IPL: 5 times when uncapped players stole the limelight at auction

Player auction has been an integral part of the Indian Premier League as it provides the franchises a chance to revamp their squads and become a better version of themselves. T20 stars from around the world feature in the marquee event and teams leave no stone unturned to sign them. Generally, one has witnessed franchises being eager to pick the international quality players at the IPL auction and it has been the big names that have fetched the big bucks at the event. However, there have been occasions when franchises have broken their bank for uncapped players and these young talents have become millionaires overnight. Here are five times when uncapped players stole the limelight at the IPL auction: 5. Shivam Dube Shivam Dube took the Ranji Trophy 2018-19 by storm with his all-round performances. He took bowling attacks to the cleaners and strangled batters with his medium pace. When Mumbai locked horns with Baroda in the Elite Group A match, the southpaw clobbered Baroda’s spinner Swapnil Singh for five consecutive sixes on the final day of the game (incidentally the eve of the IPL 2019 auction). He ended up hitting 76 runs in 60 balls in that innings. A power-hitter who can bowl medium pace was a rare breed in the Indian cricketing circles. So, when Dube went under the hammer at the auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore went all guns blazing to acquire his services and spent INR 5 crore to add him to their arsenal. However, the ace all-rounder was not able to justify his price tag and had a miserable outing in the 2019 season as he could only score 40 runs at a strike rate of 121.21. 4. Varun Chakravarthy Varun Chakravarthy rose to prominence in the 2018 edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), which saw him bamboozle batters with his variations. Batters struggled to score against him and the mystery spinner bagged nine wickets in 10 games at a sensational economy of 4.70. Chakravarthy’s bowling exploits caught the attention of many IPL franchises and when he went under the hammer at the 2019 player auction, five of the eight teams raised their paddles to pick him. Eventually, Punjab Kings managed to acquire him for an insane sum of INR 8.40 crore. However, Punjab’s investment could not bear fruit as the spinner was sidelined from the majority of the competition due to a finger injury. Chakravarthy could play only a single game where he conceded 35 runs in three overs and took a wicket. 3. Riley Meredith Riley Meredith caught a lot of eyeballs with his jaw-dropping performances in the Big Bash League 2020-21. The Tasmania-born clocked speeds of over 140 kmph on a consistent basis and rattled batters with his fiery pace. He featured in 13 games for Hobart Hurricanes and picked up 16 wickets in 13 matches at an economy of 7.82. The 26-year-old registered for the IPL 2021 auction and kept his base price at INR 40 lakh. Meredith’s inclusion added another dimension to any bowling attack and thus, Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings went into a bidding war to acquire his services. In the end, PBKS outbid Delhi and roped in the express pacer at a staggering sum of INR 8 crore. However, Meredith failed to perform as per expectations and had a miserable campaign in 2021. He could manage just four wickets in five matches and leaked runs at an alarming rate of 9.94. Following his poor outings, the speedster was dropped from the side. 2. Shahrukh Khan Shahrukh Khan lit up the 2020-21 season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with his blistering performances. He played the role of a finisher with perfection and smashed 88 runs in four innings at a phenomenal strike rate of 220.00. His batting exploits were instrumental in Tamil Nadu clinching the title. The Chennai-born entered the 2021 player auction with a base price of INR 20 lakh and courtesy of his exploits in the domestic arena, there were chances of Shahrukh getting his first IPL gig. But what followed was simply unbelievable as Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Punjab Kings went hammer and tongs to acquire the Tamil Nadu batter’s services. In the end, PBKS managed to sign him at INR 5.25 crore. Shahrukh showed glimpses of his power-hitting might at the 14th edition of the cash-rich league. He featured in 11 matches for Punjab and scored 153 runs at a strike rate of 134.21. The Punjab franchise liked what they saw in the ace batter and picked him again at the 2022 mega auction for a hefty sum of INR 9 crore. 1. Avesh Khan Delhi Capitals signed Avesh Khan at the 2018 mega auction at INR 70 lakh. However, the Indore-born was quite mediocre with his performances in his next three seasons for the Delhi franchise. The Madhya Pradesh pacer featured in eight games and managed to take only four wickets, leaking runs at an economy of over 10. Despite his inconsistent displays, the Delhi management persisted with him and it was the 14th IPL edition when the right-arm pacer came of age. He wreaked havoc with the ball and bagged 24 scalps in 16 games at an economy of 7.37. The 26-year-old had shown his ability to bowl at any phase of the game, proving himself to be an asset for any side. Thus, when Avesh’s name came up at the 2022 mega auction, many franchises went after to sign him. Finally, Lucknow Super Giants grabbed him at a whopping sum of INR 10 crore. Avesh did not disappoint the Lucknow franchise and led the way with the ball, bagging 18 wickets in 13 games at an economy of 8.73.

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IPL: 5 times when uncapped players stole the limelight at auction

There have been occasions when IPL franchises have broken their bank to sign uncapped players at the auction.

4. Varun Chakravarthy

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