The two best players in the second season of the Indian Premier League [Images] -- Matthew Hayden [Images] and Adam Gilchrist [Images] -- haven't played competitive cricket for a year.

Four among IPL's five best players are coming in relatively 'fresh' and only AB de Villiers [Images] among them has had a full cricket season. Lasith Malinga [Images] is returning from injury, and Irfan Pathan [Images] isn't a regular in India's playing eleven in ODIs and Tests.

The table below lists IPL second season's top 30 players after the first 20 matches. Note that about 20 (*) of these top 30 players can be classified as 'fresh' or 'sufficiently fresh'. It will be interesting to remember that Sri Lankan players haven't played competitive cricket after the Lahore [Images] incident. So they too haven't had a surfeit of international cricket.

Player	Team	From	Runs	Strike Rate	W	Eco	M	MVPI	Money ($)	PVI	Age
M Hayden*	CSK	AUS	215	162.9	0	--	4	277	375000	464	37
Adam Gilchrist*	DC	AUS	163	171.6	0	--	4	247	700000	811	37
AB de Villiers	DD	SA	176	150.4	0	--	4	229	300000	375	25
Lasith Malinga*	MI	SL	0	--	11	4.0	4	216	350000	557	25
Irfan Pathan*	KXI	IND	84	125.4	7	7.3	5	192	925000	1718	24
Sachin Tendulkar [Images]	MI	IND	164	129.1	0	6.0	4	190	1121250	2026	36
Anil Kumble [Images]*	BRC	IND	7	77.8	8	5.5	6	178	500000	1207	38
Rahul Dravid [Images]*	BRC	IND	144	135.8	0	--	4	175	1035000	2372	36
K Pietersen	BRC	ENG	93	109.4	4	6.5	6	160	1550000	4145	28
T Dilshan*	DD	SL	124	147.6	0	4.0	4	159	250000	451	32
Herschelle Gibbs [Images]	DC	SA	140	130.8	0	--	4	158	575000	1038	35
RP Singh*	DC	IND	4	100.0	9	6.7	4	158	875000	1582	23
K Sangakkara*	KXI	SL	165	111.5	0	--	5	157	700000	1592	31
Yusuf Pathan [Images]	RR	IND	125	160.3	0	7.3	4	155	475000	1054	26
Suresh Raina [Images]	CSK	IND	102	121.4	2	4.5	4	153	650000	1461	22
Pragyan Ojha [Images] *	DC	IND	0	0.0	8	5.2	4	150	30000	57	22
Chris Gayle [Images]	KKR	WI	147	123.5	0	8.7	5	147	800000	2255	29
Dwayne Bravo [Images]*	MI	WI	44	93.6	7	8.3	4	143	150000	360	25
Sanath Jayasuriya [Images]*	MI	SL	79	129.5	4	8.5	4	142	975000	2358	39
Yusuf Abdulla*	KXI	SA	0	--	9	7.3	5	138	50000	130	26
Abhishek Nayar [Images]*	MI	IND	63	165.8	3	4.3	4	137	100000	250	25
Ravi Bopara [Images]*	KXI	ENG	138	116.0	0	3.8	5	136	450000	1180	24
Ishant Sharma [Images]	KKR	IND	16	123.1	6	6.2	5	135	950000	2910	20
Harbhajan Singh [Images]	MI	IND	48	208.7	3	6.2	4	134	850000	2179	28
Kamran Khan*	RR	IND	3	60.0	6	5.9	4	133	30000	77	18
Praveen Kumar*	BRC	IND	35	134.6	6	7.5	5	132	300000	942	22
Shane Warne [Images]*	RR	AUS	39	84.8	6	7.0	4	131	450000	1182	39
Jean-Paul Duminy [Images]	MI	SA	133	107.3	1	7.7	4	130	950000	2515	25
Rohit Sharma [Images]*	DC	IND	73	135.2	1	6.5	4	129	750000	1668	22
D Mascarenhas [Images]*	RR	ENG	31	100.0	6	6.6	4	127	100000	269	31

Now, lets have a look at the performance of players in the IPL, who have come in after a very crowded and strenuous cricket season.

Player	Team	From	Runs	Strike Rate	W	Eco	M	MVPI	Money ($)	PVI	Age
Ishant Sharma	KKR	IND	16	123.1	6	6.2	5	135	950000	2910	20
Harbhajan Singh	MI	IND	48	208.7	3	6.2	4	134	850000	2179	28
J-P Duminy	MI	SA	133	107.3	1	7.7	4	130	950000	2515	25
Daniel Vettori [Images]	DD	NZ	29	103.6	6	8.5	4	119	625000	1507	30
Yuvraj Singh [Images]	KXI	IND	96	133.3	0	7.4	5	111	1063750	3438	27
MS Dhoni	CSK	IND	79	114.5	0	--	4	95	1500000	5399	27
V Sehwag	DD	IND	67	163.4	0	--	4	90	833750	2639	30
Jesse Ryder [Images]	BRC	NZ	32	133.3	3	7.3	3	89	160000	697	24
Jacques Kallis [Images]	BRC	SA	124	118.1	1	12.3	5	87	900000	4273	33
A Flintoff	CSK	ENG	62	117.0	2	9.5	3	81	1550000	4088	31
Mark Boucher [Images]	BRC	SA	61	148.8	0	--	2	75	450000	2236	32
Zaheer Khan [Images]	MI	IND	6	66.7	2	6.6	4	60	450000	2582	30
Ross Taylor [Images]	BRC	NZ	67	109.8	0	13.0	4	52	100000	766	25
Albie Morkel	CSK	SA	31	129.2	2	9.1	3	52	650000	4147	27
B McCullum	KKR	NZ	26	74.3	0	--	4	43	700000	6550	27
Dale Steyn [Images]	BRC	SA	0	0.0	2	6.9	3	36	325000	3506	25
G Gambhir	DD	IND	39	100.0	0	--	4	29	725000	7082	27
Graeme Smith [Images]	RR	AUS	63	75.0	0	--	4	25	475000	6514	28

