Indian players dominated the bidding wars as KL Rahul and Manish Pandey laughed their way to the bank with multi-million dollar deals but England all-rounder Ben Stokes once again emerged as the costliest buy in the IPL auctions in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Despite all the off-field controversies, Stokes was snapped up for a whopping Rs 12.5 crore (USD 1.96 million) by Rajasthan Royals after Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings also engaged in a fierce bidding war for him.
The franchises were smart in their choices with most of the current India players attracting significant interest.
Stylish opener Rahul and middle-order batsman Pandey bagged deals worth Rs 11 crore (USD 1.73 million) from Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively.
With their prices skyrocketing, the two players' original franchises RCB and KKR didn't use their Right To Match (RTM) cards.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan Arman's reputation as one of the most sought after bowlers in the shortest format was once again affirmed as Sunrisers Hyderabad used their Right To Match (RTM) card to buy him back for Rs 9 crore (USD 1.41 million).
The Karnataka players had a field day at the auctions with India discard Karun Nair also triggering a bidding war before Kings XI Punjab got him for Rs 5.60 crore (USD 880,000). Leg spinners were in demand as Karn Sharma got Rs 5 crore (USD 786,000) from CSK, Yuzvendra Chahal Rs 6 crore (USD 943,000 via RTM) from RCB and Kuldeep Yadav Rs 5.8 crore (USD 912,000 via RTM) from KKR. Even uncapped Rahul Tewatia was picked up for Rs 3 crore (USD 471,000) by Delhi Daredevils.
Take a look at the interviews taken by The Quint throughout Day 1 of the IPL Auction 2018 and the press conference given by Kings XI Punjab’s co-owner Preity Zinta and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s mentor VVS Laxman.
Preity Zinta on Her Spending Spree
Former Australian Player Dean Jones on the IPL Auction
‘I Expected CSK Not to Bid More Than Rs 4 Crore For Ashwin,’ Says Badrinath
"We Are Excited and Thrilled to be Back", Says Rajasthan Royals CEO
KKR Are Trying to Make a Strong Team for Next 3 Years: Juhi Chawla
Preity Zinta Reacts to Buying Afghan Spinner Mujeeb Zadran
(With inputs from PTI)
(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.)