Five surprising picks from the IPL auctions

Shane Watson was the most expensive buy of the 2016 IPL auctionRoad to the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League kick started with the 2016 IPL auctions that took place in Bengaluru last weekend in which nearly 94 players were brought by 8 franchises. Australian all-rounder Shane Watson fetched the highest bid as he was brought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for whopping 9.5 crores INR.Waston finishing as the auction’s highest grosser might not come as a surprise to many as he was expected to fetch a big sum. But there were some players whose deals came as a surprise to many. Let us take a look at some of the surprising picks from the IPL auction

#5 Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda had a great 2015 IPL as he performed consistently for his side Rajasthan Royals and was rewarded for his performances as he was snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a huge price of 4.2 crore INR, which is 42 times his base price.

This price for which he was sold might have come as a surprise to many, but the Baroda youngster is capable of returning the faith his team has in him. With the likes of Yuvraj Singh, David Warner, Eoin Morgan, Shikhar Dhawan and VVS Laxman around him, Hooda will look to learn a lot and mature as a cricketer.

#4 Pawan Negi

Pawan Negi

Last week was a week to remember for Pawan Negi as he was first picked up for the Indian T20 squad to face Sri Lanka and followed it by a call-up to the 2016 World T20 squad. But the icing on the cake would be the Jackpot that came his way in the IPL auction.

With a base price of just 30 lakhs INR, Negi was sold to Dehi Daredevils for 8.5 crore INR, which is nearly 29 times his base price. With this, he became the most expensive uncapped player ever in the history of IPL and the second most expensive player of the 2016 auction.

With such a hefty price tag, a lot will be expected from Negi in the IPL.

#3 Nathu Singh

Nathu Singh

Nathu Singh was expected to be sold to any of the eight franchises after he had a very good domestic season that saw him ending the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament as the fourth highest wicket-taker (14 wickets) at an unreal economy of 5, which is too good in T20s along with a superb bowling average of 8.5 and strike-rate of 10.2.

His performances has earned him 3.2 crore INR as Mumbai Indians came out successful against Delhi Daredevils, who were bidding for the Rajasthan pacer. It must be surprising for most of the cricket fans as a huge percentage of the fans might not have seen Nathu bowl.

Having been dubbed as someone to watch out for by none other than Rahul Dravid, Nathu has a lot to prove when he takes the field for he defending Champions in this year’s IPL.

#2 Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite’s tweet after he was acquired by Delhi Daredevils for 4.2 INR summed up the entire thing. No one expected Brathwaite to be brought by a franchise, but the price he fetched in the auction must be astonishing.

Having played 2 Tests, 7 ODIs and 2 T20Is for West Indies, Brathwaite hasn’t tasted much success and was not included in the Windies’ squad for the 2016 World T20 too. Spending 4.2 crore INR on him is definitely not a wise move from Delhi Daredevils.

Spending too much of money on an inexperienced overseas player is not a new thing as the likes of Dan Christian (Deccan Chargers), Glenn Maxwell (Mumbai Indians), Richard Levi (Mumbai Indians) and Kane Richardson (Pune Warriors India) were brought for a huge price in the previous auctions.

#1 M Ashwin

Murugan Ashwin

M Ashwin, yes it’s M Ashwin and not R Ashwin. Not many would be familiar with the name Murugan Ashwin till his name popped out in the uncapped spinners set in the IPL auctions. There was an intense bidding between Delhi Daredevils and newbies Rising Pune Super Giants to acquire the Tamil Nadu leg-spinner.

Eventually, the fans were stunned when Stephen Fleming’s Pune successfully won the bid worth whopping 4.5 crore INR for the spinner. He has played a total of 11 matches (including First-Class, List A and T20 matches) and the money spent on him might have surprised many.

Later, it was revealed that R Ashwin’s influence which made Fleming to go all-out for M Ashwin, who could be the X-factor for his team in this IPL.