Glad to be picked by the Rajasthan Royals: Krishnappa Gowtham

In an unexpected turn of events on the second day of IPL auctions, the 29-year-old Krishnappa Gowtham was picked for 31 times his base price. Gowtham who set his base price to just Rs 20 lakhs was brought by the Rajasthan Royals at Rs 6.2 crores. It was very much surprising to see him go at such a high price and raised many eyebrows.

There was a bidding war between the Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore to obtain him. Even the Mumbai Indians and the Kolkata Knight Riders seemed to be interested in him for a brief while. There were some serious discussions on the tables of both the teams and they were seen on phone calls as well. Royals who had the highest purse then successfully bid for him.

There were some nerves when my name came up

Gowtham apart from being a good bowler can also strike the ball big. He boasts of a very good economy rate of 7.06 and a massive strike rate of 160 with the bat. He previously was brought by the Mumbai Indians for Rs 2 crores in 2017. However, he didn’t get a chance to feature in the XI in any of the games. After being picked, he spoke to Star Sports during the lunch break and expressed his joy.

He said that he watched the auction with his family. He was glad that the teams have followed him up close. The Karnataka player also added that he was overjoyed after he was picked.

“I was watching the auctions with my family. It feels great (landing a deal) but more than that, I’m glad the teams have watched me closely and followed my performances throughout the season. It gives me lot of joy to be part of the Royals squad – last year, I was with Mumbai Indians, so I can carry forward from there,” he said.

He said that there were some nerves when his name came up in the auction. When questioned about how many times he had to charge his phone after the bid, the off-spinner said that he already charged it twice in a jovial mood.

“Yeah definitely! It’s always a good thing, featuring with some of the world’s best all-rounders. At the same time, I’ll be playing with Stuart Binny (Rs 50 Lakh to Royals); it helps to have another cricketer from your own state (Karnataka). He’s also an all-rounder and can guide me during the upcoming season,” Gowtham concluded.

Follow live feeds of IPL auction here.