Best XI cheaper than Virat Kohli's IPL salary

The IPL auction for the 13th edition of the cash-rich league is just a few days away. The fans are always excited to know which player receives the highest bid at the auction. But, one thing is for sure that the highest earner from the auction won’t receive a contract so good as the Indian captain, Virat Kohli’s contract.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper makes 17 Crores INR from his IPL contract. No other player has ever had such an expensive price but there is no other Virat Kohli either. The right-handed batsman holds the record for scoring the most runs in the tournament. Besides, he is the only player to have hit four IPL hundreds in a single tourney.

However, thinking practically, some pundits would want to have 11 players in their team instead of occupying those funds for just one excellent cricketer.

Hence, in this article, we will have a look at an IPL XI that is cheaper than Virat Kohli’s salary

Prithvi Shaw (1.2 Crores INR)

Former India U19 captain, Prithvi Shaw had earned a contract of Rs 1.2 Crores from Delhi Capitals in 2018. He has been retained at the same price and, he had made every penny of his salary count in the previous IPL edition.

Shaw scored 353 runs for his side in just 16 matches, averaging 22.04. His strike rate of 133.71 proves why he is one of the best young talents of the country.  He made his Test debut against West Indies in 2018 and was set to play against Australia as well.

However, a last-minute injury ruled him out for a few months. Later, he received a ban for consuming a banned substance. But, Prithvi made his return to the cricket field earlier this month. He played extremely well for Mumbai in his comeback match.

Jonny Bairstow (2.2 Crores INR) (WK)

Following the rules of a regular IPL XI, this team will also have four overseas players, the first of them being Jonny Bairstow. The Englishman will keep the wickets for the team besides opening the innings.

Bairstow had lit up IPL 2019 with his incredible performances for Sunrisers Hyderabad and the fans had lauded the SRH team management for signing him up at a price of just Rs 2.2 Crores in the auction. He had formed a stellar opening pair with the Aussie opener David Warner.

The hard work of Bairstow and Warner in the earlier phase of IPL 2019 had been instrumental in the success of Sunrisers Hyderabad. And eventually, they even made it to the playoffs because of their opening pair’s brilliance. Bairstow also played a crucial role for England in the ICC World Cup 2019.

Kane Williamson (3 Crores INR) (C)

New Zealand captain, Kane Williamson will lead this side. Very few people may know that Sunrisers Hyderabad had signed the IPL 2018 Orange Cap winner for just 3 Crores INR in the auction. Playing for the Orange Army, the right-handed batsman has scored 1,302 runs in 41 matches at a fantastic average of 38.29.

While he achieved a lot of success as an opener for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018 season, he has shown that he can bat well in the middle order as well. Kane bats at the number 3 position for New Zealand and he has played a crucial role in the Kiwis’ success.

It is surprising to note that not many franchises wanted him in their squads when his name went under the hammer. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad showed faith in Williamson and they have received rich dividends for the same.

Mayank Agarwal (1 Crore INR)

Following Williamson will be India’s newest star, Mayank Agarwal. The Indian Test opener bats at the number 4 position for his IPL team, Kings XI Punjab. The Punjabi franchise had signed him for 1 Crore INR in the auction. Mayank has played 77 IPL games in his career, aggregating 1,266 runs at a strike rate of 128.13.

Mayank had started his IPL career playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The fans also remember him for his opening partnerships with the Universe Boss Chris Gayle. Co-incidentally, both Mayank and Gayle are a part of the same franchise in IPL at the moment.

After RCB, Agarwal played for Delhi Daredevils and Rising Pune Supergiant. Though his IPL numbers are not that great, expect him to fire all guns blazing in the upcoming edition of IPL and carry on his good form with the bat.

Mandeep Singh (1.4 Crores INR)

The right-handed batsman, Mandeep Singh will bat at the number 5 position in this team. Playing for the same franchise as Agarwal, Mandeep has made a name for himself with his attacking cricket. He has won the Emerging Player’s Award in the IPL which showcases the immense talent that he possesses.

Mandeep Singh had played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and also played several game-changing innings for them. Unfortunately, he got traded by the franchise in exchange of the Australian all-rounder, Marcus Stoinis.

While RCB has released Stoinis ahead of IPL 2020 Auction, Punjab has retained Mandeep in their team. He will be looking to make his presence felt next year in the tournament with some stellar performances with the bat.

