Several uncapped players were pleasantly surprised at Thursday’s 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction in Chennai. Krishnappa Gowtham, the hard-hitting lower-order hitter from Karnataka, became the most expensive purchase among Indian uncapped players in IPL history when Chennai Super Kings bought him for Rs. 9.25 crore. Shahrukh Khan, another uncapped player, was outscored by Rs 5.25 crore by the Punjab Kings. Other uncapped players going for big amounts in the IPL auction are Chetan Sakariya at Rs. 1.2 crore (Rajasthan Royals) and Australian Riley Meredith at Rs. 8 crore (kings of Punjab).
Here is a list of the top unlimited purchases:
1. Krishnappa Gowtham – Chennai Super Kings (Rs. 9.25 crore)
Gowtham rose to IPL fame in the 2018 season when his big shot prowess came to the fore for the Rajasthan Royals. Of his 186 runs from 24 games in the IPL, 126 came in the 2018 season with a strike rate of 196.87. Overall, the 32-year-old cricketer has played 62 T20s and scored 594 runs along with 41 wickets. His T20 hit rate of 159.24 keeps him in a good position to be a designated hitter for CSK. Its base price was Rs. 20 lakh.
2. Shahrukh Khan – Punjab Kings (Rs. 5.25 crore)
Shahrukh, a 25-year-old hitter from Tamil Nadu, had also made headlines for his big hit. It was sold to the Punjab Kings after they avoided competition from various other teams. Shahrukh, which entered the auction at a base price of Rs. 20 lakh, recently played a crucial role in Tamil Nadu’s Syed Mushtaq Ali’s campaign, breaking 40 and 18 balls against Himachal Pradesh in a crucial victory that helped the team reach the semi-final.
3. Riley Meredith – Punjab Kings (Rs. 8 crore)
A good Big Bash League campaign for the uncovered Riley Meredith helped him land an IPL contract. Meredith, a fast and all-around bowler, has played 34 T20s so far and has collected 43 wickets at 23.62 and an economy rate of 8.06. Meredith entered the auction at a base price of Rs. 40 lakh.
Promoted
4. Chetan Sakariya – Rajasthan Royals (Rs. 1.2 crore)
Saurashtra’s left running back enjoyed a hot run at the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, posting figures of 2/22, 2/31, 2/15, 5/11 and 1/19 in his last five starts. Overall, the 22-year-old has 28 wickets from 16 games with an average of 15.10 and an economy rate of 7.08 runs above. Its base price was Rs. 20 lakh.
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