As anticipated, an exciting day was witnessed at the IPL 2017 player auction, as some really unforeseen decisions were taken by the team authorities. The auction was in the news much before it actually occurred, since the upcoming edition of the richest tournament in cricketing history remains the final one before a major revamp of all teams is done. Once the 10th edition of the IPL is done and dusted with, all franchises will have to resign their contract with the league and would have to negotiate their respective payable fees.

Keeping things in present however, the player auction brought about some key decisions on Monday and was critical in making the fortunes of quite a few names. England all-rounder Ben Stokes hit the jackpot as he became the second most paid player in the league’s history, with a fat pay check of Rs. 14.5 crores to his name. Stokes’ England teammate and latest sensation Tymal Mills earned a figure 24 times his base price!

The first individual to be put under the hammer was New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, who remained unsold initially. The bigger shock though came in the form of Jason Roy, as England’s latest batting heartthrob found no buyers in the first round. Eoin Morgan was the first player to be sold to the Kings XI Punjab for his base price of Rs. 2 crores.

When talking about individuals hitting the jackpot, Stokes and Mills topped the list. While Stokes was paid Rs. 14.5 crores by Rising Pune Supergiants; Mills too was under consideration by several franchises. In the end, Royal Challengers Bangalore triumphed by roping in Mills for a whopping Rs. 12 crores. Considering the absence of their ace pacer Mitchell Starc this time around, they had no other choice but to be aggressive for a pacer.

Two other big buys of the day, came in the form of young pacers Kagiso Rabada and Trent Boult, both being bought for Rs. 5 crores. While Rabada was bought by Delhi Daredevils, Boult found a new home in the Kolkata Knight Riders, who desperately looked out for a reputed pacer. Knight Rider’s hunt for the replacement of Andre Russell was a publicized affair, and that came in the form of England star Chris Woakes, who was paid Rs. 4.2 crores. Despite having an army of world class pacers, Delhi Daredevils were keen on adding Pat Cummins in that list, and did so as they shelled out Rs. 4.5 crores on the Australian.

The most welcoming and pleasing news of the day came in the form of two Afghanistan players being bought, making it a first occasion for Afghans to feature in the tournament. While Mohammad Nabi was snapped by the Sunrisers for his base price of Rs. 30 Lacs, teenage spin sensation Rashid Khan was a complete hit. Rashid was paid a colossal Rs. 4 crores for his association with the Sunrisers Hyderabad. For a new comer like Rashid, this will be nothing short of an absolute fairytale.

A few Indians were raking in the moolah as well with discarded pacer Varun Aaron being acquired by Kings XI Punjab for Rs. 2.8 crores. Karn Sharma became the highest paid player in this auction among Indians, as he was bought by the Mumbai Indians for a bulky amount of Rs. 3.2 crores.

Three young uncapped Indian pacers lived their dream, as they got an outcome which they would have never even imagined. Tamil Nadu pacer T Natarajan found a maiden home in Kings XI Punjab, as he was bought for 3 crores. Sunrisers Hyderabad bid ferociously for local boy Mohammed Siraj and successfully attained his services for Rs. 2.6 crores. Rajasthan pacer Aniket Choudhary, who was recently in the news for his bowling similarities with Mitchell Starc, was among the top gainers, as the Royal Challengers shelled out Rs. 2 crores on him.

A few individuals had fortunes changing, as they were picked in the second and third rounds of bidding. Destructive openers Martin Guptill and Jason Roy, who remained unsold initially, were snared by Kings XI and Gujarat Lions respectively for their base price. Nathan Coulter Nile’s fortune fluctuated for good as well, as he inked a deal worth Rs. 3.5 crores with the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Nevertheless, fans witnessed moments of heartbreak as well, with several adored names being unsold. Indian team regular Ishant Sharma was unsold twice as his base price of Rs. 2 crores seemed dearly to all franchises. All rounder Irfan Pathan, often termed as a lost talent, found no takers as well, despite being in good form off late.

But the most shocking news of the day was definitely in Imran Tahir being unsold. The number one ranked T20I bowler, who recently took a five wicket haul against New Zealand, was ignored twice and keeping in mind his brilliant IPL form in the previous season, this seemed a catastrophic move indeed.

Among all the teams, the Rising Pune Supergiants have the least amount of monetary resources left, with their figure now just standing at Rs. 30 Lacs. On the contrary, Kings XI Punjab were circumspect in spending, and that is obvious by a remaining balance of Rs. 13.9 crores.

COSTLIEST PLAYERS:

Ben Stokes – Rising Pune Supergiants – INR 14.50 Crore

Tymal Mills – Royal Challengers Bangalore – INR 12 Crore

Kagiso Rabada – Delhi Daredevils – INR 5 Crore

Trent Boult – Kolkata Knight Riders – INR 5 Crore

Pat Cummins – Delhi Daredevils – INR 4.5 Crore

Uncapped Millionaires:

Rashid Khan – Sunrisers Hyderabad – INR 4 Crore

T Natarajan – Kings XI Punjab – INR 3 Crore

Mohammed Siraj – Sunrisers Hyderabad – INR 2.60 Cr

Murugan Ashwin – Delhi Daredevils – INR 1 Crore

Shocking Unsold Players: