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The IPL Auction held on the 19th of December in Kolkata turned out to be an exciting affair as it had plenty of surprises in store for the fans.
The likes of Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Chris Morris, Sheldon Cottrell, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Shimron Hetmyer ended up receiving bids that were worth more than $1 million. CSK paid ₹6.75 crores for Piyush Chawla's services and made him the most expensive Indian at this season's auction.
There were also several bargains on offer as players like Chris Lynn, James Neesham and Tom Banton were bought for their base prices. The upcoming season could turn out to be a carbon copy of the last season as Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Dehi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad look like the strongest teams on paper. The likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders have a couple of holes in their squads, while Kings XI Punjab have strengthened a fair bit.
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The ₹15.5 crore bid that KKR made for Pat Cummins made him the most expensive overseas player in the history of IPL. In fact, an entire playing XI can be created for less than the amount KKR paid for the Australian pacer and here's the team.
#1 Jason Roy
Jason Roy is arguably one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket at present and was one of the most important players for England in their World Cup winning campaign. The opener has exhibited tremendous form this year and was one of the marquee players in the auction, but he was bought for just ₹1.5 crore by the Delhi Capitals. With a strike rate of 146 and an aggregate of 5000 runs in T20 cricket, he could turn out to be a snip at that price.
#2 Tom Banton
Tom Banton's name was doing the rounds before the auction, and he was tipped for massive bids. He had a sensational Vitality Blast campaign and also won himself a stint in the Big Bash with Brisbane Heat. An aggressive wicket-keeper batsman is always in demand and hence, it came as a surprise when the Englishman was bought by KKR for his base price of ₹1 crore. The youngster could turn out to be the perfect replacement for Chris Lynn at KKR.
#3 Chris Lynn
Chris Lynn exhibited tremendous form in the T10 league after being released by KKR and it looked like he could end up as one of the most expensive players at the auction. However, it wasn't the case as he was bought by the Mumbai Indians for just ₹2 crore. The Australian could form a destructive opening partnership with Quinton de Kock for his new team and the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium will definitely suit his style of play.
#4 David Miller
While most of the players in this XI were expected to attract big bids, David Miller is one of those who would have entered the auction with fairly low expectations. He hasn't been at his best over the last couple of years, but he is still a dangerous player on his day. The South African player had a decent outing in the Mzansi Super League and was scooped up for ₹75 lakhs by Rajasthan Royals as a backup for their overseas batsmen.
#5 Alex Carey (WK)
Alex Carey is arguably one of the most underrated cricketers at present, and it was reflected at the IPL auction as well. He was bought by the Delhi Capitals for ₹2.4 crore, and considering his versatility, he could turn out to be an absolute bargain. He can bat anywhere in the top six and is also excellent behind the wickets. The Australian is very aggressive with the bat and his ability to play on any type of surface will make him a handy player for DC.
#6 Jimmy Neesham
Jimmy Neesham enhanced his reputation as one of the best all-rounders in the modern game after a stupendous outing in the World Cup this year. He is an aggressive batsman and also a wicket-taking bowler, and one wouldn't have been wrong to think that Neesham would have sparked a bidding war. However, none of that came to fruition as he was subject to just one bid worth ₹50 lakhs from Kings XI Punjab.
#7 Chris Woakes
Chris Woakes was snapped up by the Delhi Capitals for his base price of ₹1.5 crore and is the third player from the franchise on this list. He is very good with the ball in hand and can bowl at any stage of the game. In addition to his bowling, he is also a useful batsman and can score runs at a brisk rate. The Englishman could form a deadly bowling combination with Kagiso Rabada for the Delhi-based franchise.
#8 Chris Green
Chris Green could well turn out to be the biggest bargain of this IPL auction. The uncapped Australian set his base price at ₹20 lakhs and was bought by KKR for the same price. He has been a revelation in the various T20 leagues around the world and has been highly effective as an economical off-spinner. He can bowl at any stage of the game despite being a spinner and picks up the odd wicket or two. The Sydney Thunder player is also good with the bat and is an excellent backup for Sunil Narine.
#9 Chris Jordan
Chris Jordan is one of the better death bowlers in the world and has shown time and again that he is capable of stopping the flow of runs at the end. The Englishman has an economy rate of less than 8.5, which is excellent for someone who bowls the majority of his overs at the death. He is also an excellent fielder and a useful lower-order batsman, and at ₹3 crore, is a very good signing for Kings XI Punjab.
#10 Ravi Sai Kishore
From being a net bowler for CSK to being a part of their squad, Ravi Sai Kishore has come a long way. The only Indian on this list, Sai Kishore performed extremely well in the Tamil Nadu Premier League and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. His good performances didn't go unnoticed as he was bought for ₹20 lakhs by CSK. The left-arm spinner has a brilliant economy rate of 5.45 and also has strike rate of 18.4 and will be an able backup for Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner.
#11 Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood might not have played a T20 game in more than three years, but that certainly didn't stop CSK from bidding for him. The Chennai-based franchise bought him for his base price of ₹2 crore. He is undoubtedly one of the best new ball bowlers at present and can cause many problems for the batsmen along with Deepak Chahar. He can also extract bounce from the slow and dry surface in Chennai due to his height, which will make him an asset for MS Dhoni.
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