'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The two-day marathon player auctions for the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League, where 578 Indian and overseas players were vying for 182 slots, was an interesting affair.
As expected, there were a lot of surprises over the course of two days as some of the well-established names could not find any takers, while the lesser-known players got away with flashy price tags.
The Indians were expected to get better deals than the overseas players but a few turned into household names by attracting colossal bids.
On one hand, where international stars like Joe Root, Lasith Malinga, Dale Steyn and Shaun Marsh remained unsold, unrenowned Indian players made a splash.
Now, let us have a look at the five Indian players, who had low base prices but fetched big money for the 11th edition of the T20 tournament to be held from 7 April to 27 May.
#5 Krishnappa Gowtham (INR 6.2 crore)
Rajasthan Royals shelled out a whopping INR 6.20 crore to pick up Karnataka all-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham, paying 31 times his base price of INR 20 lakh.
Nicknamed 'Bhajji', Gowtham fetched substantially more than his idol Harbhajan Singh, who was bought by Chennai Super Kings for his base price of INR 2 crore.
Gowtham has had an outstanding domestic season for Karnataka, picking up 34 wickets and a season-high score of 149 in an innings against Assam in Ranji Trophy.
In IPL 2017, the 29-year-old was bought for INR 2 crore by Mumbai Indians, but he didn't play a single match.
“I was watching the auctions with my family. It feels great (landing a deal) but more than that, I’m glad the teams have watched me closely and followed my performances throughout the season," Gowtham said.
#4 Ishan Kishan (INR 6.2 crore)
In a surprising move, Mumbai Indians engaged in a fierce bidding war with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings for Ishan Kishan and finally bought him for a hefty price of INR 6.2 crore.
Mumbai were the only team without a wicket-keeper and had run out of other Indian options.
Therefore, they went after the Jharkhand wicket-keeper batsman, who is well-known in the domestic circuit for his six-hitting prowess and is often compared with MS Dhoni.
The 19-year-old, for whom Mumbai paid 15 times his base price of INR 40 lakh, played for Gujarat Lions in IPL 2017, scoring 319 runs at an average of 21.
The former India Under-19 captain had a strike-rate of 145.98 in his eight innings during the recently concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
#3 Sanju Samson (INR 8 crore)
Rajasthan Royals paid an enormous sum of INR 8 crore for Sanju Samson, making him the costliest wicket-keeper batsman in the latest IPL auction.
At an auction where experienced Parthiv Patel went unsold and Quinton de Kock got an unexpectedly low price of INR 2.80 crore, Samson was a hot property and got his base price multiplied by 8.
The 23-year-old had a successful run with the Royals before their suspension, scoring 941 runs in 44 matches.
The Kerala player, who went out for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2017, was picked by RR for just Rs 10 lakh in 2013.
"The money is definitely huge and I would want to spend it wisely. But for me, it is more important to keep performing", Samson said.
#2 Krunal Pandya (INR 8.8 crore)
Mumbai Indians had retained Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah before the auction and it was expected that the three-time IPL champions will exercise one of their Right to Match cards for keeping hold of Krunal Pandya.
Mumbai paid an astronomical sum of INR 8.8 crore, after a bidding war broke out between Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad, making Krunal the most expensive uncapped player in IPL history, surpassing Pawan Negi, who was bought by Delhi Daredevils for INR 8.5 crore in 2016.
The 26-year-old with a base price of INR 40 lakh scored 237 runs in IPL 2016 and picked up six wickets in his debut season. The following year he scored 243 runs and claimed 10 wickets to help Mumbai win their third IPL title.
Krunal remaining at Mumbai Indians also means that he and his brother Hardik Pandya will turn out for the same IPL team again.
#1 Jaydev Unadkat (INR 11.5 crore)
Jaydev Unadkat hit the jackpot as Rajasthan Royals broke the bank for the left-arm pacer, making him the most expensive Indian player in the IPL Auction 2018.
Unadkat, who got INR 11.50 crore, leapfrogged KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab) and Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad), who bagged INR 11 crore contracts each on day one.
Unadkat was also the second most expensive buy this year after England all-rounder Ben Stokes, who was also bought by Rajasthan for INR 12.50 crore.
In 2017 Unadkat was bought by the Rising Pune Supergiant for INR 30 lakh and he ended up claiming 24 wickets in IPL 10.
Although the 26-year-old, who took a hat-trick against Sunrisers Hyderabad, was quite impressive last season, his enormous price tag is unfathomable.
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