5 surprise millionaires in the IPL over the years

The Indian Premier League is as famous for its high dose of entertainment and big sixes as it is for its rags-to-riches stories. While some players richly deserve the high pay-package that greets them in the league, a few other unknown players often end up being caught up in a bidding war that sees their base price increase manifold.

Each auction brings with it tales of a few surprise millionaires and here we look at the five who were just that.

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#5 KC Cariappa- Rs 2.4 crores in 2015

After bagging Sunil Narine when no one knew much about him, Kolkata Knight Riders wanted to pull off a similar coup when they picked up unknown spinner KC Cariappa for Rs 2.4 crores in 2015. A product of the Karnataka Premier League, Cariappa impressed Wasim Akram and Gautam Gambhir in 2014, who asked the bowler to work on his fitness for the following season.

Even though the young player had picked up 11 wickets in six matches in the KPL while representing Bijapur Bulls, his ability to go for runs that would allow him to lose his momentum sooner than later, made him a shock buy for Rs 2.4 crores. Till the auctions in 2015, he had only played for the Karnataka Under-19 team in limited overs and had been called up in the preliminary squad of the state but was yet to represent them.

The leg-spinner played just one game in 2015 and picked up one wicket, before he was bought by Punjab the following season.

#4 Murugan Ashwin- Rs 4.5 crores in 2016

In 2016, yet another unknown entity sent the nation into a tizzy by raking up the big bucks despite an average domestic career. Murugan Ashwin, who apparently caught MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming’s attention during a net session for Chennai Super Kings in 2015, was subject to a riveting auction-battle between Rising Pune Supergiant and Royal Challengers Bangalore, before he was picked up by the former for Rs 4.5 crores.

The player, whose base price was 10 lakhs, had played just three First-Class games and had picked up only one wicket, whilst conceding 246 runs till the auctions. In List A games, he claimed three wickets.

He was unable to set the stage on fire in the tournament, picking up just seven wickets in 10 games at an average of 34.42 and at an economy rate that touched nine. He was relieved from the RPS dugout in 2017 and was picked up by Delhi Daredevils but did not get a game.

#3 K Gowtham- Rs 6.2 crores in 2018

K Gowtham, who was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs 2 crores last season, was sold to Rajasthan Royals this year for a whopping sum of Rs 6.2 crores, almost 30 times his base price.

In October last year, he scored his maiden first-class century for Karnataka against Assam and possesses an impressive T20 record, both with the bat and the ball.

However, what really came as a surprise is that Rajasthan, a team that mostly relies on undertaking less hyped players for low amounts spent as much on a player who did not turn out for Mumbai in even one game last year.

#2 Pawan Negi- Rs 8.5 crores in 2016

The biggest shocker in the millionaire list was Pawan Negi in 2016, who was sold to Delhi Daredevils for a whopping sum of Rs 8.5 crores, almost thirty times of his base price, which was set at Rs 30 lakhs.

The player who was yet to play in for India became the most expensive Indian in the auctions that season, beating even the likes of Yuvraj Singh to the top spot.

What made the hefty amount spent for him most surprising was that the 23-year-old averaged just 19.16 in 56 T20 games played till the auctions and had scalped 46 wickets at an average of 26.28. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy that concluded just before the mega-event, the left-hander had picked up six wickets in nine games and scored 173 runs in as many matches.

The youngster was unable to live up to his billing in the tournament that season, scoring just 57 runs in eight games and picking up just a solitary wicket. It was baffling to see that the franchise shelled so much and did not even play him for all their games!

#1 Jaydev Unadkat- Rs 11.5 crores in 2018

Jaydev Unadkat was possibly the most shocking player to have fetched a sum of Rs 11.5 crores in this year’s IPL auctions, making him the most expensive player from India. He did pick up 24 wickets last season, wherein he snatched up 24 wickets for RPS and emerged as a fine death overs bowler for the side.

He was the subject of an intense battle between Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals, eventually going to the Steve Smith-led side. With a base price of Rs 1.5 crore, it was expected that the bowler, who has impressive figures in T20s, will fetch a decent amount of money but to even beat the likes of KL Rahul and Manish Pandey was highly unprecedented.