This IPL auction has been all about the foreign players so far. Since most of the star Indian players are well set in their respective franchises, the foreign players were expected to steal the show this time around.
Ben Stokes became the most expensive foreign player after the Rising Pune Supergiants bought the English allrounder for Rs 14.5 crore.
Here’s a look at the big buys of the IPL auction so far.
Ben Stokes – Rising Pune Supergiants
Ben Stokes is one of the best allrounders in the world. Some experts of the game have also said that Stokes is the next Ian Botham from England. The 25-year-old is useful in the death overs and also can produce the big shots at will.
However, even Stokes has shown a lot of promise as a player, he is yet to perform consistently.
He has scored 1,272 runs at an average of 22.71 and picked up 32 wickets at an economy rate of 8.60 in his T20 career.
Tymal Mills – Royal Challengers Bangalore
The other English player who was expected to go for a huge price was fast bowler Tymal Mills and the Royal Challengers Bangalore ensured that Mills was one of the highlights of the IPL auction 2017.
Mills was bought for Rs 12 crore, while his base price was Rs 50 lakh.
The 24-year-old could be one of the stars of the IPL, as he has a very impressive bowling average of 22.12 in T20s and bowls at an economy rate of 7.47.
Trent Boult – Kolkata Knight Riders
New Zealand’s Trent Boult has been one of the best speedsters in the recent past. The KKR team management who bagged Boult for Rs 5 crore, certainly want the paceman to complement South Africa’s Morne Morkel in the upcoming season.
Boult had a brilliant IPL season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2015, when he picked up 9 wickets at an average of 26.22 but in 2016, Boult only played one match, where he picked up just one wicket.
Kagiso Rabada – Delhi Daredevils
South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada became one of the upcoming fast bowlers of the world when he rattled the Indian batsmen when South Africa toured India in 2015.
He helped South Africa beat India in the five-match ODI series and the T20 series at their own den in 2015.
The 21-year-old has a bowling average of 21.76 and has picked up 39 wickets in his T20 career.
(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.)