5 players who caused a furious bidding war in the IPL 2016 Auction

The IPL Auction saw its fair share of surprises. It was an exercise in self-evaluation with the result being reaffirmed or shattered under the hammer. Some players set their base price in crores and the Veblen Effect failed them miserably. While others set a low base price, keeping their expectations low, only to be astonished at the price they were sold by. Also read: IPL 2016: Teams and full players listThe teams which participated in a bidding war for the lesser known players were probably hoping that they will be able to walk away with a steal. But owing to bidding wars many players ended up being sold for enormous sums way beyond the price they had set. Here is a look at players who really underestimated themselves at the auction.

#1 Pawan Negi

Pawan Negi is surely the most surprised of the lot after the frantic interest he drew in the auction. He was just named to the Indian team for the upcoming ICC World T20 squad. That good news would have been hard to top. But his stock in the IPL auction comes close to, if not overshadows, his good fortune.

Pawan Negi had set a base price of Rs 30 lakhs. A modest amount for a cricketer who is playing for India. Little did he realize that he would end the day as the most expensive Indian player at the IPL auction. Negi outpaced Yuvraj Singh who was the second most expensive Indian player at the auction. Negi was the second most expensive player overall at the auction, right behind Shane Watson who went for Rs 9.5 crore.

Rising Pune Super Giants and the Delhi Daredevils engaged in a furious bidding war and ultimately Pawan Negi was sold to the Delhi Daredevils for INR 8.5 crore. Hard to believe that it was just 2 seasons ago that he was signed for Rs 10 lakh by CSK.

#2 Chris Morris

The Kolkata Knight Riders almost took Chris Morris for Rs 6.5 crore before Delhi Daredevils swooped in and took him for Rs 7 crore. It is astounding that he had only set a base price of Rs 50 lakhs and he ended up going for Rs 7 crore.

Delhi Daredevils manager T.A. Sekar said "We have seen so many auctions, that we didn't want to jump the gun. I have been a part of eight auctions now and it was better to notice the team's upper limit and weigh our chances. We wanted Morris. We feel that he is a very good bowler who can bat a bit."

Rising Pune Supergiants, Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders were in a battle to get Morris for themselves. But Delhi Daredevils had the highest auction purse of Rs 37.16 crores and they were able to secure his services.

#3 Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite came on to the international scene five years ago. But he had faded away after his debut, only to re-emerge in 2015 and mark a place for himself in the West Indies Squad. He had listed his base price as Rs 30 lakhs for the auction and it seemed fair given his record.

Here is his reaction after he was sold to the Delhi Daredevils for Rs 4.2 crores:

The Delhi Daredevils held off KKR in getting to Brathwaite, who will be looking to carry on the tradition of West Indies power hitters.

#4 Murgan Ashwin

Murgan Ashwin had set his base price for Rs 10 lakhs. He was a modest spinner from Tamil Nadu until a few hours ago. He is now among the players who have commanded a bid worth crores in the IPL auction.

Murgan was picked by the Rising Pune Super Giants for Rs 4.5 crores. It is worth noting that Ravichandran Ashwin's influence may have counted in this case, as both of them graduated from Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering in Chennai.

Ashwin made a mark for himself in the 2015-16 Sayed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament where he bowled 23 overs and took 10 wickets with an economy of 5.52.

It remains to be seen how well he manages to hold his own and justify the price tag he has commanded.

#5 Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda is yet to earn a cap for India. He had set his asking price at Rs 10 lakh, considering his lack of international experience.

He did make a mark on the domestic scene and he had played for India in the U-19 Cricket World Cup. But even in his wildest dreams, he would not have expected to be sold for Rs 4.2 crores. Sunrisers Hyderabad came out on top over a bidding war for Hooda.

Hooda is an all rounder who bats right handed. his highest score in first-class cricket is 142 runs. He has also claimed 5 wickets in first-class cricket over 16 matches.