5 small town cricketers who became million-dollar babies after IPL Auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not just about action on the cricket field. It also revolves around the proceedings in the auction that precedes the cash-rich T20 league. Before picking the players, the franchises jot down a few key cricketers, who are game changers. During the auction, the teams go hammer and tongs to buy them. Meanwhile, their prices keep soaring above at the rate of knots. Some players end up even as million-dollar babies in the process and grab the headlines. These names mostly become go-to-men for their skippers, especially in crisis. A few of them turned out to be indispensable members of their setup while some of them succumbed to the pressure of the price-tag. But there have been times when lesser-known small-town cricketers bagged in excess of a million. In our article, let’s take a look at five small-town cricketers, who became million-dollar babies in IPL Auction Varun Chakravarthy- Bidar, Karnataka Varun Chakravarthy. (Photo Source: Twitter) Before the 2019 auction, not many had much idea about the identity of Varun Chakravarthy. But as many as five teams bid for him and he fetched a whopping INR 8.40 crores (1.18 million USD) from a mere base price of INR 20 lakhs. In the 2018 edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), the talented leg-break bowler picked up nine wickets in 10 games, representing the Madurai Panthers. But it’s his economy rate of 4.70 that was most impressive. In the IPL, he played for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), but only for one match versus the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). There, he was taken apart by Sunil Narine after which he got rid of Nitish Rana. He ended with figures of 3-0-35-1. The 28-year-old Chakravarthy hails from Bidar, a hill-top city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. Jaydev Unadkat- Porbandar, Gujarat Jaydev Unadkat. (Photo: IANS) Jaydev Unadkat picked up 24 wickets in 12 matches in IPL 2017 for the Rising Pune Supergiant, including a hat-trick versus the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). It caught the eyes of the Rajasthan Royals (RR), who shelled out INR 11.50 (1.62 USD) for the left-arm seamer. After having a miserable season, the Royals released him, but surprisingly picked him up at a price of INR 8.40 crores (1.18 USD). Hence, he became one of the rare cricketers to become a million-dollar baby twice. In 11 games, Unadkat picked 10 wickets, but leaked runs at 10.66. It remains to be seen where the Royals again show faith in him or not. He also got a brief stint in the Indian team, but couldn’t hold on to his spot. Unadkat hails from Porbandar city of Gujarat, best known as the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi. Krunal Pandya- Ahmedabad, Gujarat Krunal Pandya. (Photo: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) Mumbai Indians’ (MI) decision to shell out INR 2 crore for Krunal Pandya back in 2016 raised a lot of eyebrows. Three years down the line, the southpaw has not only turned into a vital member of his IPL franchise, but has also donned the India colours in 16 T20Is. In 55 IPL games, Krunal, the elder brother of Hardik, has notched 891 runs at 25.46 to go with 40 wickets at an economy rate of 7.17. The utility Krunal brings in was seen ahead of the 2018 Auction. Mumbai released him and he was listed at a base price of INR 60 lakhs. Mumbai started the bidding after which the Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fought hard. SRH also jumped in, but Mumbai used the RTM and got him back for INR 8.80 crore (1.27 USD). Krunal belongs to Ahmedabad, the former capital of Gujarat. Ravindra Jadeja- Navagam-Khed, Saurashtra Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo: IANS) Ravindra Jadeja made his IPL debut for the Royals back in 2008 and tasted quite a bit of success. In 2009, he also made his debut for Team India in the limited-overs formats. In 2012, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went berserk to bag his services. Jadeja went to the MS Dhoni-led team at a bid of approx INR 9.8 crores (2 million USD). The all-rounder was the most expensive player of the auction. CSK hasn’t regretted roping him in one bit and has persisted with him. In 170 IPL matches, Jadeja has 1927 runs and 108 wickets. The 30-year-old has been with the Super Kings for six seasons. Only when CSK served the two-year suspension period, Jadeja played for the defunct Gujarat Lions, then led by Suresh Raina. Jadeja belongs to NavagamGhed, a municipality in Jamnagar district in Gujarat. Saurabh Tiwary- Jamshedpur, Bihar Saurabh Tiwary. (Photo Source: Twitter) Saurabh Tiwary, who models himself on MS Dhoni, was one of the most promising players when he burst on to the scene. He even played three ODIs for India, but then went out of the radar. On the back of his impressive start in the IPL, RCB went after him in the 2011 edition of the auction. The left-handed batsman got home 1.6 million USD. He couldn’t perform despite playing all 16 games. Tiwary piled only 187 runs at an average of 23.37. In 2014, he moved to the Delhi Daredevils and then to Mumbai Indians (MI). Unfortunately, his career went downhill and he hasn’t gotten a chance to play IPL after 2017. These days, he plays domestic cricket for Jharkhand. Tiwary was born in Jamshedpur, the most populous urban agglomeration state of Jharkhand, named after Jamsetji Tata.

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5 small town cricketers who became million-dollar babies after IPL Auction

A few of them became vital members of their teams after getting roped in.

Krunal Pandya- Ahmedabad, Gujarat

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