IPL 2019: Surprise picks in the auction

The auction of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been an exciting one. The tournament saw the daylight way back in 2008 and fan-following surrounding the T20 extravaganza hasn’t died down by any stretch of the imagination. A total of 346 players were listed to go down the hammer. As the auction has passed by, it has thrown up quite a few surprises.

Yuvraj Singh was one player, which didn’t find any buyers and it definitely did spring a bit of surprise if not a whole lot. Moreover, a lot of international players, who have been doing well in the limited-overs format over the last few months, didn’t find buyers either. On the other hand, some cricketers, who weren’t expected to bag buck bucks, also stole the show. We look at the players.

Varun Chakaravarthy- 8.4 crores- KXIP  

The spinner isn’t a big name, but as far as talent is concerned, he isn’t far behind from the big names. After doing well in the TNPL and Vijay Hazare trophy, the talented bowler was listed at a base price of INR 20 lakhs and eventually Kings XI Punjab shelled a massive 8.4 crores for him.

Jaydev Unadkat- 8.4 crores- RCB

Unadkat didn’t do well for the Royals last season as he flattered to deceive with his medium pacers. He was listed at a base price of INR 1.5 crores and the Royals again picked him up for 8.4 crores. It was a bit of a surprise as he couldn’t live up to the expectations after being picked at 11.5 crores last season.

Sam Curran- 7.2 crores- KXIP

The 20-year-year was a hot pick, but nobody thought he would acquire as many as 7.2 crores from Kings XI Punjab. Nevertheless, keeping in mind his recent form it international cricket, the franchise may have gone after him. The Surrey cricketer has simply been exceptional for England, especially in Test cricket.

Mohit Sharma- 5 crores- CSK

The speedster didn’t have the best of seasons in 2018 and picked up only seven wickets in nine matches after Kings XI Punjab used the RTM on him. This time around, he went into the auction at 1.50 crore and Chennai Super Kings, for whom he has played previously, picked him up at a reasonable INR 5.00 crores.

Mohammed Shami- 4.8 crores- KXIP

Shami failed to perform last season for Delhi Capitals and was eventually freed of his services. The Bengal fast bowler wasn’t expected to attract high bids by any means, however, Kings XI Punjab went after the experienced pacer with all their might and shelled out a significant 4.80 crores.

Prabhsimran Singh- 4.8 crores- Kings XI Punjab

The 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been doing the rounds in the India U19 team. Simran has played four List ‘A’ matches thus far. He was listed in the auction at a base price of INR 20 lakhs. As many as three teams bid for him and it was Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), who bagged his services at a price of INR 4.80 crores.

Follow the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction live on CricTracker.