Punjab Kings CEO explains why the franchise spent INR 14 crore for Jhye Richardson

Jhye Richardson received a massive deal worth INR 14 crore at IPL Auction 2021. The Punjab Kings surprised fans by splurging a whopping amount to secure Richardson's services for IPL 2021.

The Mohali-based franchise's CEO Satish Menon has now explained the management's thought process behind signing the Aussie pacer.

In an interview with WION on Monday (March 1), Satish Menon spoke at length about the Punjab Kings squad ahead of IPL 2021.

Apart from Jhye Richardson, the Punjab Kings added Riley Meredith, Fabian Allen, Moises Henriques and Dawid Malan to their foreign contingent.

When asked why the franchise broke the bank to sign Jhye Richardson at IPL Auction 2021, Satish Menon replied:

"Jhye was always on our list. He is one of the finest components with the ball in white-ball cricket. We stretched ourselves for Chris Morris but Rajasthan Royals got hold of him. Jhye’s ability to bowl at any stage of the match gives us the flexibility we were looking for. And obviously, he is a very handy player with the bat as well. We are really excited to witness Jhye in Punjab Kings jersey in IPL."

#EXCLUSIVE | Ahead of #IPL2021, @PunjabKingsIPL CEO, Satish Menon, speaks to WION’s @CricSubhayan on the rebranding of the Punjab franchise, the big-name signings in the auction, growth of Punjab Kings since the inaugural edition of IPL, and morehttps://t.co/AuCbozOMeQ

— WION (@WIONews) March 1, 2021

Jhye Richardson has played two Tests, 13 ODIs and 11 T20Is for the Australian cricket team.

He has 42 international wickets to his name, but the reason multiple franchises showed interest in him was the 24-year-old's recent form in the Big Bash League.

Jhye Richardson was the most successful bowler in BBL 2020-21

Jhye Richardson picked up 29 wickets in 17 matches this year

Jhye Richardson was in red hot form during the 2020-21 Big Bash League (BBL). Playing for the Perth Scorchers, he scalped 29 wickets in 17 innings at an excellent bowling average of 16.31.

His economy rate was below eight runs per over. Richardson also took a couple of four-wicket hauls for the Scorchers.

His wicket-taking abilities played a vital role in Perth's journey to the summit clash. Courtesy of that performance, Jhye earned a spot in the Australian squad for the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand.

Say Hi to Jhye! 🙋‍♂️Who takes wickets for fun, our newly recruited Richardson! 🥰#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/Hi7xpHLp8F

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) February 19, 2021

It will be interesting to see how Jhye Richardson fares for the Punjab Kings in his debut IPL season.