IPL 2018: 5 auction blunders that are costing teams dearly

#2 Umesh Yadav

Pacer Umesh Yadav is proving to be an asset for the Royal Challengers Bangalore

Hailed as one of the fastest pacers in Indian Cricket, Umesh Yadav made his debut in the IPL back in 2010 for the Delhi Daredevils. He was later hauled in by the Kolkata Knight Riders, where his contribution was nothing short of exemplary in the period between 2014-17. IPL 2017 saw him grab 17 wickets in 14 matches and rank 8th in the list of leading wicket-takers for the season.

It came as a surprise, thus, when KKR chose to not raise the baton even once during the 2018 auctions of the league. After a long-drawn bidding tug-of-war between Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, and Kings XI Punjab, it was the Royal Challengers Bangalore who stole the cherry at the very last minute. Yadav, who had a base price of INR 1 crore, was bought by the RCB for 4.2 times the price.

The 30-year-old speedster has not disappointed the RCB for entrusting him with the responsibility to spearhead the pace department of their side. He's already at the 5th position of the leading wicket-takers for IPL 2018 and his lethal combination of pace and swing seems to be stronger than ever. He's scalped 8 wickets in 5 matches, with his best bowling figures of 4-0-23-3 coming against the KXIP.