian pacers who had a big payday in the 2017 Indian Premier League auction in Bengaluru on Monday (February 20), one thing that slipped under the radar was the prudent buys made by Gujarat Lions.

The highest bid was for Jason Roy, the England opener, for whom they paid Rs 1 crore. With Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith and Aaron Finch already in their side, Roy is a welcome addition giving the batting line-up the added flair.

What was the feature of the Gujarat think-tank was the discipline to stick to their plans and not get into a bidding war. They were stuck in battles on several players - most notably for Karn Sharma with Mumbai Indians, for Aniket Choudhary with Royal Challengers Bangalore and for Varun Aaron with Kings XI Punjab - but pulled out just in time to save some valuable purse amount.

Lions were cautious of not making the same mistake Rising Pune Supergiants and Royal Challengers made by pouring all their money on one player. "Very happy. Whatever players we had aimed for, we got them and for very good prices," Keshav Bansal, the team owner, told Cricbuzz. "Bowling department was a bit of a concern, so we've go a number of good options now.

"It was one area that needed a lot of improvement. We did not have variations and we wanted to correct that. In pacers, we had just two strong bowlers - Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni. We know our batting packs a punch.

"When we decided certain players that we wanted, we did set some upper limits as well. You have to be sensible, you can't go all out. That's what we did. We just stuck to our plan. Every team does their homework and we did as well. It's very simple, there's no rocket science in it. We listed two three players for one spot. Against their name, we set the upper limit."

Last year, speaking at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Mumbai, Bansal had acknowledged that making profits out of the IPL in just two years isn't feasible. And hence, it's crucial for the Lions not just to maximise the benefits of the tournament, but also to perform well. Last year, they had a sensational run and that translated into an increased fan base for the parent brand - Intex.

When the preparation for the auction started two months in advance, one of the factors, apart from potential, skill and performances of course, was to present a team that's marketable as well. Bansal acknowledged they did look for players who added to the brand value of the team.

"Yeah, definitely. 100 per cent," he gushed. "All the overseas players we have in our squad are world class players and are also big names globally. Dwayne Bravo is loved a lot in India. McCullum is there. Faulkner as well. Now, Roy. Now these names definitely add to the brand and increase overall appeal of the side. They add to the premium factor of the team. Needless to say, they add a lot to the brand as well.

"We wanted Roy because he's a fearless, aggressive batsman was what was needed. First up, if fitness becomes an issue for any of the players, then we need to have a solid back-up. You must have seen he's strong and then, of course, he fits the other criteria as well (that) we were looking for."

With Suresh Raina, McCullum, Smith, Roy, Faulkner, Bravo and the other Indian players, Lions have put up a promising line-up on paper. The only thing now is for them is to go a step ahead and not falter at the last hurdle.