IPL Auction 2018 at a Glance: Johnson Goes to KKR, Gayle to Punjab
Catch live updates on the IPL auction 2018.
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What to Expect
The two-day (27-28 January) auction will see the eight IPL teams fight for 578 capped and uncapped players in Bengaluru.
There are 16 top players awarded marquee status and a base price of Rs 2 crore with notable among them being Ben Stokes, R Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, and Dwayne Bravo to name a few.
After his record breaking Rs 14.5 crore bid during the last edition, world's premier all-rounder Ben Stokes is once again likely to force the franchises into loosening their purse strings.
There hasn't been an IPL auction of this magnitude since the inception year of 2008, where so many premier Indian stars were up for grabs.
Ashwin and Ajinkya Rahane may have fallen out of favour in the national team as far as the shortest format is concerned but as current India players, the franchises are expected to show a lot of interest in them.
Someone like Kedar Jadhav, who can bat, bowl off-spin and keep wickets, is likely to be retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Wrist spinners like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be high in demand. Ditto for players like KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, and Dinesh Karthik, who have had success in this format.
Since quality wrist spinners are the need of the hour in T20, Afghan sensation Rashid Khan Arman is again likely to laugh his way to the bank.
While Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently said Chennai Super Kings will bid for their local man but with no Right To Match (RTM) available for Ashwin, it will be interesting to note how far the two-time champions go for the burly offie. But a cursory glance at CSK's buying pattern will indicate that left-arm paceman Starc may be on their wishlist as Dhoni has always had a Doug Bollinger or Ashish Nehra in earlier years.
If RCB uses RTM for Starc, then Jaydev Unadkat, after a great IPL last year, could be an option for the 'Canary Yellow' army.
CSK will go all out while using RTM for West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, easily one of Dhoni's trusted lieutenants during his best years.
However, perennial underachievers, Delhi Daredevils have no such compulsions as they may go the whole hog for Ashwin along with Gautam Gambhir, who looks a serious candidate to lead the capital franchise.
DD have been known to make some outrageous decisions over the years which have completely backfired. It won't be surprising that their desperation to get a leader and match-winner would prompt them to go the distance.
For KKR, retaining Gambhir is an option but then they wouldn't have released him for the auction in the first place. The Shah Rukh Khan co-owned franchise is more likely to use its RTM for the prolific T20 dasher Chris Lynn, who has had some success with them.
Rajasthan Royals, who had only retained Steve Smith, have the highest purse left and may go the distance for someone like West Indian swashbuckler Evin Lewis, who has smashed two T20 international hundreds against India.
Similarly, Colin Munro will be in demand for his recent exploits in T20 cricket.
Kieron Pollard, who recently played the 400th T20 match of his career, is expected to be back at the Mumbai Indians, who are all but certain to use their RTM.
Kings XI Punjab may get Harbhajan Singh in their ranks as he is still a force to reckon with in this format. He is an economical bowler and a handy lower-order batsman. More importantly, he is captaincy material having led Mumbai Indians to Champions League T20 triumph.
With each team needing at least a minimum of 10 Indian players (for a minimum squad of 18), the likes of Krunal Pandya, Basil Thampi, Avesh Khan, Deepak Hooda are expected to get good deals.
There is also a fair bit of excitement about some of the India U-19 players – especially Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who has been regularly clocking mid 140 clicks during the ongoing colts World Cup. His pace bowling partner Shivam Mavi and the team's skipper Prithvi Shaw are expected to get deals.
The Punjab duo of Shubhman Gill and Abhishek Sharma are also on the radar of the franchises. Among the uncapped foreign players, West Indies-born pacer Jofra Archer, who has been a find of this edition of Big Bash League (BBL).
(With inputs from PTI)
Ben Stokes Goes to Rajasthan for 12.5, Chris Gayle Goes Unsold
Seven players were sold from the first group of marquee players, with Chris Gayle going unsold. Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings used one RTM card each to retain Ajinkya Rahane, Kieron Pollard, Shikhar Dhawan and Faf du Plessis, respectively.
Here is how the first round of auctioning went:
Gambhir Back in Delhi; Joe Root Goes Unsold
Eight players went under the hammer in the second round of the IPL auction 2018. All of them were bought, except for Joe Root (who received no bid). The Delhi Daredevils got Gautam Gambhir and Glenn Maxwell back into the team after a gap of a few years. Here’s how the round went:
Manish Pandey, KL Rahul Go for 11 Crore Each
Here’s how the auction for the capped batsmen group went:
James Faulkner Goes Unsold, Hyderabad Bag Yusuf Pathan
From the group of capped all-rounders, Kedar Jadhav bagged the biggest bid. He was sold to the Chennai Super Kings for Rs 7.8 crore.
Here’s how the all-rounders’ auction unfolded:
Parthiv, Ojha Go Unsold; Rajasthan Take Samson
Here is how the capped wicket-keepers fared in the IPL auction 2018:
Ishant, Malinga, McClenaghan Unsold
Here is how the capped fast bowlers fared in the IPL auction 2018:
Rashid Khan Goes to Hyderabad for Rs 9 Crore, Chahal to RCB for Rs 6 Crore
Rashid Khan was the best performer among the spinners. He was retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad through an RTM card. Here’s how this group fared:
Prithvi Shaw to Delhi for Rs 1.2 Cr, Rahul Tripathi to Rajasthan for Rs 3.4 Cr
Surya Kumar Yadav, Shubman Gill and Prithvi Shaw were among the big buys from the uncapped batsmen group. Here is how the players fared:
Rajasthan Pick Up Jofra Archer for 7.2 Crore
Here’s how the auction for uncapped all-rounders unfolded:
Siddharth Kaul Goes to Hyderabad, Gurbani Goes Unsold
Rajasthan Pick Up Gowtham for Rs 6.2 Crore
Day two of the IPL auction 2018 started with bidding for uncapped spinners. Here’s how the players fared:
Eoin Morgan, Shaun Marsh Go Unsold
Daniel Christian to Delhi, Pawan Negi to RCB
Kings XI Punjab Use RTM to Keep Mohit Sharma
Rajasthan Buy Unadkat for a Whopping Rs 11.5 Cr
After getting Gowtham Krishnappa for Rs 6.2 Cr, earlier in the day, Rajasthan Royals welcomed Jaydev Unadkat to their team. The Royals paid a whopping Rs 11.5 crore for the player.
Dale Steyn, Nathan Lyon Go Unsold
Mumbai Pick Up Sangwan for Rs 1.5 Crore
Andrew Tye Will Play for Punjab for Rs. 7.2 Crore; Unmukt Remains Unsold
No Bids for Morne Morkel, Jason Holder
Sandeep Lamichhane Becomes the First Nepalese Player to Play in IPL
Chris Gayle Goes Unsold Again, CSK Buy Murali Vijay
Third Time Lucky! Chris Gayle Finds Bidders in Kings XI Punjab
After going unsold for the second time, earlier in the day, Chris Gayle was bought by Kings XI Punjab for his base price of Rs 2 crore. This was the third time Gayle’s name came up for bidding in the auction.
A total of 578 Indian and overseas players are in the fray for the player auction for the Indian Premier League 2018.
- 169 players were sold in the IPL auction 2018, out of which 56 were overseas players
- Shaun Marsh and Dale Steyn went unsold for the second time on day two, while Chris Gayle was picked up by KXIP and Mitchell Johnson by KKR
- The T20 tournament will be held from 7 April to 27 May
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