Uncapped players rake in megabucks at IPL auction in Jaipur

Teams loosen their purse strings as Unadkat fetches Rs 11.5 cr while uncapped Varun goes for Rs 8.4 cr

Updated : Dec 19, 2018, 06:30 AM IST

Uncapped players rake in megabucks at IPL auction in Jaipur

(Clockwise from top): Manoj Badale (L), lead owner of Rajasthan Royals and Parth Jindal, co-owner of Delhi Captials; former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan; CK Khanna, BCCI president with former DG Rajasthan Ajit Singh; Nita Ambani, owner of Mumbai Indians arrive for the IPL auction in Jaipur on Tuesday.

Strategy, excitement, disappointment and all other aspects of cricket came together in a room as auction for IPL 2019 commenced in Jaipur on Tuesday. The opening three players of the auction were sent back unsold and it was Indian batsman Hanuma Vihari to be become the first player to get auctioned after long drawn struggle between teams. There were 23 bids made before the cricketer with base price of Rs 50 lakh got sold for Rs 2 crore to Delhi Capitals.

As the auction proceeded there were several surprises for the fans as many less known players drew huge bids while highest bid player of 2015, Yuvraj Singh went unsold in the the first round. There were also display of fine drive of cost as teams went to raise bids, withdraw and even reclaim their released players.

While Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Capital were in a rush to fill in vacant slots, the other teams were more selective in indulging and pursuing bids in the initial rounds. The Kings XI had added a dozen new members to their team including seven all-rounders, before the auction entered in its final round.

Release-Retain saves RR Rs 3.1 crore

Rajasthan Royals retained medium-pacer Jaidev Unadkat at a price of Rs 8.4 crore. Royals have released him before the auction and had him back in a bid that saved Rs 3.1 crore for the franchise. Unadkat at Rs 11.5 crore was highest bid Indian player of last IPL auction to be purchased by RR. Unadkat, however, held the highest bid for IPL 2019 auction jointly with Varun Chakravarthy.

Varun Chakravarthy surprises

Among the top bid players of IPL auction 2019, all-rounder Varun Chakravarthy was listed at base price of Rs 20 lakh went for Rs 8.4 crore. The player from Tamil Nadu will be playing for King XI Punjab in this IPL. He had an intermittent career in cricket but has been on sturdy rise in past couple of years. He was second highest wicket taker in the recent Vijay Hazare trophy and emerged as a sought after player in IPL.

Shivam Dube an instant hit

Struck six sixes in a row in a Ranji match a day before auction, Shivam Dube had his performance encashed on Tuesday. An all-rounder from Mumbai, Shivam Dubey was bid by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 5 crore. He was listed at base price of Rs 20 lakh and came as surprise for those not following domestic cricket of India. A medium pace bowler, he has record of hitting serial sixes and thus is favourite for a twenty twenty match.

Yuvraj Singh finish on base line

The highest bid player of IPL auction 2015, Yuvraj Singh had a disappointing start at the 2019 auction. Released by Kings XI Punjab, the all-rounder was unable to attract bid in the first round and was later bought by Mumbai Indians at base price of Rs 1 crore. Singh was highest bid player for consecutive seasons and had draw maximum of Rs 16 crore in 2015. However, his performance on field has been on decline recently and that has reflected in bidding at IPL, last season Kings XI had bought him on base price of Rs 2 crore. He was once again back in the auction with a reduced base price but still failed to become an attractive choice for selectors.