The IPL mega auction began with the marquee set, that consisted of 10 players with a base price of Rs 2 Cr each. With four prominent Indian names and seven overseas players, the star-studded line-up kicked off a bidding war for some of the most of sought after players.
While some franchises showed a keen interest in lapping up these big players and ended up investing on a couple of players, while franchises like the Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad showed far more restraint and decided on keeping the purses fuller for the upcoming sets.
The biggest bidding war, unsurprisingly, ensued was for Shreyas Iyer who was eventually bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for 12.25 Cr after a bit of a tussle with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. It seems like Kolkata had a clear plan set in order to rope in the potential leadership option.
The second highest paid player in the set turned out to be South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada who was eventually bought for Rs 9.25 Cr by Punjab Kings after a battle between Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. It was followed by a winning bid of Rs 8.25 Cr for Shikhar Dhawan for Punjab Kings too. They entered the auction with the biggest purse and decided to invest big in two solid players.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals added two top buys to their squad by acquiring New Zealand’s fast bowler Trent Boult for Rs 8 Cr and ace off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for Rs 5 Cr. Australia skipper Pat Cummins will continue to stay with Kolkata Knight Riders who paid Rs 7.25 Cr to retain the services of the all-rounder.
As for the remaining players in the marquee set, experienced South African Faf du Plessis will depart from Chennai Super Kings to now feature at the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who paid Rs 7 Cr for his services. The new franchises, namely Gujarat Titans decided to invest in India’s seasoned fast bowler Mohammad Shami for Rs 6.25 Cr while Lucknow Supergiants bought South African wicket-keeper opener Quinton de Kock for Rs 6.75 Cr.
The steal of the day of the set belongs to Delhi Capitals who bought Australia’s David Warner, the leading overseas run-getter in the league for a meagre 6.25 Cr.
| PLAYER | Base Price in Rs Crore | Successful bid | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| R. Ashwin | 2 Cr | 5 Cr | Rajasthan Royals |
| Trent Boult | 2 Cr | 8 Cr | Rajasthan Royals |
| Pat Cummins | 2 Cr | 7.25 Cr | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Quinton De Kock | 2 Cr | 6.75 Cr | Lucknow Supergiants |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 2 Cr | 8.25 Cr | Punjab Kings |
| Faf Du Plessis | 2 Cr | 7 Cr | Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| Shreyas Iyer | 2 Cr | 12.25 Cr | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Kagiso Rabada | 2 Cr | 9.25 Cr | Punjab Kings |
| Mohammad Shami | 2 Cr | 6.25 Cr | Gujarat Titans |
| David Warner | 2 Cr | 6.25 Cr | Delhi Capitals |
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