Chennai: South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris became the highest-selling player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction history on Thursday by the Rajasthan Royals. 16.25 crore rupees while uncapped players like Krishnappa Gautam of Karnataka also made headlines by selling large amounts here. Uncapped (international level match not played) spin bowling all-rounder Gautam was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a record amount of 9.25 crores. The 32-year-old cricketer is currently with the Indian cricket team as a net bowler for the ongoing Test series against England.
Shahrukh Khan (named after the Bollywood superstar) of Tamilnadu was bought 51 times more than his base price of Rs 20 lakh for Rs 5.25 crore. Shah Rukh is in the news recently for his performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Punjab Kings released Gautam, a regular IPL player. The Chennai team bought him after buying England’s Moin Ali, who would be his second off-spinner. With such a huge amount, Gautam became the most expensive selling ‘uncapped’ player in IPL history. His base price was also Rs 20 lakhs.
Glenn Maxwell, another all-rounder before Maurice, managed to get Rs 14.25 crore, whose bid was won by Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, Maxwell’s performance in this T20 league is not so good. Punjab Kings, which had the highest amount among the eight teams before the auction, bought Australian fast bowler Zhai Richardson for Rs 14 crore to fill the shortage in the bowling department. The 24-year-old has played two Tests, 13 ODIs, and nine T20 international matches for Australia. He was also the highest wicket-taker in the Big Bash League recently.
Punjab spent eight crores to buy another Australian ‘uncapped’ fast bowler Riley Meredith. The 24-year-old has played 34 T20 matches, taking 43 wickets. The base price of Maurice was Rs 75 lakh and four teams bid for him, after which there was a bid to take him between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings. Finally, Rajasthan Royals bought him in a record bid, making him the highest-selling player in the history of IPL auctions and thus surpassing Yuvraj Singh, who was bought by Delhi Capitals in 2015 for Rs 16 crore.
However, the most expensive player in the IPL will remain Virat Kohli, who was retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 17 crore. Maurice has scored 551 runs in 70 IPL matches at an average of 23.95 and has taken 80 wickets.
Jake Lucht Macrum, chief operating officer of Rajasthan Royals, said of Maurice’s purchase, “We had spoken to Chris before the auction and had him undergo a full medical review.” He is currently in the bio-bubble in South Africa and has to play a domestic tournament. He said, “Chris has been a former Rajasthan Royals player and he is one of the experienced players who fit this amount. We have re-balanced our team, they will play an important role for us. He is the best bowler in all phases of the game and he can win us matches with the bat. “
Earlier, Kolkata Knight Riders started bidding on Maxwell, but eventually, they were vying to take on Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore. After which Virat Kohli-led team bought him in a bid of $ 1.96 million.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Cricket Director Mike Hewson said, “We wanted an X-factor player and are happy to buy Maxwell.” “Punjab Kings had bought Maxwell for Rs. 10.75 crores in the previous auction but released the 32-year-old player after the 2020 stage who had scored only 108 runs in 13 matches at an average of 15.42.” Maxwell has scored 1505 runs in 82 IPL matches at an average of 22.13. England’s all-rounder Moeen Ali was also sold at a fairly decent price which was bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for seven crores. The base price of both Maxwell and Moin was Rs 2 crore.
Ali said in a video message, “I am very excited to play for CSK. He has a lot of fans and I am eager to meet him. I cannot wait to play under Dhoni’s leadership. My partner Sam Curren is also there. My day was made, my year also. Bangladeshi star Shakib Al Hasan was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 3.2 crore. He missed the IPL last year as he was banned for not reporting a corrupt offer.
Australian fast bowler Nathan Culter Neil also sold at a good price while his base price was only Rs 1.5 crore. He was received by Mumbai Indians at a bid of five crores. At the same time, former Australia captain Steve Smith was bought by Delhi Capitals for just 2.20 crore rupees, which was just 20 lakhs from his base price.
