“….The newest member to the Kolkata team at ₹24 crore and 75 lakh …sold! What a welcome back for Mitchell Starc,” and the auctioneer brought down the hammer to indicate the close of the bidding, after a tense and thrilling eight-odd minutes, for the most expensive player in the 2024 edition of cricket’s richest sporting extravaganza, the IPL.

The Australian fast bowler was not the only one making news this season. On the podium this year, was Mallika Sagar, the first woman to officiate at the overwhelmingly testosterone-fuelled IPL event.

Mumbai-based Sagar, born into a business family that has avidly followed sports, especially cricket, for over three generations, has previously been the auctioneer for other sporting events such as the Pro Kabaddi League – again a men’s sporting event - and more recently the Women’s Premier League, where she impressed with her skills, prompting the BCCI to replace Hugh Edmeades for the IPL auction in Dubai.

Sagar says that people were surprised to see her up there. “...sports are definitely male-centric, especially in India where the majority of our fans are male viewers, they were a bit surprised … they prefer seeing a male up there,” she says with a rueful laugh. “I’ve gotten comments both complimentary and critical in equal measure.”

Journey

As a teenager, after reading a book that had a female auctioneer as the main character, Sagar impulsively thought that this was what she wanted to be. Years later, armed with an art history degree from Philadelphia’s Bryn Mawr College, that impulsive, or as she says “frivolous,” thought, became a reality when she had the opportunity to work with an auction house. “It was in my junior year in college that I saw a live auction for the first time, which is quite a fascinating and engaging experience.” In 2001, she became the first Indian-origin women auctioneer at Christie’s auction house.

The move from auctioning inanimate art objects to live people for a sports event, required a change in mindset and approach.

“You have to be a lot more sensitive when handling sports people or anything other than inanimate objects. Be more prepared so you are aware of the context in which you are offering the players - such as pronunciation of their names, and other details because each player gets offered or showcased individually. So it’s up to me to make sure that they have the best possible chance. It’s a heightened sensitivity to compensate for the fact that you are moving from artworks or inanimate objects to players whose careers will depend on what will happen in the next few minutes,” explains Sagar.

In sports events such as the IPL, the auctioneer has to be aware of the room, placement of the teams, be alert to identify who will raise the paddle and acknowledge it immediately, and who is engaging in consultations.

Sagar holds the view that being an auctioneer is not about being male or female. “It’s less about gender and more about individual personality. It’s more about your ability and your aptitude for the job and the position, that would decide whether you are a successful auctioneer or not. The way you engage your audience, the way you are able to bring energy to the room – frankly, that’s what creates the excitement and the buzz in a live auction.”

At Dubai, Sagar effortlessly handled the proceedings with a light but firm hand, interjecting comments at the right places that somewhat eased the tension at tight moments without in any way lessening the thrill of the bidding.

There was a tricky moment during the auction when Punjab Kings - due to a case of mistaken identity with two players with the same name but from different cities up for auction – tried to convince Sagar that they did not want the player they had acquired. But the hammer had already gone down and Sagar was firm that the rules had to be followed.

“The rules of the auction are very clear, that once the hammer has come down on any player for any team it is not possible to go back on that decision,” says Sagar. “And that decision then remains binding and final.”

For the 48-year old Sagar, with 20-odd years of wielding the hammer, the IPL auction is “without question” one of the high points of her career. “The IPL is an extremely important part of the sports fabric of our country, of the world. It has brought cricket into all our homes in a far more accessible way, so it is an honour to have done it. And, of course - it’s a lot of fun, excitement.”

Was she nervous before the auction, one of the most high-profile events in cricket?

“Of course I was nervous,” says Sagar, adding that its part of the pre-auction “jitters” that she normally faces before any auction.

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