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The IPL Auction 2021 was full of surprises. Some lesser-known names earned big at the mini-auction, while a few established T20 stars failed to make the cut.
Despite the shortest format of the game essentially favouring the younger players, the IPL has featured players has also featured players aged 43, considering the experience they bring to the table.
As is usually the case, IPL franchises bid for both young as well as experienced players at the auction. On that note, here's a look at three such players at both ends of the spectrum.
Three youngest players at the IPL 2021 auction:
#3 Arjun Tendulkar (21 years and 147 days)
Arjun Tendulkar is the son of former Indian cricket team captain Sachin Tendulkar. He has followed the footsteps of his illustrious father, but he does not specialise in batting.
His batting is a work in progress, as he only featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021 for Mumbai as a fast bowler. Arjun even travelled to the United Arab Emirates last year with the Mumbai Indians team to bowl at the nets.
The two-time defending champions signed Arjun Tendulkar for Rs 20 lakh at the IPL Auction 2021 but are unlikely to give him much game-time.
#2 Marco Jansen (20 years and 293 days)
The Mumbai Indians surprised many when they dished out Rs 20 lakh for Marco Jansen. The uncapped South African all-rounder is a left-arm quick, just like Arjun Tendulkar.
While Jansen is an uncapped player at the international level, he has played 12 first-class games, 13 List-A matches and four T20s in his domestic career.
The all-rounder plays for the Durban Heat in the Mzansi Super League. He has two wickets and no runs to his name in his brief T20 career, though.
#1 Mujeeb ur Rahman (19 years and 237 days)
The Sunrisers Hyderabad signed three players at IPL Auction 2021. One of them was Afghanistan's mystery spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman, who at 19 is the youngest player to be signed at this year's auction.
The former Kings XI Punjab (now called Punjab Kings) player will reunite with his compatriots Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi.
Mujeeb ur Rahman is still a teenager but is one of the top T20I bowlers in the format. Surprisingly, no IPL franchise showed interest in his services during the first round. But Sunrisers Hyderabad secured his services for Rs 1.5 crore later in the auction.
Three oldest players picked up at the IPL 2021 auctions:
#3 Kedar Jadhav (35 years and 329 days)
Kedar Jadhav had a disastrous IPL season with the Chennai Super Kings in the UAE last year. Despite multiple opportunities, Jadhav struggled to middle the ball and failed miserably while donning the yellow jersey in the IPL last campaign.
Expectedly, the Super Kings let go of the experienced campaigner ahead of the 2021 IPL auction.
With the player not performing in the IPL since 2018, franchises hesitated snap up the 35-year-old. Eventually, the SunRisers Hyderabad bought Kedar Jadhav at his base price of Rs 2 crore, potentially giving the player a lifeline to resurrect his flagging T20 fortunes.
#2 Daniel Christian (37 years and 290 days)
Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian starred with his clean-hitting in the Big Bash League 2020-21, playing a key role for champions Sydney Sixers.
That probably explains the Australian's return to the IPL after three years. The last played in the competition for the Delhi Capitals (then called the Delhi Daredevils) in 2018.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) had an intense bidding war for Daniel Christian's services. However, RCB beat KKR with a Rs 4.8 crore bid.
Christian has previously played for the Bangalore-based IPL franchise in 2013. It will be exciting to see how things pan out eight years later.
#1 Harbhajan Singh (40 years and 230 days)
The only played aged 40 to receive a deal at the 2021 IPL Auction 2021 is Harbhajan Singh. The veteran Indian off-spinner will play for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Singh played ten seasons for the Mumbai Indians before switching to the Chennai Super Kings in 2018.
The 40-year-old player went unsold in the initial round of the 2021 IPL auctions. However, the Kolkata Knight Riders decided to rope in the services of the veteran off-spinner, doing so at his base price of Rs 2 crore.
Harbhajan Singh has played many IPL games at the Eden Gardens, but not for the Kolkata Knight Riders. After a year's absence from the competition, the 40-year-old will look to hit the ground running for his new team.
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