India, April 15 -- Cameron Green's balance sheet against CSK was not just poor. It was the kind of night that turns a season ledger into a warning sign. Out first ball, no wicket, no meaningful return, and by the end of KKR's 32-run defeat, the financial hole around him had grown large enough to feel familiar in IPL terms.

Because this is no longer only about Green's original Rs.25.20 crore auction fee. After five matches, KKR's cumulative loss on him in our model stands at Rs.8.01 crore. That is the exact price bracket where franchises buy a serious first-choice IPL cricketer. It is worth the price of Tilak Varma's IPL contract. It is also the cost of Mukesh Kumar or Harshal Patel. That is what makes the Green story sting.

The CSK matc...