If we look at this list 'bottom up', we find that some of the season's most successful players are struggling: Graeme Smith, Gautam Gambhir [Images], Zaheer Khan, Jacques Kallis � and even Virender Sehwag [Images], Mahendra Singh Dhoni [Images] and Yuvraj Singh! These players aren't even averaging 25 'runs' per match, and costing the franchise upwards of US $2500 for every run scored.

Finally, we will look at how the 30 most expensive players in the IPL are currently performing.

Player	Team	From	Runs	Strike Rate	W	Eco	M	MVPI	Money ($)	PVI	Age
K Pietersen	BRC	ENG	93	109.4	4	6.5	6	160	1550000	4145	28
A Flintoff	CSK	ENG	62	117.0	2	9.5	3	81	1550000	4088	31
MS Dhoni	CSK	IND	79	114.5	0	--	4	95	1500000	5399	27
Sachin Tendulkar	MI	IND	164	129.1	0	6.0	4	190	1121250	2026	36
Sourav Ganguly [Images]	KKR	IND	82	102.5	2	8.0	5	89	1092500	5114	36
Yuvraj Singh	KXI	IND	96	133.3	0	7.4	5	111	1063750	3438	27
Rahul Dravid	BRC	IND	144	135.8	0	--	4	175	1035000	2372	36
Sanath Jayasuriya	MI	SL	79	129.5	4	8.5	4	142	975000	2358	39
Ishant Sharma	KKR	IND	16	123.1	6	6.2	5	135	950000	2910	20
Jean-Paul Duminy	MI	SA	133	107.3	1	7.7	4	130	950000	2515	25
Irfan Pathan	KXI	IND	84	125.4	7	7.3	5	192	925000	1718	24
Jacques Kallis	BRC	SA	124	118.1	1	12.3	5	87	900000	4273	33
RP Singh	DC	IND	4	100.0	9	6.7	4	158	875000	1582	23
Harbhajan Singh	MI	IND	48	208.7	3	6.2	4	134	850000	2179	28
Virender Sehwag	DD	IND	67	163.4	0	--	4	90	833750	2639	30
Chris Gayle	KKR	WI	147	123.5	0	8.7	5	147	800000	2255	29
Robin Uthappa [Images]	BRC	IND	38	71.7	0	--	5	40	800000	8234	23
Rohit Sharma	DC	IND	73	135.2	1	6.5	4	129	750000	1668	22
Gautam Gambhir	DD	IND	39	100.0	0	--	4	29	725000	7082	27
Adam Gilchrist	DC	AUS	163	171.6	0	--	4	247	700000	811	37
K Sangakkara	KXI	SL	165	111.5	0	--	5	157	700000	1592	31
B McCullum	KKR	NZ	26	74.3	0	--	4	43	700000	6550	27
Jacob Oram [Images]	CSK	NZ	49	140.0	1	8.3	2	79	675000	2694	30
Manoj Tiwary	DD	IND	9	69.2	0	11.0	2	13	675000	13100	23
Suresh Raina	CSK	IND	102	121.4	2	4.5	4	153	650000	1461	22
Albie Morkel	CSK	SA	31	129.2	2	9.1	3	52	650000	4147	27
Tyron Henderson	RR	SA	11	73.3	1	7.5	1	18	650000	10685	34
Daniel Vettori	DD	NZ	29	103.6	6	8.5	4	119	625000	1507	30
M Muralitharan [Images]	CSK	SL	0	0.0	4	4.9	3	91	600000	2160	37
Mashrafe Mortaza [Images]	KKR	BAN	0	--	0	--	0	0	600000	--	25

A look at the paisa vasool index (PVI) column suggests that Kevin Pietersen [Images], Andrew Flintoff [Images], Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Jacques Kallis, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Brendon McCullum [Images], Manoj Tiwary, Albie Morkel and Tyron Henderson -- with a PVI exceeding 4000 -- are currently not good value for money, at least on the cricket field.

Srinivas Bhogle now works for TEOCO Software Pvt Ltd. This note is based on the detailed IPL1 analysis carried out by Purnendu Maji in 2008. The paisa vasool index uses a model developed by M J Manohar Rao and Rajeeva L Karandikar.