IPL MILLIONAIRES
PUNE BAG BEN STOKES FOR ` 14.5 CRORE, MILLS GOES TO RCB FOR ` 12 CRORE
BIGGEST BUY
` 14.5cr BEN STOKES, England allrounder, bought by Rising Pune Supergiants
EXPENSIVE BOWLER
` 12cr TYMAL MILLS, a T20 specialist, he has the pace. RCB has invested ` 12 crore on him. ` 4cr Rashid Khan became the first Afghan cricketer to be picked fetching ` 4 crore from Hyderabad which also bought team mate Md Nabi.
YOUNG GUNS
` 2.6cr MOHAMMAD
SIRAJ: Pacer, son of an auto driver from Hyderabad, was won by home team Sunrisers.
TN seam bowler T. Natarajan, son of a porter, fetched ` 3 crore from Kings XI, Punjab, highest in uncapped players.
TOP PLAYERS LEFT OUT
Missing the IPL gravy train will be Team India pacer Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan and the world's top-ranked T20 spinner, South Africa's Imran Tahir.
Ben Stokes will be whistling his way to the bank this summer as the English all-rounder became the most expensive overseas player of all time in the Indian Premier League.
During the auction ahead of the 10th edition of the franchise-based tournament here on Monday, England allrounder Stokes was roped in by Rising Pune Supergiants for a mindboggling `14.5 crores.
Stokes, set to play his maiden IPL, had bidders even before the process started with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians waiting eagerly with the batons raised. RCB pulled out of the race when the price soared to `4.2 crores but Delhi Daredevils took up the challenge. At `10.5 crore, Sunrisers Hyderabad entered the picture in place of Mumbai but no one could match the ambition of Pune as they swooped in and got their man for a hefty price.
Joining his compatriot for his visit to the bank will be Tymal Mills as the pacer was snared by Royal Challengers for a whopping `12 crore. The T20 specialist bowler’s strategy of setting his base price to `50 lakh to attract bids worked perfectly.
Desperately needing a strike bowler to replace the mercurial Mitchell Starc, RCB entered the bid at `7.5 crore and proceeded to power their way past MI and Kolkata Knight Riders to clinch their man for `12 crore. A whopping 24 times his asking price.
Among the other big winners were Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada, brought for five crore by KKR and Delhi Daredevils respectively, Pat Cummings (`4.5 crores to DD) and Chris Woakes (`4.2 crore to KKR). Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson (MI), England batsman Eoin Morgan (KXIP), Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews (DD) and Kiwi’s powerhitter Corey Anderson (DD) all went for their base price of `2 crore.
Jason Roy (`1cr. to Gujarat Lions) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (`3.5 cr to KKR) found their suitors in the afternoon when they were recalled by the franchises.
Pune were the biggest spenders on the day as they used almost the entire budget, spending `17.2 crore on nine players. Gujarat Lions, meanwhile, was at the other end of the spectrum with just Rs `3.85 crore spent off their `14.35 kitty on 11 players.
RCB, not surprisingly, were the second biggest spenders with `15.4 crore with KKR just behind them on `14.4 crore.