IPL 2019: Best Sold XI after the auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction took place on the 18th of December at Jaipur, having witnessed some marquee signings. Like all other seasons, some of the rookie players touched unparalleled heights, having drawn some highest bids with some handful of good performances.

A total of 1003 registered themselves for the auction, however, only 351 players were slated to go under the hammer. Eventually, 130 players were auctioned and their bidding wars kept the fans on their toes. A number of lesser-known players attracted unthinkable bids while the stalwarts of the game were on the queue only to find themselves go unsold.

Here we bring you the best sold XI after the auction:

1. Jonny Bairstow (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

One could not keep the Englishman out of the lucrative tournament as he was slated to attract a higher amount of bid in the auction. Jonny Bairstow was bagged at an undervalued amount of Rs 2.2 crores by the Sunrisers Hyderabad, having faced intense competition with Kings XI Punjab.

Bairstow announced his arrival in international cricket by scoring a brisk 41 off 21 balls, leading England to an emphatic victory in an ODI against India. At present, the 29-year old sits at the helm of English cricket’s dominance in all three formats and is capable of providing electrifying starts to the team. Boasting a strike rate of 126.45 with a century, the Yorkshire-born will open the innings for the IPL franchise.

2. Martin Guptill (Sunrisers Hyderabad)

Martin Guptill initially went unsold in the auction but was eventually purchased by the Hyderabad-based franchise for a base price of Rs 1 crore in the second round. One of the best T20 players, Guptill holds the record for most runs in T20 internationals with 2271 runs in 75 fixtures.

The Kiwi opening batsman has been part of Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab in the previous editions, however, he had a lean run during those outings. The 32-year old will keen to prove his worth to the franchise who showed faith in him and will become the opening partner for Bairstow.

3. Manan Vohra (Rajasthan Royals)

The Chandigarh batsman will turn out for his third franchise in Rajasthan Royals, who bought him for a base price of 20 lakhs. An attacking batsman, Vohra has batted at No. 3 on quite a few occasions and played a few match-winning knocks.

Nevertheless, the 25-year old, with his inconsistent batting performances has been unable to cement a place in any of the squads. He was a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore last time around and could manage only 55 runs in four games.

Vohra’s attacking persona and his immense experience could be a blessing for any team and hence finds a place at the eleven. His versatility allows him to bat at the top and in the middle-order as well.

4. Shivam Dubey (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

The rising star of Indian cricket’s success story has been very captivating and serves as a life lesson to all of us. From almost giving up cricket to end up as one of the most sought players in the cash-rich league, Shivam Dubey is certainly the one to watch out for in the upcoming season.

The 25-year old’s reputation as a hard-hitting all-rounder was witnessed in the Ranji match for Mumbai against Baroda. Shivam Dubey’s whirlwind innings of 76 off 60 balls included seven sixes, with five of them being smashed in a single over consecutively.

The Mumbai all-rounder was snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for an outrageous amount of Rs 5 crores. Dubey, along with his batting ability is also a wicket-taking bowler and expressed his excitement to be playing under Virat Kohli.

5. Shimron Hetmyer (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

The 21-year old from Guyana made his mark at the international arena, smashing 259 runs against a formidable Indian side at their own den. The 3-1 series loss to India witnessed Hetmyer milking a century and a half-century in consecutive matches and was straight away tipped to set the auction ablaze.

Shimron Hetmyer had caught the attention of several franchises including Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Kings XI Punjab, however, the men from Bangalore came out of nowhere and sealed the deal at Rs 4.2 crores. Having scored a hundred in 20 T20 matches, the Windies batsman will surely be the one to watch out for.

6. Sarfraz Khan (Kings XI Punjab)

As a teenager, Sarfaraz Khan was picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore and took everyone by surprise through his ability to clear the ropes comfortably. He was only used a finisher and was trusted to shift gears in the death overs.

Khan, after hitting some useful cameos in 2015 and 2016, missed the 2017 season due to injury. However, in 2018, the youngster could manage only 51 runs. Sarfaraz Khan was bought by the Punjab-based franchise for Rs 25 lakhs and can be a very dangerous finisher on his day. He also gives the option to keep wickets for the team.

7. Sam Curran (Kings XI Punjab)

The English left-arm seamer Sam Curran had only been known as the younger brother of Tom Curran. The 20-year old’s purple patch both in terms of bat and ball in red-ball cricket has made him the most expensive import among the overseas recruits for the eleventh edition of IPL.

Curran was the most sought person in Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Kings XI Punjab’s list. Ultimately, the deal was closed at a whopping rate of Rs 7.2 crores by Kings XI Punjab. His record in the shortest format of the game may not be very pleasing, the deadly angle which he creates  through his left-arm bowling along with his ability to chip in with some valuable runs certainly gains a higher weightage.

8. Jalaj Saxena (Delhi Capitals)

The 32-year old is one of the most experienced campaigners in domestic cricket. Having been part of Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore previously, Saxena couldn’t quite make it to the playing eleven but his form in the Ranji Trophy has rightfully earned him an IPL contract.

Saxena, in the ongoing Ranji Trophy has also taken 28 wickets while also scoring 465 runs. He was picked up by the Delhi Capitals at the fag end of the day at a base price of Rs 20 lakhs. The veteran also expressed how he is honoured to share the dressing room with the Australian legend Ricky ponting, who happens to be the coach of the Delhi Capitals.

Saxena had gone unsold in the previous auction along with not being able to find a place in the playing eleven in Mumbai and Bangalore based franchise. The all-rounder will be keen to prove his mettle and translate his first-class form into the T20 arena.

9. Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals)

One of the most surprising players to attract the highest bids of the lot, Jaydev Unadkat was pouched by the Rajasthan Royals for a whopping amount of Rs 8.4 crores, making him the most expensive Indian import for the second successive time.

The Saurashtra left-arm bowler was picked up by Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017 for a base price of 30 lakhs and performed much higher than his weightage, taking 24 wickets in 12 games. As a result, he ended up with Rajasthan Royals in the last season, who gave 11.5 crores.

The 27-year old, however, couldn’t live up to the expectation, bagging only 11 wickets in 15 games. A team, who has shown so much faith on the left-arm seamer, will be keen to prove a point to them that he does belong to this level.

10. Pankaj Jaiswal (Mumbai Indians)

Pankaj Jaiswal was one of the shining stars in the 2018-19 Vijay Hazare Trophy, affecting ten dismissal in six matches. Being also capable of taking the bowling attacks to the cleaners, the 23-year old also scored the second fastest fifty in the Ranji Trophy in October 2017.

The right arm medium bowler has 42 scalps in 27 T20 fixtures and had been a good buy for the Mumbai Indians for a base price of Rs 20 lakhs. If he lives up to the reputation, the young gun from Himachal Pradesh could gain more weightage in the upcoming seasons.

11. Varun Chakravarthy (Kings XI Punjab)

The 27-year old became the joint expensive buy along with Jaydev Unadkat to star in the IPL auction. The journey of Varun Chakravarthy from being an architect to being an IPL millionaire is an astonishingly inspirational one.

The mystery spinner expected to generate bids but admitted that he didn’t expect it to go as high as 8.4 crores. Kings XI Punjab’s skipper Ravichandran Ashwin had reportedly given a call to Varun and welcomed him to the team.

The spinner ended up as the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy with 22 wickets in nine games even as the rest of them struggled. It is also reported that the country’s top batsmen have also struggled to play him in the nets. He could very well be the difference for Kings XI Punjab, who have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the tournament.

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