Top 10 Smart buys in the IPL 2016 auction

The game has got smarter, the teams know what they exactly want and who perfectly fits in their bill. IPL 2016 auction was a superb indication of it. The hullabaloo around foriegn players that existed during the initial few seasons of the tournament has vapourised and it is more about picking the best Indian, domestic and uncapped players. This auction was also remarkable since no player was traded in the tens crores and the most expensive buy was Shane Watson who fetched 9.5 crores. Franchises also managed a few steal deals. Some relatively bigger names were sold for the base price and around, here are the top smart buys. 1. Colin Munro – KKR (30 lakhs): (Photo Source: Getty Images) When Colin Munro was picked by Mumbai Indians as a replacement for the injured Corey Anderson, not many knew what he could do. He didn’t get a single game for the last season’s champions. And Munro was a rather unheard name for quite a while after the IPL as well, until he lit up against Sri Lanka, scoring a 50 in merely 14 balls. He was the talk of the town after the knock. His six hitting ability is through the roof and to get a player like him at his base price is quite a deal for KKR. Even though he will not start in the opening game, he is a good option to have in case Chris Lynn doesn’t click. 2. Irfan Pathan – RPSG (1 crore): Irfan Pathan. (Photo Source: BCCI) Many felt that it was a bit harsh on Irfan Pathan to not be picked in the Indian squad for the Asia Cup and World T20 owing to his brilliant run in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. One would have expected Irfan’s bidding to escalate quickly, however, he only got a sole bidder in Rising Pune Super Giants. Irfan for his base price is a brilliant pick for RPSG as he has revisited some of his old swing even though he’s dropped pace. He also packs a punch while batting and fits perfectly in the team at number 7. 3. Samuel Badree – RCB (50 lakhs): Samuel Badree with his Brisbane Heat teammates celebrating a wicket. (Photo by Darrian Traynor – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Samuel Badree is the World No. 1 bowler in T20 Internationals and went unsold in the first round of auction, it surprised a lot of viewers. In a game that is ruled by batsmen, having a bowler whose T20 economy rate is a mere 5.36 would be a dream. RCB who have a stock of explosive batsmen have added this West Indian spinner to their line-up. He along with Yuzvendra Chahal will look to stifle the batsmen with their immaculate line and length and reduce the pressure from the batsmen who always have had to worry about their bowling capacity. It goes without saying that getting the No. 1 bowler in this format at the base price is the steal of the auction. 4. Aaron Finch – GL (1 crore): Aaron Finch. (Photo Source: BCCI) Until last week, Aaron Finch was the No. 1 batsman in T20 Internationals, only to be taken over by Virat Kohli. His injury worries might have dissuaded a few teams from a bidding war and hence he went unsold in the first round. But Gujarat Lions, who didn’t put a foot wrong in the auction picked Finch at his base price. While it is expected that they might prefer playing Brendon McCullum ahead of Finch, the Aussie opener will look to step in just in case Baz, who will retire from International cricket this month, doesn’t find his form. 5. Farhaan Behardien – KXIP (30 lakhs): Farhaan Behardien. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Farhaan Behardien is South Africa’s premier all-rounder though often overshadowed by the other stars in his national side. People seldom remember the small yet meaningful contributions he does down the order and those overs in the middle. He is a value buy for that money and is a testimony to the 90s where a lot of bits and parts players thrived. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for Behardien. 6. Thisara Perera – RPSG (1 crore): Thisara Perera. (Photo Source: PA Photos) This hard-hitting Sri Lankan all-rounder was the only cricketer from Sri Lanka to be picked yesterday at the auction. He has the ability to change the game with the bat and ball. Perera was probably someone that RPSG were looking to pick after they picked 4 frontline batsmen in during the draft. His base price might be a bit on the higher side, but that doesn’t undermine his ability. 7. Marcus Stoinis – KXIP (30 lakhs): (Photo Source: Twitter) Marcus Stoinis is yet another Aussie player who has been picked at the back of a good BBL show. Stoinis is having a great week, first he was picked as a replacement for an injured James Faulkner in the Australian squad during the on-going series against New Zealand and now an IPL contract, picked up by KXIP for Rs. 55 lakh. Stoinis is a handy all-rounder who can bat at the top of the order and then bowl seam up during the middle-overs. He is a utility player and if used well, can change the fortunes of KXIP who were languishing at the bottom of the table last season. 8. Travis Head – RCB (30 lakhs): Travis Head. (Photo by Matt Roberts – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images) Travis Head will be mighty pleased that he got picked for Rs. 50 lakh ahead of Martin Guptill who had the same base price. What will bother him though is, he is a part of a squad that has Watson, Gayle and AB de Villiers, who automatically pick themselves in the starting XI. He will mainly be playing as a back-up for injuries and Gayle who is 36 isn’t getting any younger. He might get a game or two during the season and will be interesting to watch this southpaw from Australia. 9. RP Singh – RPSG (30 lakhs): RP Singh. (Photo Source: BCCI) RP Singh was India’s leading wicket-taker in the 2007 WT20 and was dubbed RP Swing. But as it happens with most Indian pacers, he too lost pace and last year even an IPL contract. This year though, after a string of decent performances for Gujarat in the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he has come out of the oblivion. He was picked by the Rising Pune Super Giants for his base price of Rs. 30 lakhs and will be looking to get his old swing back into the game. 10. Sam Billings – DD (30 lakhs): Sam Billings. (© Getty Images) Delhi Daredevils have overpaid for a number of players in the auction, but they also got the ultimate steal of the auction in Sam Billings. Billings who rose to prominence after a hard-hitting 50 against Pakistan in the UAE will be looking to replace Quinton de Kock as the overseas keeper in the DD side. He is a very innovative top-order batsman and many have touted him to become the next Maxwell.

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Top 10 Smart buys in the IPL 2016 auction

6. Thisara Perera – RPSG (1 crore):

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