IPL Auction 2019: 5 surprising picks

IPL is one of the most popular cricketing events in the world and all the cricket fans wait for it desperately to watch their favourite players go at it for the coveted trophy. One of the IPL's most exciting events is the auction where teams engage in bidding war to bolster their team.

The management and the front office use all the strategies and tactics to make the most out of the auction. Every year, a lot of good players enter the auction and some end up gaining more attraction than expected. In this article, let us look at five surprising picks from the IPL 2019 auction. Read on to find out.

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#5 Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh was bought for 1 Crore by Mumbai Indians

Yuvraj Singh is a fan favourite and the fans will forever look at him as the player that revolutionized Indian fielding, hit 6 sixes in an over, won the 50 over world cup for the country, irrespective of his current form.

The southpaw has been in the IPL since its inception in 2008, excluding one season when he was undergoing cancer treatment. The veteran was part of the IPL trophy winning team (2016) during his stint with the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He was with the Sunrisers for two seasons and had mediocre performances. After the 2017 season, he entered the last year's auction with a base price of INR 2.00 Crores. With his good days behind him, no one really gave Yuvraj a chance in the auction and everyone expected him to go unsold.

It is noteworthy to mention that Yuvraj was bought for INR 16.00 crores when he was in his prime. Even though he did not receive a lot of attention in the 2018 auction, he did not go unsold like a lot of people expected and was bought by Kings XI Punjab, his home franchise.

Yuvraj's reunion with the franchise did not happen well as he scored just 65 runs in 8 matches and was eventually dropped from the team. This year, the story was similar and it was expected that the teams will not go at him. He was eventually picked up, after going unsold in previous rounds, by the Mumbai Indians for his base price of INR 1.00 crore.

#4 Axar Patel

Axar Patel was sold for a whopping price of INR 5.00 crores

Even though Axar Patel entered the league in 2013 when he was bought by Mumbai Indians, he warmed the bench and did not get to feature in the playing XI. He made his debut while playing for KXIP in the 2014 edition and went on to pick up 17 wickets. Patel was also adjudged the 'Emerging Player of the Year' because of his exploits with the ball.

Axar had 4 great seasons with the franchise and before the IPL 2018 auction, he was the only player to be retained by the Kings XI Punjab. However, he did not perform to the level they would have expected him to and ended up with just 3 wickets after playing in 9 matches.

He was subsequently released by the franchise and entered this year's auction. In this year's auction, he received bids from his former franchise, Kings XI Punjab and the Delhi Capitals before the latter secured him for INR 5.00 crores.

#3 Carlos Brathwaite

Carlos Brathwaite was sold to KKR for INR 5.00 crores

Carlos Brathwaite is a name that needs no introduction as the 30-year-old is widely remembered for his 4 sixes in the last over of the T20 World Cup in 2016 to give the West Indies a four-wicket victory against England.

Even though he has been part of three editions of IPL since that innings in Kolkata, he has only received limited opportunities and could not make an impact. Last year, he spent the season with Sunrisers Hyderabad but only featured in 4 games and was released by the team after the end of the season.

He entered the IPL 2019 auction with a base price of only INR 75.00 lakhs. In the auction, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders went at him and the latter eventually bought him for 5.00 crores. This is almost seven times his base price.

#2 Varun Chakravarthy

Varun Chakravarthy was sold for INR 8.40 crores to the KXIP

The mystery spinner from Tamil Nadu, Varun Chakravarthy is relatively unknown to a lot of cricket fans. In the Tamil Nadu Premier League, he was the star performer for his team, Siechem Madurai Panthers, where he picked up 9 wickets in 10 matches at an economy rate of just 4.70 and played a key role in the team winning the title.

Chakravarthy's form continued in 2018 Vijay Hazare Trophy as he picked up 22 wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 4.23. Varun was the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

He entered this year's auction with a base price of just INR 20 lakhs. While a lot of pundits and analysts expected teams to throw their hat in for him, no one expected him to end up as one of the costliest buys in the auction. Varun was sold for INR 8.40 crores to the KXIP after several teams tried to purchase him. It will be interesting to see how he performs in this year's IPL.

#1 Jaydev Unadkat

Jaydev Unadkat was bought for 8.50 crores by Rajasthan Royals

Even though Jaydev Unadkat has been in IPL from 2010, he was only given limited opportunities and could not showcase his talent. However, it was 2017 season that changed his fate forever.

In IPL 10, Playing for Rising Pune Supergiants, he picked up as many as 24 wickets in 12 matches and ended as the second leading wicket-taker. He surprised everyone with his brilliant performances throughout the tournament and received a lot of praise.

Everyone expected teams to throw in their hats for Unadkat at the IPL auction 2018 but no one expected him to end up as one of the costliest buys in the auction. While two teams, Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, were primarily engaged in the bidding war, it was Rajasthan Royals who emerged out of nowhere and bought him for INR 11.50 crores.

However, he did not live up to the hype and picked up just 11 scalps in 15 matches at a not-so-great economy rate of 9.65. Despite not having a great IPL last year, in IPL auction 2019, he attracted bids from multiple teams before Rajasthan Royals ended up picking him again for INR 8.40 crores.