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The 2021 IPL Auction is just a week away. All franchises have probably finalized the list of players they would target at the upcoming IPL Auction. Every franchise's backroom staff prepares a proper strategy every year wherein they decide the reasonable amount they would bid for a particular player.
However, not every plan can be executed to perfection at the IPL Auction. Eight teams are eligible to bid for a player, resulting in intense bidding wars for some big names. All-rounders generally gain enormous deals at the IPL Auction because they provide a lot of balance to the squads. Also, the impact players are in high demand.
The franchises have surprised fans many times by spending considerable sums of money on just one cricketer. Here's a look at the top five biggest buys in IPL Auction history.
5. Delhi Daredevils signed Dinesh Karthik for ₹12.50 Crores at IPL Auction 2014
In the earlier seasons, the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) released most of their players before the IPL Auction. As the team could not perform well on the field, the Delhi-based franchise changed their squad repeatedly, leading to them spending significant amounts on some game-changers.
Dinesh Karthik was one of the names the Delhi Daredevils targeted at the 2014 IPL Auction. They broke the bank to sign the Indian wicket-keeper. Unfortunately, Karthik could not justify his hefty price tag of ₹12.50 Crores.
The right-handed batsman played 14 matches for the Delhi-based franchise, aggregating 325 runs at an average of 23.21. He registered three half-centuries, but the Daredevils could win only two games and finished in the last position.
4. Royal Challengers Bangalore signed Yuvraj Singh for ₹14 Crores at IPL Auction 2014
IPL Auction 2014 was a big payday for two Indian stars. While the Delhi Daredevils signed Dinesh Karthik for ₹12.50 Crores, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) splurged ₹14 Crores to gain Yuvraj Singh's services. RCB made the then biggest bid in IPL history to sign the 2011 World Cup hero.
Yuvraj Singh scored 376 runs in IPL 2014. It was the most successful season for him as a batsman. Singh had an average of 34.18 and a strike rate of 135.25 while donning the Royal Challengers Bangalore. With his left-arm spin, Yuvraj took five wickets at an economy rate of 8.25.
Unfortunately, the Royal Challengers Bangalore only got to the seventh spot in IPL 2014, winning only five out of 14 matches. RCB released Yuvraj Singh before the next IPL Auction.
3. Rising Pune Supergiant signed Ben Stokes for ₹14.50 Crores at IPL Auction 2017
The Rising Pune Supergiant played only two IPL seasons. The franchise was home to some iconic names like MS Dhoni, Steve Smith, Kevin Pietersen, and Faf du Plessis. However, injuries hit the Pune-based franchise hard in 2016 as they lost most of their big names before the season ended.
Before the 2017 season, the Rising Pune Supergiant named Smith as their captain. They strengthened their squad by signing English all-rounder Ben Stokes for ₹14.50 Crores at the IPL Auction.
The decision to sign Stokes worked wonders for Pune. Playing his debut IPL season, Ben amassed 316 runs and picked up 12 wickets in 12 games. His all-round brilliance powered RPS into the summit clash. Unfortunately, he was unavailable for the finale. Otherwise, Pune could have ended the season as champions.
2. Kolkata Knight Riders signed Pat Cummins for ₹15.50 Crores at IPL Auction 2020
Kolkata Knight Riders are two time IPL champions. They had qualified for the playoffs in IPL 2018, but they crashed out at the league stage in the 2019 season. Hence, the Knight Riders decided to spend big on an overseas name before IPL 2020.
Pat Cummins was the player Kolkata zeroed in on, and they won an intense contested bidding war to sign him for ₹15.50 Crores. Cummins became the most expensive overseas signing in IPL history.
But unlike Ben Stokes, he could not change KKR's fortunes. Pat Cummins played 14 matches and took 12 wickets for the Knight Riders. He scored 146 runs but could not take the Knight Riders to the playoffs. Still, Kolkata have retained their faith in Cummins.
1. Delhi Daredevils signed Yuvraj Singh for ₹16 Crores at IPL Auction 2015
As mentioned ahead, the Royal Challengers Bangalore let go of Yuvraj Singh before the 2015 IPL Auction. Delhi Daredevils (DD) also released Dinesh Karthik after IPL 2014. DD boosted their purse amount by releasing Karthik and invested ₹16 Crores for Yuvraj's services in the 2015 IPL Auction.
Although Yuvraj had an excellent season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he could not replicate the same performance with the Delhi Daredevils. Singh featured in all 14 games for the Delhi-based franchise and scored 248 runs. His average was less than 20, while his strike rate slumped to 118.10.
Singh bowled only nine overs in IPL 2015. The opposition batsmen scored 72 runs off his bowling. Yuvraj could scalp only a single wicket for the Daredevils. Delhi finished in the seventh position that year, but they did not retain Yuvraj before the 2016 IPL Auction.
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