IPL Auction 2019: 4 uncapped big buys and other 10 big buys

The IPL auction 2019 took place on December 18 in Jaipur. A total of 346 players were listed to go down the hammer for a possible selection of 70 players with 20 slots available for the foreign players. Finally, at the end of the day, a total of 60 players, 40 Indians, and 20 overseas players were sold at the IPL 2019 auction.

There were a lot of surprises in this year’s auction as some of the established International players went unsold while some uncapped players, who were not expected to attract huge interest, were sold for big bucks.

Here is a look at the 4 uncapped players who were bought for a whopping amount.

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1. Akshdeep Nath – Base Price 20 lakhs - Bought for 3.6 crores by RCB

Akshdeep Nath who went unsold in the first round went for a massive sum in the second round

Akshdeep Nath was the vice-captain of India under-19 team that won the World Cup in 2012. He has played for Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016 and 2017. In 2018, he was bought by Kings XI Punjab. Akshdeep Nath hasn’t got enough opportunity in the IPL to prove himself.

He has so far played in six IPL matches only and scored a total of 29 runs. He was released by Kings XI Punjab before this IPL auction. He went unsold in the first round but was sold for 3.6 crores to RCB on his re-entry.

2. Prabhsimran Singh – Base Price 20 lakhs – Bought for 4.8 crores by Kings XI Punjab

Prabhsimran Singh became the highest paid under 18 player in the IPL history

Prabhsimran Singh is just 17 years old and he is from Punjab. He is a wicketkeeper-batsman. He has represented India in the Under 19 and Under 23 levels. Now he has become the highest paid player under the age of 18 in IPL history.

However, he is yet to play a first-class match. After hefty competition from RCB, Kings XI, and Mumbai Indians, he was finally acquired by Kings XI Punjab for 4.8 crores.

3. Shivam Dube – Base Price 20 lakhs - Bought for 5 crores by RCB

Shivam Dube gave a timely reminder just before the auction by hitting 5 sixes in an over

Shivam Dube plays for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy. He is a left-hand bat and a right-arm medium fast bowler. Dube accelerated his entry into IPL by hitting five sixes in an over in the Ranji Trophy match against Baroda just one day before the IPL auction. After his impressive performances in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, he is now bought by RCB.

In fact, Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, and Bangalore were all interested in him before he was bought for 5 crores by RCB. In the long run, he could be a like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya in the Indian team

4. Varun Chakaravarthy – Base Price 20 lakhs – Bought for 8.4 crores by Kings XI Punjab

Varun Chakaravarthy - The biggest surprise of the day

Varun Chakaravarthy is the mystery spinner for Tamilnadu. He played for Siechem Madurai Panthers in last year’s TNPL and was instrumental in his franchise winning their maiden TNPL title. He took 9 wickets in the third edition of TNPL at an economy of 4.7 runs per over.

He also took 22 wickets in the Vijay Hazare trophy. In the auction, KKR, Kings XI Punjab and CSK showed plenty of interest in him before he was bought by Kings XI Punjab for 8.40 crores. Varun became the joint costliest buy along with Jaydev Unadkat for Rajasthan Royals.

Other Top 10 Buys

Colin Ingram - The surprise buy among the overseas players

1. Jaydev Unadkat – Base Price – 1.50 crores – Sold for 8.40 crores to Rajasthan Royals

2. Sam Curran – Base Price – 2 crores – Sold for 7.2 crores to Kings XI Punjab

3. Colin Ingram – Base Price – 2 crores – Sold for 6.4 crores to Delhi Capitals

4. Carlos Brathwaite – Base Price 75 lakhs – Sold for 5 crores to KKR

5. Mohit Sharma – Base Price – 50 lakhs – Sold for 5 crores to CSK

6. Mohammed Shami – Base Price – 1 crore – Sold for 4.8 crores to Kings XI Punjab

7. Axar Patel – Base Price – 1 crore – Sold for 5 crores to Delhi Capitals

8. Nicholas Pooran – Base Price – 75 lakhs – Sold for 4.2 crores to Kings XI Punjab

9. Shimron Hetmyer – Base Price - 50 lakhs – Sold for 4.2 crores to RCB

10. Sherfane Rutherford – Base Price – 40 lakhs – Sold for 2 crores to Delhi Capitals

To sum up, the major beneficiaries of IPL auction 2019 are some of the uncapped Indian players, players from the Caribbean and the Indian fast bowlers.