Mohammad Nabi (1 Crore INR)

Former Afghanistan captain, Mohammad Nabi is yet another overseas player from Sunrisers Hyderabad to feature in this playing XI. Nabi has been a utility all-rounder for the 2016 IPL winners as he has scored 135 runs besides taking 11 wickets in 13 wickets.

Nabi’s economy rate of 6.65 proves how difficult it is for the opposition batsmen to hit a big shot off his deliveries. He has struck 11 fours and 7 sixes with the bat while has conceded runs at an economy of just 4.11 with the ball.

He had also been splendid as a captain for Afghanistan. Nabi retired from Test cricket recently but he is a part of the best T20 leagues on the planet. Without a shadow of a doubt, he is one of the most underrated all-rounders of the world.

Riyan Parag (20 Lakhs INR)

The second all-rounder of this team is the upcoming talent from Rajasthan Royals, Riyan Parag. The Indian U19 star made his IPL debut in 2019 and impressed the fans by scoring 160 runs at a strike rate of 126.98. He recorded his maiden half-century and also took 2 wickets with his leg-spin.

Parag had gained the limelight while playing for the India U19 team. He has the big-hitting power to clear the boundary ropes whereas he can also prove worthy in the bowling department. Rajasthan had struck gold when they signed Parag for just Rs 20 lakhs in the auction.

Had Riyan went into the auction this year, his price would have definitely increased by 10 to 12 times. However, Rajasthan has not let him go and maximized their funds by retaining him for a price of 20 lakhs only.

Shreyas Gopal (20 Lakhs INR)

Shreyas Gopal will be the team’s third spin-bowling option. The Karnataka-based leg-spinner had spearheaded the spin department of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2019. So far, Gopal has played 31 IPL matches in his career where he has taken 38 wickets at an economy rate of 7.50.

The year 2019 has been the breakout year for Gopal. He became only the third Indian bowler after Jasprit Bumrah and Deepak Chahar to scalp more than 50 T20 wickets in a calendar year.

Besides, he even made a name for himself by getting the better of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the IPL. Rajasthan have used Gopal as a trump card against RCB in the cash-rich league. Ironically, the leg-spinner plays for Karnataka in the domestic circuit. He has a 20 lakhs contract deal with RR.

Lasith Malinga (2 Crores INR)

The fast bowling attack consists of Sri Lankan veteran Lasith Malinga who was bought at a price of 2 Crores INR by Mumbai Indians in IPL 2019 auction. Malinga owns multiple records in IPL history and hence, he can be a game-changer for any team.

He has won the Purple Cap in the IPL before besides being a match-winner with the ball as well. His last over in the final of the previous season was absolute gold for Mumbai Indians which won the franchise their fourth title.

Though he has guided Sri Lanka to the ICC T20 World Cup once, he never got a chance to captain the Mumbai Indians side. He is one of the very few players who have played the coach’s role in one season and returned to the field as a player in the following edition.

Navdeep Saini (3 Crores INR)

Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate, Navdeep Saini had become the centre of attraction in IPL 2019. His quick-fire deliveries earned him a national call-up soon and Saini has often been used as a practice bowler in the net sessions as well.

The Delhi-based fast bowler had been a part of IPL for a few years before he finally got his breakthrough moment. Riding on the back of some amazing performances in the domestic circuit, Saini impressed the fans with his pace and bounce.

The batsmen found it extremely tough to score runs off his deliveries in the power-play overs. Much to the fans’ disappointment, Royal Challengers have released Dale Steyn from their IPL squad otherwise, the fans could have seen the Steyn-Saini duo wreak havoc together in IPL 2020.

Deepak Chahar (80 Lakhs INR)

Deepak Chahar sent shockwaves in the cricket universe when he took 6 wickets for just 7 runs in the recently played T20I against Bangladesh. With this performance, Chahar broke Yuzvendra Chahal’s record of the best bowling figures by an Indian bowler in T20I cricket.

He also joined the elite list of bowlers who have taken a hat-trick in T20 cricket. These numbers show that Deepak can be an asset for any IPL franchise that he plays for. The credit of unearthing this talent goes to MS Dhoni because he has been guiding Chahar since his time at the Rising Pune Supergiant.

Chennai Super Kings stole him for 80 lakhs INR in the 2018 auction and now, he is one of the premier fast bowlers of the country. Besides, Deepak has also improved his batting skills as in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20, he struck 7 sixes in his 55-run knock for Rajasthan.