England pacer Jofra Archer, who had a base price of Rs 2 crore, was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 8 crore.
Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians were the most interested in Jofra Archer's services in the accelerated auction. The English pacer is coming off a very long injury layoff but that did not stop Sunrisers Hyderabad from joining the bidding as well. However, Mumbai had the last laugh.
One of the things to worry about with Archer is his availability, especially given that England are being extremely careful about his fitness.
Interestingly, Archer was not part of the initial list of 1,214 players who had registered for the IPL auction but his name was added to the list, upon request from the franchises and in consultation with the player, when the final list of 590 was shared.
Archer has played his entire IPL career with only Rajasthan Royals, after they bought him in the 2018 auction for Rs 7.20 crore. He featured in 35 matches for the Jaipur-based franchise, picking 20 wickets in the 2020 season when we was also named the Player of the Tournament.
The 27-year-old pacer pulled out of the 2021 season due to an injury, and subsequent surgery, that has seen him out of action for nearly a year.
The franchises have been informed that he is unlikely to feature in the IPL season but he could be bought "with a view to potential participation" in the next few seasons. While they will not have to pay him a salary if he does not play in IPL 2022, the amount the team spends on Archer will still be cut from their auction purse of Rs 90 crore.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)