‘Don’t know how many zeroes in 3cr’

My priority is to build a decent house. My sisters want to study further — one wants to do engineering and other wants to be a Chartered Accountant. T NATARAJAN , on using his money

Every previous IPL auction has seen little-known domestic cricketers raking in money. On Monday, it was the turn of Tamil Nadu’s left-arm pacer T Natarajan.

The 25-year-old, who had a base price of ~10 lakh, became the highest paid Indian uncapped player in the auctions when Kings XI Punjab snapped him for ~3 crore.

“I never imagined getting so much money. I don’t even know how many zeroes are there in three crore,” said Natarajan, who has played just nine firstclass matches and five T20 matches. Natarajan’s father is a daily wage labourer in powerloom sector while his mother runs a roadside chicken and snacks shop in Salem, their hometown.

Natarajan is the eldest of five siblings and shares the responsibility through his match fees. One of his sisters is married. The other two and a brother are in college. “My priority is to build a decent house. My sisters want to study further — one wants to do engineering and other wants to be a Chartered Accountant. This money will come in handy,” said Natarjan. Till the age of 20, Natarajan had played cricket only with a tennis ball. A well-wisher from his village A Jayapraksh took him to Chennai for formal coaching. His ability to bowl yorkers at will made everyone sit up and take notice.