IPL 2018: 5 auction blunders that are costing teams dearly

#4 Nitish Rana

Nitish Rana, who used to play for the Mumbai Indians, is a part of the Kolkata team in IPL 2018

Young Nitish Rana had become a familiar face for the IPL watching crowd since 2016, clad in the blue Mumbai Indians jersey. However, the 2018 IPL auctions saw a drama unfold when Rana's name was called for bids. Initially, it was the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders who indulged in a bidding war for the 24 year-old cricketer.

Although MI came in later to put in a few bids, it was the KKR who stole Rana away and the ways things have been unfolding in the past couple of weeks, MI will be cursing themselves for not having bid harder for Nitish Rana. The youngster had put on quite a stellar show for the Mumbai side in 2017 when he had amassed 333 runs in 13 matches, including a highest score of 62*.

This time around, Rana has been in top form and is being viewed as one of the most impactful players in the tournament, more so for KKR. He's already scored 165 runs in 6 matches for the KKR and his ability to make quick runs in the face of pressure is supported by his strike rate of 135.24. Rana has also performed satisfactorily as a part-time off-break bowler, with 4 wickets in the season already.