Pat Cummins, Piyush Chawla: Most Expensive Players of IPL Auction
A big pay day for some Aussie cricketers today!
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A total of 62 players were bagged by the eight franchises in the 2020 Indian Premier League auction in Kolkata on Thursday, 19 December. And taking home the biggest packages on the day were the overseas players.
While the franchises did manage to make a few smart buys, there were quite a few names who were on the happier side of the windfall owing to a tussle between multiple teams. Here’s a list of the most expensive players in this auction:
1. Pat Cummins
Pacer Pat Cummins became the most expensive foreign buy ever in the league by fetching a whopping Rs 15.50 crore bid from two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
Although the bidding war initially emerged between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, KKR were a late customer when the bid had reached Rs 14.5 crore. However, Kolkata upped the ante and as the hammer hit the board, Cummins became the most expensive overseas player in the history of IPL.
2. Glenn Maxwell
All-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who was not considered for the upcoming ODI series against India in January, returned to Kings XI Punjab with a price tag of Rs 10.75 crore after an intense bidding war with Delhi Capitals. KXIP went into the auction with the biggest available purse of Rs 42.70 crore.
The 31-year-old Maxwell has been on his way back to cricket after taking a sudden break to deal with mental health issues earlier this year.
3. Chris Morris
Another big buy at the auction was South African Chris Morris, who was sold for Rs 10 crore to Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The 32-year-old bowling all-rounder had a base price of Rs 1.5 crore but saw his fortune increase by more than six times as Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore entered into a bidding war to have him on board. A late entry from Mumbai Indians ensured he touched the Rs 10 crore mark which is when both MI and KXIP backed out.
4. Sheldon Cottrell
West Indies pacer Sheldon Cottrell, with a base price of Rs 50 lakh, fetched a winning bid of Rs 8.50 crore from Kings XI Punjab.
His miserly economy rate of 7.46 in 83 T20 matches is surely a factor that the management had on their mind when they roped in the West Indian for that astronomical sum. Death-bowling is a key area in the shortest format of the game and Cottrell will pair up well with India fast bowler Mohammed Shami.
5. Nathan Coulter-Nile
Australia’s Nathan Coulter-Nile also enjoyed a million dollar payday at the auction as Mumbai Indians shelled out Rs 8 crore for the pacer. Mumbai Indians opened the bid at Rs 1 crore and despite starting the day with just Rs 13.05 cr in their bank, went all out for the all-rounder.
6. Shimron Hetmyer
Caribbean star Shimron Hetmyer was expectedly a sought-after entity for his big-hitting abilities and went to Delhi Capitals for Rs 7.75 crore. The left-hander had a base price of Rs 50 lakh and recently made his case with a match-winning hundred against India in the first ODI in Chennai.
7. Piyush Chawla
Veteran Indian spinner Piyush Chawla remained a hit with the franchises and was bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 6.75 crore. He was the highest paid India during this auction. Having been released by Kolkata Knight Riders, Chawla was one of the big names available in the market among spinners and CSK made no mistake to rope in the India international who will be handy for them at home .
8. Sam Curran
Sam Curran was released by Kings XI Punjab ahead of the auction after having snapped him up for a mouth-watering Rs 7.2 crore in the previous auction. The 21-year-old Englishman has been one of the most impressive bowlers in the circuit for quite a few years now and on Thursday fittingly became the most expensive English player in this IPL. Chennai Super Kings have been focusing on international pacers and they continued the trend to land the southpaw, who besides picking 10 wickets in nine IPL matches last season, had also scored a half-century against Kolkata Knight Riders.
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