IPL 2018 Auction:5 biggest overseas bargains in the auction

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 auction has come to an end and all the teams have had a fair chance to build their squad. Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals had the biggest purse going into the auction, and both the teams utilized their money sensibly.

While many of the top players were sold for huge sums of money, we take a look at the top overseas players who were purchased by the franchises at bargain prices.

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5) Imran Tahir

Imran Tahir went unsold in the previous year's auction but created a huge impact in the IPL 2017 after joining Steven Smith's side Rising Pune Supergiant as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh. The South African leggie bagged 18 wickets in the 12 matches at an average of 20.50.

Expected to have many buyers in the auction, he went for his base price of ₹1 crore to Chennai Super Kings with just a single bid in the auction.

Tahir has been phenomenal for his national side in the shorter formats of the game. He is a brilliant wicket-taker and to get him at such a low price is indeed a steal for CSK.

4) Mustafizur Rahman

Known for his lethal death bowling, 'Fizz' helped the Sunrisers to lift the IPL trophy in 2016. He stayed out from the action in the previous IPL owing to his injuries, was expected to attract the attention of bidders in the auction.

The 22-year-old Bangladeshi bowler has an economy just over 7 r.p.o in the 17 matches played for his team. While Sunrisers Hyderabad refused to use their Right to Match card for him, Mumbai Indians bagged the speedster for just ₹2.2 crores from his base price of ₹1 crore.

3) Evin Lewis

Evin Lewis is one of the rising stars from Trinidad & Tobago and has been quite an impressive player in T20s in 2017. The 26-year-old left-hander is an attacking opening batsman who has the ability to send the ball into the third tiers of the stands at his will. He is one of the finest T20 players in the world at the moment and his record in T20 format is nothing short of outstanding.

He has three T20 hundreds to his name in 84 matches and has an overall strike rate of 146.06. He has smashed 371 runs in 12 matches in the previous edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and his stocks were expected to go up and up in the auction of this IPL edition.

Lewis had a base price of ₹1.50 crores against his name and was bought by Mumbai Indians for ₹3.8 crores. He was also in red-hot form just before the auction.

2) Shakib Al Hasan

The Bangladeshi all-rounder had a base price of ₹ 1cr at the beginning of the auction. He was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad at a price of ₹2 crores.

Shakib is one of the premier all-rounders in the world at present. He has picked up 43 wickets in as much as matches, he has played in the IPL. He has also scored 498 runs, with a good strike rate of 130.36.

The all-rounder has played as a finisher and break-through provider on previous occasions for KKR. He played a pivotal role in making KKR champions in 2012 and 2014. Getting Shakib at 2 crores is something which the SRH management can be proud of.

1) Colin Munro

The New-Zealander, who is the only one to register 3 centuries in International T20 cricket, has been sold for just ₹1.9 crores. To show just how much this was a bargain deal for Delhi, one of those three centuries came against the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who are hailed as the best bowlers in the country at present.

Munro has played 154 matches in T20 format and has scored 3486 runs at a brilliant strike rate of 147 in various leagues. The opener has done even better for his international side, scoring 947 runs in 38 matches at an average of 33 and an excellent strike rate of 161.

Delhi has grabbed a diamond at the price of silver.