The tears wouldn't stop, I'd gone mad, says KC Cariappa recalls IPL 2015 auction when KKR picked him

The IPL auction is an event that brings joy into the lives of many cricketers especially the local ones with talent. The motto of the Indian Premier League is itself when talent meets opportunity and many times, the franchises scout out amazing local talent for the auction and then bids start to fly off if the interest is intense and we have seen unknown names going for multiple crores.

One such player was KC Cariappa, the mystery spinner from Karnataka, who had an amazing day at the IPL auction in 2015. Cariappa had hogged the limelight with his scintillating performances in the Karnataka Premier League. He received calls from franchises for trials, including one from Rahul Dravid for Rajasthan Royals.

However, he couldn’t attend the trials due to other commitments, but KKR found him interesting enough thanks to the video analyst at Bijapur Bulls.

I thought I will go for 10 lakhs, had a 70 percent idea that KKR will pick me, says Cariappa

“Then-coach Jacques Kallis and captain Gautam Gambhir had told me that they were looking at me so practice well. The expectations were there but 60-70 percent. That time Sunil Narine was banned and they had called me because my action was similar to Narine’s. I got Gambhir out two or three times and he was very impressed with my bowling.

“I just wanted to get selected for the IPL at the base price. I was never thinking about big money. I thought I will go for 10 lakhs, the base price and I had a 70 percent idea that KKR will pick me,” KC Cariappa said while speaking to Firstpost.

He shared the excitement on the day of the auction when he took an overnight bus to reach Bangalore to catch up on the event. He nervously watched the pre-auction shows and analysis with his friends and family and finally, his name was announced around 2 pm.

“There was a one minute pause and then KKR raised the bidding bat. At that very moment, all hell broke loose. Everyone started shouting. I burst into tears. It was an emotional moment. For almost three years I was a net bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and now I was about to finally enter the biggest league in the world. The tears wouldn’t stop. And up to 2.4 crores, I had gone mad. I was like, what’s happening to me?” he further added.

He mentioned how happy his parents were after their son was bought for so much money. He called his time at KKR amazing and talked about his debut match where he bowled one over each to De Villiers and Gayle against RCB. In all, KC Cariappa played 11 IPL matches and picked 8 wickets.

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