IPL 2018 Auction: 8 players sold for more than 15 times their base price

The eleventh edition of the IPL kicked off after two enthralling days of the IPL auction in Bangalore. From some star players going for millions as predicted to a bunch of players who went for unexpectedly high prices, the two days of action had it all.

In the mist of the marquee players who caught the attention of the fans, there were some players who saw a skyrocketing increase in their prices in the course of the action. Base priced under half a crore, these future superstars struck multi-crore deals.

Riding on the back of their performances, franchises showed interest in a bunch of uncapped players who brought bidding wars to the table and were sold for a price that left everyone surprised.

Here are a few players who were sold for more than 15 times their base price.

#8 Kamlesh Nagarkoti

Base Price: Rs. 20 lakh

Sold For: Rs. 3.2 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders

The 18-year-old u-19 sensation is grabbing eyeballs ever since the start of the ongoing u-19 World Cup in New Zealand. Kamlesh Nagarkoti made headlines after he consistently bowled at 140 kmph.

Indian cricket has only a handful of bowlers who can consistently clock 140 kmph. In such a scenario, the youngster throwing the unplayable deliveries at such high speed was bound to grab eyeballs. Kamlesh has taken 7 wickets in 4 matches at an impressive economy of 3.51.

Going into the auction Kamlesh was on the radar of the franchises and got his due when he was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping Rs. 3.2 crore after an engaging round of bidding war between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders. This was the highest bid among other u-19 players.

#7 Ishan Kishan

Base price: Rs. 40 lakh

Sold for: Rs. 6.2 crore to Mumbai Indians

The lesser-known wicket-keeper batsman from Bihar represents Jharkhand in the domestic arena. Ishan Kishan was first bought by Gujarat Lions in the 2015 edition. He could not do much with the bat on the few opportunities that he got to play in the initial season.

In the last season, he grabbed eyeballs when he consistently delivered for the Gujarat franchise. In 11 matches that he played, he scored 277 runs at an average of 27.70 and a thunderous strike rate of 134.46. His huge sixes were a delight to watch.

His crucial contributions with the bat in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy may have caught the attention of the franchises who engaged in a fierce bidding war to snap him up.

Mumbai Indians owners finally added the Bihar lad to their squad after shelling out Rs. 6.2 crore. This was more than what Shikhar Dhawan was sold for.

#6 Rahul Tripathi

Base Price: Rs. 20 lakh

Sold for: Rs. 3.4 crore to Rajasthan Royals

The Ranchi born youngster, who plays for Maharastra in the domestic circuit caught the eye of the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants ahead of the IPL auction 2017. Bought at a base price of Rs. 10 lakh, little did the franchises know about his capabilities.

In the 14 matches that he played in the 2017 edition, Tripathi scored 391 runs at a massive strike rate of 146.44. He fired from the front every time the top batting order failed. Rahul Tripathi was one of the reasons that Rising Pune Supergiants reached the final of the tournament last year.

In this year's IPL auction Tripathi got his due, and was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 3.4 crore after a fierce bidding war between Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils.

#5 Nitish Rana

Base Price: Rs. 20 lakh

Sold For: Rs. 3.4 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders

Nitish Rana, the little-known youngster, became an overnight sensation after scoring consistently with the bat for Mumbai Indians in 2017. He played a key role in Mumbai Indians winning the matches in the initial half of the tournament.

In the 13 matches that he played in the last edition of the IPL, he scored 333 runs at a strike rate of 126.13. He made the headlines in the initial phase of the tournament for scoring crucial match-winning knocks for the Mumbai Indians.

Even though he has not been able to do much in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year, Kolkata Knight Riders showed interest in him and continuously kept on bidding until they secured him for Rs 3.4 crore which was 17 times higher than his base price.

#4 Jofra Archer

Base Price: Rs. 40 lakh

Sold For: Rs. 7.2 crore to Rajasthan Royals

Jofra Archer, the West Indies fast bowler was another player who was sold for an unexpectedly high price. Archer who hails from West Indies but lives in England is currently playing for Hobart Hurricanes in the ongoing Big Bash League.

With 15 wickets from 10 matches, he is the joint 3rd highest wicket-taker in the tournament along with Ben Laughlin. His economy of 7.50 is one of the best among the fast bowlers in the league.

Archer has been on the radar of the IPL franchises since the start of the BBL due to his exceptional bowling performances for the Hurricanes. Archer was bought for 18 times his base price by Rajasthan Royals after a fierce round of bidding by the franchises.

#3 D'Arcy Short

Base Price: Rs. 20 lakh

Sold For: Rs. 4 crore to Rajasthan Royals

Australia's latest batting sensation D'Arcy Short was due for a big payday in the IPL auction ever since he displayed his potential in the ongoing Big Bash League. D'Arcy Short who is playing for Hobart Hurricanes in the Australian T20 league has been grabbing eyeballs since the start of the tournament for his thunderous batting style.

He is currently on the top of the run-scorers' chart in the tournament having scored 504 runs in 10 matches at an average of 56.00 and a strike rate of 147.80. Short has hit a century and three fifties in the league.

Based priced at Rs. 20 lakhs, Short's name brought a bidding war between Delhi Daredevils and Rajasthan Royals. Rajasthan Royals finally snapped the Australian for a whopping Rs. 4 crore which is 20 times his base price.

#2 Krunal Pandya

Base Price: Rs. 40 lakh

Sold For: Rs. 8.8 crore to Mumbai Indians (Right to Match)

Krunal Pandya has been a key player in Mumbai Indians setup ever since they bought him in 2015. Unfortunately, Mumbai Indians could not retain Krunal ahead of the auction and this meant he had to go back into the auction pool.

Krunal Pandya's name emerged late on the first day of the auction and brought a bidding war at the table. Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, and Sunrisers Hyderabad continuously fought for him and raised his price to 22 times his base price of Rs. 40 lakh.

Finally, he was sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs. 8.8 crore but Mumbai Indians didn't think twice to use their Right to Match card to get him back.

Krunal played a crucial role in Mumbai Indians winning the title in 2017. He scored 243 runs in 13 matches at a strike rate of 135.75 and also took 10 wickets at an impressive economy of 6.82.

He was also the man of the match in the final last year for scoring a match-winning knock of 47 runs after Mumbai Indians' top batting order failed.

#1 Krishnappa Gowtham

Base Price: Rs. 20 lakh

Sold For: Rs. 6.2 crore to Rajasthan Royals

Krishnappa Gowtham emerged as one of the biggest surprises of the auction. The little known 29-year-old player plays for Karnataka in the domestic circuit. His record in T20s is average where he has taken 20 wickets in 27 matches at an economy of 7.06.

Gowtham's name came to the table on the second day of the auction and saw a fierce bidding war among the franchises who raised his price to 31 times his base price. Gowtham was finally bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs. 6.2 crore.

In the 2017 edition of the IPL, Gowtham was bought by Mumbai Indians for Rs. 2 crore but didn't get a chance to play for the franchise.