IPL Auction live 2019: KXIP buy Varun Chakravarthy for Rs 8.4 crore – Mendis-like spinner and architect

IPL Auction 2019 Live: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 Player Auctions is being held in Jaipur on Tuesday. The 8 IPL teams Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, King XI Punjab, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indian and Kolkata Knigh Riders will pick the players to add to their core team. With most teams having made their big buys in the IPL auction last year, this year they will focus on adding what is missing from their squads.

However, teams like KXIP and DC will go for big players as they look to rebuild their sides again.

The franchises are yet to hear from the IPL Governing Council whether the tournament would be shifted to South Africa, similar to the way it was done during the general Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and to UAE in 2014. Still some teams may make bids based on the chance of the matches being held in some other venue than India.

Around 351 cricketers, including 228 Indians, will go under the hammer on Tuesday. There was a total of around 1,003 players initially registered for the auction, but the final list was released with a figure of 351, including the last-minute entry of five players. This will include the 119 capped, 229 uncapped and two associate nation players available for auctions.

Who is Shivam Dubey?

Who is Varun Chakravarthy?

Bought by: KINGS XI PUNJAB

Base Price:

Final Price: Rs 8.4 crores

According to his profile on ESPNCricinfo, his variations include: 

Chakravarthy’s rise in the Indian domestic cricket has been meteoric. The mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu could spark a bidding war for his services following impressive performances in the TNPL and the Vijay Hazare Trophy. IN TNPL, he recorded an unbelievable economy rate of 4.7 from 10 T20 matches. He has already taken 22 wickets Tamil Nadu in limited-overs cricket in nine matches.

Former CSK net bowler! #OpenMike pic.twitter.com/7cTaaziMS9

— TNPL (@TNPremierLeague) July 26, 2018

The mystery spinner, who has been compared to Ajantha Mendis, has also worked as a freelance architect and has a degree from SRM University in Chennai.

Varun started playing cricket at the age of 13 and has seven variations – offbreak, legbreak, googly, carrom ball, flipper, top spinner and slider.

After TNPL he entered Vijay Cricket Club’s squad in first  division of the Chennai League and his team clinched the 50-over VAP trophy. He was also called up to the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy and was the top wicket-taker in the group stage with 22 wickets and had an economy rate of 4.23.

He also made his Ranji Trophy debut for Tamil Nadu. At the Mumbai Indians trials, he showed a proclivity to bowl in the Powerplays