Top 5 value for money players from IPL 8

The recently concluded season of the IPL is being touted as one of the best so far in terms of the quality of cricket that we witnessed. Players across teams, with their stellar performances with the bat and ball, lit up the tournament.

While team owners spared no expenses to ensure the best possible line-up for their sides, they didn't have to dole out a huge sum to sign in certain players and yet they proved to be a valuable addition to the squad. Here’s a list of top 5 value for money players in this year’s IPL.

1. Andre Russell

Price- Rs 60 Lakh

Team - Kolkata Knight Riders

Russell won the player of the tournament award

Having represented the Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous season, he was one of the few players retained by KKR for this year’s IPL. A regular member in the team throughout the course of the tournament, he played a total of 13 matches in which he scored 326 runs at an average of 36.22 with a strike rate of 192.89 and three half-centuries to go along with it. He came in handy with the ball during the middle overs snapping 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.96 and best bowling figures of 3/32.

However, Russell’s moment of reckoning came during a league game against Kings XI Punjab. Chasing a modest total of 156, KKR were in a spot of bother when he walked out to bat and together with Yusuf Pathan, stitched a 95 run partnership that saw his team through. His blitzkrieg innings of 66 came off 48 deliveries and included nine hits to the fence and two towering sixes.

Although KKR didn’t make it to the knockouts, Andre Russell with a superb blend of power and skills provided some good entertainment to the fans. He even won the Most Valuable Player award for this year’s IPL. Indeed, he is proving to be a smart pick by the Knight Riders camp.

2. Pawan Negi

Price- RS 10 Lakh (bought in 2014)

Team Owner- Chennai Super Kings

Negi was at times sent in ahead of Jadeja and Bravo

This slow left-arm spinner emerged as a dark horse in a team filled with star cricketers. Not only did he open with the new ball at times this year, but also took everyone by surprise with his ability to use the long handle in the death overs. The fact that he was often preferred over the other experienced campaigner Ravindra Jadeja speaks volumes of his talent.

He played 10 games in which he took six wickets at an economy rate of 8.40 with best bowling figures of 2/25. He also scored 116 runs at an average of 14.50 with a strike-rate of 158.9 and hit a total of 10 boundaries and five sixes proving that he isn’t a muck with the bat either.

Given his all-round performance, Negi has turned out to be an effective addition to the Chennai squad.

3. Mitchell McClenaghan

Price- RS 30 Lakh (bought in 2015)

Team - Mumbai Indians

McClenaghan has been amongst the wickets

Replacing his team-mate Corey Anderson who had to leave early for national duty, Mitchell McClenaghan provided the spark that was missing from MI’s campaign during the early stages of the tournament. He played 12 matches in which he took 18 wickets at an economy rate of 8.21 and best bowling figures of 3/16.

Needless to say, he did play an instrumental role with the ball in MI’s successful campaign this year and they just had to pay 30 lakh rupees to secure his services.

4. Hardik Pandya

Price- RS 10 Lakh (bought in 2015)

Team - Mumbai Indians

Hardik Pandya helped MI turn their campaign around

This youngster from Baroda played in 9 matches scoring 112 runs at an average of 22.40 with a strike rate of 180.64 and hit nine boundaries and eight sixes during the course of the tournament. His whirlwind knock of 61 from 31 balls helped Mumbai Indians beat the Knight Riders by a narrow margin.

He also showed his liking for big hitting when he smashed three consecutive maximums to hand his side victory over Chennai Super Kings. He has without a doubt proved to be quite a find for MI this year.

5. Yuzvendra Chahal

Price- RS 10 Lakh (bought in 2014)

Team - Royal Challengers Bangalore

Chahal could get into the Indian team pretty quick at this rate

Chahal has impressed once again for the second consecutive season. He bowled better than last year and to think that RCB have spent only 10 lakhs won’t go down well with the other teams as they have missed him out. He emerged to be the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament.

From a total of 15 matches, he accounted for 23 scalps at an economy rate of 8.88. If he manages to keep up his good performance, an Indian cap may just be round the corner for this young leggie.