3 players bought at the IPL 2018 auction who turned out to be steals

#2 Ambati Rayudu (Chennai Super Kings)

Innings: 16; Runs: 602; Strike Rate: 149.50; Average: 43

Ambati Rayudu was signed by the Chennai Super Kings for INR 2.2 crore after his poor season in IPL 2017 with the Mumbai Indians. But he finished as the third highest run-getter in IPL 2018, scoring 602 runs in the tournament.

There was a conundrum over CSK's opening combination early on but Rayudu solved all the problems as he forged a destructive partnership with Shane Watson.

Ambati Rayudu

He opened the innings 10 times last season and scored 396 runs at an average of 44 and a strike rate of 148. He smashed one century and gave many quick starts to the team.

Rayudu's exploits in the IPL earned him a place in the Indian ODI team and he has now slotted in at the number 4 position, seemingly solving India's middle order conundrum. Even in the IPL, he was able to play at number 4 when Faf du Plessis opened the batting with Watson; Rayudu scored 157 runs in 5 innings batting at number 4, at a strike rate of 160 and average of 40.

He was a key part of CSK's successful campaign last season and answered his critics with a show of attacking but classy batting. He illustrated that he wasn't a slow player unfit for the shorter format, and impressed one and all with his batting.

Rayudu was certainly a steal for the Super Kings at just INR 2.2 crore considering how good his performances were.